Schooner Black Douglas
Encyclopedia
The Black Douglas (later teQuest, Aquarius, Aquarius W; now El Boughaz I) is a three-masted staysail
auxiliary schooner
built for Robert C. Roebling (great-grandson of John A. Roebling
and grand-nephew of Washington Roebling
) at the Bath Iron Works
of Bath, Maine
, and launched on 9 June 1930. Designed by renowned New York
naval architects
H.J. Gielow & Co., she is one of the largest steel
-hulled
schooners ever built.
The ship
undertook a variety of functions during her first three and a half decades: private yacht
for the Roebling family, patrol vessel in United States Navy
service during World War II
(as a "patrol yacht – coastal"; PYc-45), and research vessel
for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
plying the Pacific from Alaska
to Baja California
.
She was bought at auction by Louis Black of Santa Monica
, California
, to be used as a treasure hunter in the Caribbean
. Black sailed the ship through the Panama Canal
and then spent eight years treasure hunting in the Turks and Caicos. He eventually sold the ship to Capt. George Stoll, who turned her into a second Flint School
school ship
. The school closed in 1981 and she was sold, and in 1982–1983 was reconditoned at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard
in Lemwerder
, Germany
, serving as a template for the first generation of super yachts. She is currently owned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco
.
She was launched with a 325-hp
Cooper-Bessemer
marine diesel engine
, later replaced by a 400-hp model from San Francisco's Enterprise Engine & Foundry Company. She now is equipped with twin 290-hp Volvo Penta
s. She has flown the flags of the United States
, Panama
, the Cayman Islands
, the United Kingdom
, and Morocco
(current).
Staysail
A staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit or to another mast....
auxiliary schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
built for Robert C. Roebling (great-grandson of John A. Roebling
John A. Roebling
John Augustus Roebling was a German-born American civil engineer. He is famous for his wire rope suspension bridge designs, in particular, the design of the Brooklyn Bridge.-Early life:...
and grand-nephew of Washington Roebling
Washington Roebling
Washington Augustus Roebling was an American civil engineer best known for his work on the Brooklyn Bridge, which was initially designed by his father John A. Roebling.-Education and military service:...
) at the Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
of Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, and launched on 9 June 1930. Designed by renowned New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
naval architects
Naval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
H.J. Gielow & Co., she is one of the largest steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
-hulled
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
schooners ever built.
The ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
undertook a variety of functions during her first three and a half decades: private yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
for the Roebling family, patrol vessel in United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(as a "patrol yacht – coastal"; PYc-45), and research vessel
Research vessel
A research vessel is a ship designed and equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel, others require a dedicated vessel...
for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
plying the Pacific from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
.
She was bought at auction by Louis Black of Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to be used as a treasure hunter in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Black sailed the ship through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and then spent eight years treasure hunting in the Turks and Caicos. He eventually sold the ship to Capt. George Stoll, who turned her into a second Flint School
Flint School
The Flint School was a preparatory school founded by educators George and Betty Stoll. Based in Sarasota, Florida, United States, it operated aboard first one, then two, school ships from 1969 to 1981...
school ship
School ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is especially used for ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms....
. The school closed in 1981 and she was sold, and in 1982–1983 was reconditoned at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
in Lemwerder
Lemwerder
Lemwerder is a municipality in the district of Wesermarsch, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Weser, approx. 27 km east of Oldenburg, and 17 km northwest of the centre of Bremen....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, serving as a template for the first generation of super yachts. She is currently owned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:...
.
She was launched with a 325-hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
Cooper-Bessemer
Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries is a former US-based company that in 2009 switched its incorporation office from Bermuda to Ireland, maintaining its chief operational offices in Houston, Texas. It produces transformers, tools and electrical equipment, employing 29,000 staff around the world. Revenue in 2007 was...
marine diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
, later replaced by a 400-hp model from San Francisco's Enterprise Engine & Foundry Company. She now is equipped with twin 290-hp Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta was founded in 1907 in conjunction with the production of the first marine engine, B1. The Penta company soon became an established internal combustion engine manufacturer, which in 1927 delivered the engine to Volvo's first passenger car....
s. She has flown the flags of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
(current).
In print
- "As smooth...under power as sail"; Cooper-Bessemer advertisement w/ photo (Yachting, May 1930).
- "'Black Douglas' Runs Into Trouble" (Savannah Morning News, [1942]).
- Cradle of Ships (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1958).
- "»Quite normal pupils«...nur ganz billig ist für sie die schwimmende Schule nicht" (Kieler Chronik, 4 October 1974).
- "Jovens americanos gostaram de ver brasileiro sempre sorrindo" (A Província do Pará, 15 April 1975).
- "Bermuda Gets an Early Taste of Tall Ship Fever" (Royal Gazette, 27 May 1976).
- Cover photo (The Bermudian, August 1976).
- "Eine komplette höhere Schule kam unter Schonersegeln nach Lübeck" (Lübecker Nachrichten, 28 October 1977).
- Probing the Oceans 1936–1976 (San Diego: Tofua Press, 1978).
- Les Antilles aujourd'hui (Paris: Éditions JA, 1979).
- Adventures of a Zoologist (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980).
- Beken of Cowes: A Century of Tall Ships (London: Harrap, 1985).
- Bath Iron Works: The First Hundred Years (Portland: Anthoensen Press, 1987).
- "Alternate Destination: Cádiz" (SAIL, October 1987).
- The First 25 Years (Washington: U.S. Department of Commerce [Southwest Fisheries Center, La. Jolla, Calif.], 1989).
- "Aquarius, a Yacht to Treasure" (Financial Times, 30 & 31 December 1989).
- Painting (for October 2000) in the Professional Yachtsman’s Calendar (Bungay, Suffolk: Colin Squire Publishing, 1999).
- S/Y Aquarius sales brochure (Ft. Lauderdale: Fraser Yachts Worldwide, 2002).
- Chapman's Great Sailing Ships of the World (New York: Hearst, 2005).
- "Ban bèk – Barku di bella" (Èxtra Boneiru [Bonaire, Neth. Antilles], 8 August 2006).
- "Top 200 – Die größten Segelyachten" (Boote supplement, Sept./Oct. 2007).