{"nrhp_refnum":"87000068","name":"USS POTOMAC (yacht)","other_names":["FDR's Presidential Yacht","The Floating Whitehouse","Electra"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"1660 Embarcadero","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oakland","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.79528186300007,"lon":-122.28010238699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-02-20","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1990-12-14","areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 165-foot riveted steel-hulled vessel, the former presidential yacht U.S.S. Potomac (AG-25), ex-Coast Guard cutter Electra, moored at FDR Memorial Pier in Oakland, California. Electra was built in 1934 by the Manitowoc Ship Building Company and converted to a presidential yacht in 1935-36.","why_significant":"Potomac was the yacht used by Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1936 to 1945 and served as his \"floating White House\" for state visits, cabinet meetings and retreats. She was the principal vessel associated with him during most of his four terms. She is tied to the 1939 visit of the British King and Queen and to the August 1941 voyage that covered his secret meeting with Churchill, which produced the Atlantic Charter.","narrative":"Moored on the Oakland Estuary, Potomac is a 165-foot steel yacht that served as Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential vessel from 1936 to 1945. She began as the Coast Guard patrol cutter Electra, built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and launched in 1934 to chase rumrunners. The Navy rebuilt her in 1935-36 with a welded steel superstructure containing a saloon, a presidential stateroom and an elevator in the after stack. Roosevelt used her for fishing trips, state visits, cabinet meetings and a fireside chat. Her cover role in the August 1941 meeting with Winston Churchill that led to the Atlantic Charter adds to her importance. Later owners altered her, and after neglect she sank at Treasure Island before being raised, bought by the Port of Oakland and rebuilt. Restoration replaced much of the hull bottom and returned her exterior and interiors to their 1939 look, making her a working museum.","period_of_significance":"1936-45","architect_builder":"Manitowoc Ship Building Company","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Restored to her circa 1939 appearance and refloated, with the final interior restoration being completed and operation as a working museum vessel expected.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.050747-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/87000068_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000068/94bb1e89fa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000068/94bb1e89fa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Copyright 2003 Christopher J. Wood Chris j wood at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uss-potomac-at-oakland.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Copyright 2003 Christopher J. Wood Chris j wood at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uss-potomac-at-oakland.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857889","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Potomac_(AG-25)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3547436"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/uss-potomac-yacht-87000068/"}