FDR’s “Floating White House” USS Potomac Home Ported in Oakland CA

FDR's Presidential Yacht, The USS Potomac — FDR’s Floating White House. The USS Potomac is fully restored and berthed in Oakland, California. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

The USS Potomac served as the President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Floating White House” from 1936 until his death in 1945. How the USS Potomac came to reside in Oakland, California is a fascinating journey. Following a ten year stint as a Coast Guard patrol boat, the Potomac saw duty as a Caribbean ferry, Elvis Presley private yacht, and a stint as a drug smuggler that ultimately led to its sinking while tied up on Treasure Island. The Oakland Port Authority purchased the derelict USS Potomac and spent more than fourteen years, and six million dollars painstakingly restoring Roosevelt’s Presidential Yacht. Today the vessel is a registered National Historic Landmark, berthed at Oakland’s Jack London Square and offers regularly scheduled San Francisco Bay cruises. Join correspondent, Tom Wilmer aboard the USS Potomac for a visit with the 1^st Mate, the ship’s Captain, and one of the volunteer historians.