The presidential nautical quarters of former President Harry S. Truman has nearly been forgotten and left to rust in Italy. The Huffington Post reported that in four of five years the USS Williamsburg may fall apart unless someone may be able to save the ship.
The yacht which wa also a Word War II gunboat has a long history and NBC News reported that Gianfranco Oddone a retired Italian ship repairman said it was his mission to find an American buyer for the ship before it's too late.
"The style of ship, I think it's a fine piece of naval architecture," Oddone told NBC News "You have a certain number of millionaires, of billionaires. If they would donate 25 euros each, you would raise a lot of money."
The Daily Mail reported that "dignitaries such as Winston Churchill were invited to conferences on board, while the vessel sailed around the world taking Truman on a series of exotic vacations."
"The ship quickly gained a reputation as the 'seagoing White House', an iconic symbol of American strength and optimism as the U.S. took the lead in rebuilding the shattered West," reported The Daily Mail.
For 20 years the yacht has been in Italy and slowly degrading. It is currently docked at La Spezia and the current owner of the ship said in a few years she is likely to sink it and then it will be cut up for scrap.
The Huffington Post reported that in 1969 the ship was reinvented as a floating restaurant in New Jersey and then in the 80s and 90s it was in the Potomac
New Hampshire resident Steve Lindsey said to the Maine Portland Press Herald that "The USS Williamsburg, restored, would look grand near DiMillo's in Portland Harbor, painted glistening white. Why not honor Maine's proud maritime traditions by preserving one of the presidential yachts? Why not bring home one of Bath Iron Works' most celebrated ships?"
See photos here.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
