Historic 1930 Motor Yacht Sinks In Miami
As the sun came up over the Miami River on Saturday, April 25th 2009; what was once a Grand old Motor Yacht was laying on the bottom after taking on water earlier in the week and sinking in her berth. The 121' Nevins currently named Lovely Lady was originally named Tara; commissioned by Pierson to be built at New York's famous Nevins yard (the largest yacht ever built at Nevins), purchased by retired Admiral E. Townsend Irvin (friends of President Dwight D. and Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower) U.S. Navy War Commission and Commodore of prestigious New York Yacht Club. The yacht was the flagship of the club. In 1942, when the United States entered World War II, he donated the vessel to "the cause" as wood boats served as ideal minesweepers.
When the war ended, Tara was sold to the Remington-Rand Corporation (later Sperry-Rand) and again, she hosted many notables and witnessed historic events. Sperry-Rand became the backer and sole distributor for the newly formed Univac Company and many of the associations that led the way to the formation and development of the modern computer were born aboard this vessel. Tara's logs show that she crossed the Atlantic a number of times.
However, it wasn't until 1958, when Tara was renamed Lovely Lady when she was sold to California entrepreneurs who leased the vessel to movies and television producers, when she reached the height of her recognition. Starting in 1958, she had a brief appearance in Billy Wilder's "Some Like it Hot", starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. She appeared in many Television shows, and thirty years of films, the last being Mel Gibson's "Tequila Sunrise" in 1988. In the 1990's, she served as a private charter yacht in California, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Many Hollywood notables chartered her for private parties, including Alfred Hitchcock, Joan Caulfield, and Alan Hale. Currently, a screenplay is being written with regard to the vessels intriguing encounters, including being the scene of the passing of a New York socialite, and Ms. Monroe is reported to have stayed aboard her during the filming of "Some Like it Hot". In an attempt to learn more about the yacht; a YouTube clip taken from an episode of Batman in the 1960's was discovered. In this amusing video clip Batman and Robin are aboard the "Bat Copter" flying over the Ocean. About half way through the video you will see several close-up shots of what is believed to be the Lovely Lady underway. Make sure you watch the entire clip as you will learn more about how to ward off aggressive shark attacks...very educational and informative! Watch Here.
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was awarded the daunting task of salvaging this vessel to enable the fuel to be pumped from her tanks. Commercial divers with surface supplied air and dry suits went to work that morning in the murky waters of the Miami River with the task of patching each of the through hull fittings, port lights, hatches and other suspect areas of the hull. After patching was complete dewatering pumps were used to pump the vessel out allowing environmental crews to board the boat and begin pumping the fuel from each of the vessels tanks using a vacuum truck. TowBoatU.S. Ft Lauderdale's Salvage Master Chris Stevens stated "Most of the boats that we have salvaged over the 13 years that I have worked for the company have been constructed of fiberglass, aluminum or steel. Planked wooden hulls bring about a whole new set of challenges because there are so many places the hull could be compromised. We came prepared for this challenge with twice the number pumps that we would have needed for a fiberglass yacht salvage of similar size. We were successful but it took 2 gas pumps and one diesel dewatering pump to keep the water level steady once the boat was essentially pumped out."
Lovely Lady's owner has spent over a decade dedicated to this restoration. He discovered the yacht in Grand Cayman where the previous owner had left her; overcoming a litany of obstacles including possible demolition using explosives by the holding company for the marina in Grand Cayman and her eventual transit back to Miami Florida in 1999 which was interrupted by a stop in Cuba due to Hurricane Irene's unexpected track change. Since her arrival in Miami, the owner reports that the decks and superstructures have been rebuilt as well as the main engines and generators. A new electrical system has been added to compliment the generators. Much of the boats structural hull framing has also been replaced representing hundreds of man hours and considerable material costs. The next step in the process would have been to haul her out on a railway and complete the framing and hull planking project to insure her seaworthiness for years to come. Her tragic sinking and ever decreasing options for boatyards that have the capability of hauling a vessel of her size and vintage have left the owner in a difficult position. If you would like to learn more about the Lovely Lady please contact the owner at savetheyacht@gmail.com
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale operates a fleet of 11 boats from 3 base ports in Broward County. The company specializes in Towing, Salvage, Launch services and commercial charters. Please contact TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale at 954-783-7821 for more information.
