{"nrhp_refnum":"11000431","name":"WILD GOOSE (yacht)","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"2431 West Coast Hwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newport Beach","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.619145177000064,"lon":-117.92186191599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":[],"significance_levels":[],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Wild Goose is a 126.5-foot wooden-hulled vessel built in 1943 as the Navy minesweeper YMS-328 and later converted to a yacht. It is moored at a berth on West Coast Highway in Newport Beach, California.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the vessel is significant under Criterion B for its association with actor John Wayne, who owned it from 1962 to 1979 and remodeled it to suit his tastes and family. It is described as his \"proudest possession\" and the only residential property still tied to his productive years as an actor. Because it is less than 50 years old in terms of significance, Criteria Consideration G is addressed.","narrative":"Built in 1943 in Seattle as the wooden-hulled Navy minesweeper YMS-328, Wild Goose is a 126.5-foot vessel now moored at Newport Beach, California. Her double-planked Douglas-fir hull and twin diesel engines date from the war years, and the engine room remains almost unchanged. After leaving naval service in 1946 she passed through private owners and was converted to a yacht. Actor John Wayne bought her in 1962 and renamed her Wild Goose. His 1965 remodeling added staterooms, a custom salon and rooms for his children, and raised the overhead clearances to suit his height. Family and friends described the ship as his sanctuary and proudest possession, and cruises aboard her filled much of his family time until his death in 1979. Both of his houses from the period have been demolished, leaving the vessel as the surviving property linked to his acting years. She continues to operate as a charter vessel.","period_of_significance":"1962-1979","architect_builder":"Henry B. Nevins Yacht Builders (architect); Ballard Maritime Railway Company (builder)","architectural_style":"Other: Yacht","criteria":["B"],"status_note":"Currently moored at Newport Beach and operated as a passenger charter vessel; many World War II features and John Wayne's 1965 alterations survive.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.563211-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/11000431.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000431/04ed8d4016-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000431/04ed8d4016-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Abhishake4","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wild_Goose.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Abhishake4</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wild_Goose.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860368","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_YMS-328","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7875670"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/wild-goose-yacht-11000431/"}