Yacht Collection

The Hussar was built in Kiel, Germany for Marjorie Merriweather Post and her husband E.F. Hutton. She was completed in 1931 and received by Post and Hutton in Bermuda after a year-long shake-down cruise. From there it was docked in Jacksonville, Florida. Throughout their marriage Hutton and Post traveled around the world on the ship. After Post and Hutton divorced Marjorie maintained ownership of the ship and renamed her Sea Cloud. Post married US Diplomat Joseph Davies in 1935 and throughout their marriage the yacht acted as a “Floating Embassy” in addition to being a pleasure yacht for the couple. In its role as the “Floating Embassy” Sea Cloud was used by United States and Soviet officials to stay and hold meetings while Davies acted as ambassador to the USSR. It also hosted Queen Elisabeth of Belgium while Davies was the U.S. ambassador to Belgium.

In 1942 Marjorie chartered Sea Cloud to the US Navy for $1 a year to aid in World War II efforts. In 1942 Sea Cloud was commissioned as a United States Coast Guard Cutter as a weather ship. In 1943 the US Navy took over control of Sea Cloud and commissioned it as USS Sea Cloud (IX-99), still acting as a weather ship. In 1944 Sea Cloud became the U.S. military's first racially integrated warship since the American Civil War. She was decommissioned and returned to Post in 1945, and for her wartime service Sea Cloud was awarded the American Campaign Medal and the World War Two Victory Medal. After Sea Cloud returned from service, she went through restorations that were completed in 1947. In 1955 Post sold Sea Cloud. The vessel then passed through the hands of several owners, most notably Rafael Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1934-1961. In 1979 Sea Cloud was purchased by Hartmut Paschburg and a group of Hamburg associates, who converted her to a luxury cruise ship that operates to this day.