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J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV

When J.P. Morgan Junior took delivery of the Corsair IV   in 1930, she was the largest and most luxurious private yacht ever built in the USA. Morgan used her for a decade, mainly on the East Coast and in the Caribbean, before gifting her to the British Admiralty to help with the war effort.

After WWII she re-entered service as a cruise ship, plying routes in Alaska and from Long Beach California down to Mexico. The photo below shows her in Vancouver, 1948. Less than a year later she struck a rock and sank in shallow waters off Acapulco.

The story began in 1882 when J.P. Morgan Senior, one of the world's richest men and an avid yachtsman, bought the 185-foot steamship Corsair . He then commissioned the bigger, faster and more luxurious Corsair II   (which the US Navy conscripted into service as a gunboat during the Spanish-American War) and the 304-foot Corsair III ,  a superyacht that featured a full-beam library, cases of wine and brandy, and humidors stocked with Cuban cigars.

Each of these three yachts generated great publicity, but media attention was particularly intense when the Corsair III was launched in 1898. It was at this time that Morgan made one of the most famous comments ever recorded. When a journalist asked him how much it would cost to operate a yacht of this size, Morgan replied:

Sir, if you have to ask that question, you can't afford it.

J.P. Morgan Senior

The Corsair IV

The Corsair IV was commissioned by J.P. Morgan Junior and built at Bath Iron Works, Maine. When she was launched in April 1930 she measured 343 feet in length and was the largest private yacht ever constructed in the USA. Nicknamed the "Princess of the Sea", she was an object of beauty with her black hull, clipper bow and elegant teak interiors. Morgan adored her, and reveled in the privacy she afforded him. One of his annual guests while cruising in Europe was the UK's Archbishop of Canterbury, and on one memorable occasion the two of them sailed across the Mediterranean to the Holy Land.

Following the outbreak of WWII and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, most privately-owned yachts in America were requisitioned by the US Maritime Commission and converted for use as gunships or patrol boats. For reasons which aren't entirely clear, Morgan gave the Corsair IV not to the US Navy but to the British Admiralty. Based in Bermuda, she served out the war as a patrol ship in the Western Atlantic.

Life as a Cruise Ship

After the war there was a dearth of cruise ships on America's West Coast. Many of the great Canadian Pacific and Japanese liners that serviced this coastline in the 1920s and 1930s had been lost in sea battles or fallen victim to mines. To plug this gap, the Pacific Cruise Lines company was formed in 1946 and promptly snapped up J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV . The yacht was re-named Corsair and taken to Canada to be converted to a luxury cruise liner.

With accommodation for 82 passengers and a crew of 76, the new Corsair exuded luxury. Staterooms were not only bigger and better equipped than rival ships, they were fitted with carpets and air-conditioning (almost unheard of at the time), and included furnishings made from the finest materials. The Corsair debuted in September 1947, offering two-week cruises from California to Acapulco. Ticket prices were high, but in booming post-war America, so was the demand.

The Corsair was a great success. Her cruises sold out well in advance and her popularity exceeded anything her new owners had imagined. Before long she switched from Mexico to Alaska and became the first ship to offer luxury cruises to the Inside Passage. Soon after she reverted to Mexico, the Panama Canal and across the Caribbean to Havana. And then tragedy struck: in November 1949 the Corsair hit a rock off the coast of Acapulco and sank. Fortunately none of her 55 passengers or crew were harmed.

Made in China: the Nero

In the early years of this century, British entrepreneur Neil Taylor began hunting for a classic yacht to restore and re-model along the lines of the Corsair IV . When he couldn't find what he wanted, Taylor set up his own company, Corsair Yachts, and commissioned a near replica of J.P. Morgan's yacht from Yantai Raffles Shipyard in China. Launched in 2008, the sleek, black-hulled superyacht was christened Nero . The following year she triumphed in the "Best Motor Yacht Over 75 Metres" category at the ShowBoats Design Awards.

In 2014 the Nero was bought by Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien. Two years later he had her refurbished in Spain, requesting that she be brought up to European standards and given a classic, contemporary elegance. The Nero is now available for summer charters in the Mediterranean and winter service in the Caribbean & Bahamas. Since her introduction to the charter circuit she has won praise for her fusion of old-world charm and tasteful styling, with many clients commenting positively on her spacious interiors, Ralph Lauren decor and relaxed living environments.

Pinnacle Marine New Zealand

We have years of practical experience dealing with luxury yachts and are supported by a network of contacts throughout the industry. If you would like more information about luxury yachts, or anything else connected to the world of yachting, please feel free to contact us.

Grace, Michael (2008), The Tragic Life of the Corsair IV , New York Social Diary

Merl, Risa (2017), Nero: Inside the 90m Modern Classic Superyacht's MB92 Refit , Boat International

Viju, Mathew (2016), Eight Ways J.P. Morgan Defined the Good Life , Robb Report

Wisner, Bill (1975), The Golden Age of Yachts , Motor Boating and Sailing

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At Auction: Nautical Curiosities from J.P. Morgan’s Corsair

The second in a series of enormous steam yachts named Corsair was built for J.P. Morgan in 1890 by Neafie & Levy of Philadelphia, replacing an earlier craft used by the financier as a ferry between his Hudson River estate and office on Wall St. In 1897 the 241-ft. Corsair II became the flagship of the famed New York Yacht Club when Morgan was elected Commodore; in 1898 it was bought by the government and renamed the USS Gloucester , serving as a gunship in the Spanish-American War. Morgan, who commissioned an even larger Corsair to replace it, entertained great men of the day from Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Edison to Mark Twain aboard the floating mansions fitted with every possible luxury.

Corsair with a Flagship banner. Some 220 pieces of it will be included in an historic sale of nautical curiosities from the various Corsairs and more at Boston Harbor Auctions on May 1. Other items from Morgan’s collection include a silver Tiffany & Co. cigar cutter designed in the Corsair ‘s crescent and star motif; his mahogany poker set complete with ivory chips; Boston-made brass ship’s clocks; embroidered table linens; specially bottled Scotch whisky and engraved tumblers; canvas covered wicker provisions trunks; and even a classic wooden launch from the Corsair III (pictured below in front of the NYYC in Newport). Not a bad haul….

Jared Paul Stern is the editor of Driven .

All photos courtesy Boston Harbor Auctions.

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Comments on “ at auction: nautical curiosities from j.p. morgan’s corsair ”.

Cute house.

Amazing. The interior is a wonder, I’m sure. I’ve been on Victorian Yachts at the Museum in Newport. Pianos, red velvet sofas. I can only imagine what’s in there.

Very cool. Great find MW.

Sweet! Bit of fun: the on-line catalog of the Morgan Library is called “Corsair.”

Jamie Dimon should buy it all.

I love the simplicity of the poker chips.

Comments are closed.

Cruising The Past Cruise News

Chicago cubs sail to catalina isaldn on the ss catalina, cruise and social history: j. p. morgan’s most beautiful cruise-ship ever to sail… the s.s. corsair… a style we will never see again….

Posted by: Michael Grace May 16, 2013

J. Pierpont Morgan Jr. could never have imagined his yacht Corsair IV being converted into a deluxe cruise ship whose short career would end in tragedy but it happened on a sailing from California to Acapulco in 1949.

J.P. Morgan Jr. and his legendary business tycoon father, J. Pierpont Morgan, made cruise history, owning four magnificent yachts christened Corsair, and built three of them.

Each yacht was bigger, faster, and more comfortable than the preceding one.

The Morgan Corsair created major media attention for the times resulting in a legendary quote by the senior Morgan when he was asked how much it cost to operate a boat that size. His quick response: “Sir, if you have to ask that question, you can’t afford it.”

Corsair IV was constructed in Maine at the beginning of the Great Depression for $2.5 million (or about $60 million in today’s currency). Measuring 2,142 gross tons, with a registered length of 300 feet and overall length of 343 feet, the Corsair IV was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. Designed in the traditional piratical look of Morgan yachts, CorsairIV was long, dark, heavy underneath – paler and suaver in the superstructure.

The Corsair launching in 1930.

When it was ready for launching in 1930, Morgan brought three private railway cars of family and friends up to the Maine shipyards for the occasion.

Morgan used her for ten years, mostly on the East Coast, in the West Indies and for trans-Atlantic record-breaking crossings. After an eventful career with Morgan, the Corsair IV was turned over to British Admiralty in 1940.

Following World War II, rich Americans had money to spend on cruises but choices were limited. Half the commercial passenger vessels had been sunk and the surviving liners demanded extensive refurbishing. It would be several years before many refurbished ships would be back in service or any new ships built.

This was especially true in California and on the West Coast. American Presidents Lines took three years to re-establish liner service to the Orient and it wasn’t until 1948 when Matson Line’s famous Lurline sailed again to Hawaii.

The magnificent pre-war Canadian Pacific and Japanese liners that once plied the Pacific had been brutally sunk in seagoing battles.

Life Magazine featured the new Corsair. It was probably the most deluxe cruise ship operating after World War II.

Realizing there was an untapped post-War luxury cruise market, the Skinner and Eddy Corporation, owners of the Alaska Steamship Company, created Pacific Cruise Lines in 1946.

The newly formed subsidiary immediately went looking for a ship and was lucky enough to quickly spot its prize, Corsair IV.

The former Morgan yacht was bought from undisclosed buyers and placed under Panamanian registry.

The Corsair (the IV was dropped) was taken to Todd Shipyards in New York for repair and overhaul, and then sailed to the Victoria Machinery Depot in Victoria, Canada, for conversion to a luxury cruise vessel.

The ultra-deluxe public rooms and staterooms aboard the Corsair.

In charge of her interior was the firm of William F. Schorn Associates of New York. Schorn was also responsible for giving the pre-war Moore-McCormick Liners cruising to South America from New York – Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay –a much more contemporary look. He provided the same meticulous detail to designing the modern accommodations for the new elegant Corsair. This was not just a paint job but also a total conversion for the former Morgan yacht to create elegant surroundings for the line’s future passengers.

The goal of Pacific Cruise Lines was to offer to the traveling public the world’s most luxurious cruise ship. The many letters received from the cruise passengers during the first year of service attested to that accomplishment.

The Pacific Cruise Line’s S.S. Corsair, ready to sail from Long Beach, California in 1948.

Accommodating only 82 passengers, all rooms were much larger and more commodious than as expected on shipboard at that time. No expense was spared in furnishing decorating each room with the very finest of materials and workmanship available. There were no berths on the Corsair and all staterooms featured beds. Each room had its own private bath.

There were a total of 42 rooms on the ship and the steward’s department personnel alone numbered more than forty. Each was responsible for the sole purpose of catering to the slightest desire of the carriage trade passengers. All public rooms, including the main lounge, forward observation lounge, cocktail lounge, etc., were completely carpeted and air-conditioned. This was also true of all bedrooms, sitting rooms and suites. Top European chiefs were hired to create haute cuisine. A total of 76 crewmembers and officers were aboard the new cruise ship, making the passenger to crew ratio almost one to one, equaling or surpassing the most high end cruise ships operating today.

The new Corsair made her debut on September 29, 1947 offering two-week cruises from Long Beach, California, to Acapulco, Mexico. The standard price per person rate averaged $600. Hardly a bargain since the ship’s cruise fare equaled more than a quarter of the 1947 typical U.S. family income.

The new cruise line placed attractive full-page ads for cruising on the new stylish first class Corsair in Holiday magazine. Demand for passage was heavy and the wait lists lengthy. During the summers of 1948, the Corsair was switched to Alaska. Sailing out of Vancouver, British Columbia, she provided the first deluxe two-week cruises ever offered to the Inside Passage. Another first for the Corsair Alaska cruises was a special chartered train transporting passengers from Whittier to famed McKinley National Park.

A series of cruises to Mexico, Havana via the Panama Canal and the Gulf of California were scheduled and completed in the spring of 1949. The cruise ship returned to Alaska for summer sailings and was to be followed by a season of cruises to Mexico from Long Beach beginning in October. Then tragedy struck on November 12, 1949.

The Corsair, during one of her autumn Mexican Riviera cruises, struck a rock and beached at Acapulco. Her crew and 55 passengers were put ashore in lifeboats.

There was no loss of life. Examined by her owners, the former Morgan yacht was determined to be a total constructive loss, and abandoned to Davy Jones’ locker.

Even during this age of mega-liners, no other ships will ever equal the elegance, exclusivity and style of the former Morgan yacht.

The Corsair’s legacy lives on only for divers willing to explore the remains of the vessel deep in the warm seas off Acapulco.

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To escape the often tempestuous financial scene, J.P. Morgan found solace on the sea and owned a series of yachts during the course of his lifetime. It is Morgan who, when asked the expense in maintaining such a vessel, is credited as saying the now cliché approximation of, “if you have to ask how much […]

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Corsair III in Vencie 1902

©The Morgan Library & Museum, Archives Collection

To escape the often tempestuous financial scene, J.P. Morgan found solace on the sea and owned a series of yachts during the course of his lifetime. It is Morgan who, when asked the expense in maintaining such a vessel, is credited as saying the now cliché approximation of, “if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it.”

Commodore of the New York Yacht Club from 1897 to 1899, Morgan purchased his first luxury craft in 1881, a 185-foot steam sailor christened Corsair . Just nine years later, Morgan commissioned the 241-foot Corsair II (designed by John Beaver-Webb and built by Neafie & Leavy out of Philadelphia), which included a 30-foot tender.

A haven from the public eye, the yacht was a pelagic playground for an elite few. Included among the onboard opulence was handmade bone china by Minton, Tiffany cigar-cutters, and a set of poker chips carved from ivory. The latter sold for $66,000 at auction in 2011.

In 1898, the Corsair II was conscripted into service by the United States Navy and became the USS Gloucester , a gunboat used during the Spanish-American War. This naturally necessitated that Morgan have a replacement, so the 304-foot Corsair III was constructed the same year by T.S. Marvel Shipbuilding. Amidst the yacht’s lavish layout were found a library that extended across the beam, a player piano, cases of wine and brandy, humidors stocked with Cuban cigars, and a comprehensive collection of dining accessories, including pearl-handled fruit knives, julep strainers, finger bowls and, of course, asparagus tongs. After Morgan’s death, the third iteration of Corsair saw action as a patrol ship in WWI and as a survey ship in the Pacific theater during WWII.

Sharing his father’s nautical nature, J.P. Morgan Jr. carried on the tradition by having the 343-foot Corsair IV completed in 1930. The largest yacht built in the United States at the time, it came at a cost of $60 million by today’s standards.

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