A stunning piece of Presidential history has been brought back to life off the coast of Florida.
The restoration reveals a floating White House from a bygone era that few Americans know existed.
Now the Presidential Yacht Honey Fitz has been restored to its Kennedy-era glory and Americans won’t believe what’s inside.
Presidential yacht with a storied history
The White House Historical Association recently released a new episode of their podcast “The White House 1600 Sessions” that gave Americans a rare glimpse inside one of the most iconic vessels in Presidential history.
The 94-year-old yacht Honey Fitz was used by no fewer than five American Presidents, from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon, before being decommissioned and sold to a private owner in 1971.
Association President Stewart McLaurin traveled to Jupiter, Florida to tour the meticulously restored vessel with its current owner, philanthropist Charles Modica, and the yacht’s captains, Gregory Albritton and Katelyn Kiefer.
“You can just feel the echo of history in this space and what may have transpired here,” McLaurin said during his tour of the main salon. “It’s really amazing, and it’s beautiful down to every last detail.”
What makes the Honey Fitz particularly special is its connection to President John F. Kennedy, who gave the yacht its most famous name in honor of his maternal grandfather, John Francis Fitzgerald.
Yacht changed names with changing administrations
Before Kennedy renamed it, the vessel had several other Presidential identity changes throughout its service.
President Eisenhower named it Barbara Anne after his granddaughter, and later President Richard Nixon christened it Patricia after his wife, First Lady Pat Nixon.
But it was during the Kennedy administration that the yacht became most iconic, serving as a floating escape for the First Family during their “Camelot” era in the White House.
The 93-foot wooden motor yacht became a symbol of the Kennedy Presidency and was frequently photographed with the young President at its helm, often with his family and high-profile guests aboard.
Meticulous restoration brings Kennedy era back to life
What makes the current restoration so remarkable is the painstaking attention to detail that went into returning the Honey Fitz to exactly how it looked during the Kennedy years.
Captains Albritton and Kiefer conducted extensive research, using Presidential photographs, White House logbooks, and perhaps most remarkably, drawings and notes created by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy herself.
“Even the couches in the main salon have been duplicated and replicated to Mrs. Kennedy’s drawings of them,” Modica revealed. “Everything around the vessel is back to the original manufacturer, in some cases, or replicated through photographs.”
The yacht’s captains took their restoration roles seriously, diving into the mechanical aspects of the vessel as well as the aesthetic elements.
“I found it to be a very unique situation that we were put in. It’s not often that crew and captain are placed with the opportunity to get as involved in a restoration as were given the chance to,” Captain Kiefer explained. “Greg and I did mechanics. He did plumbing. I think it also gave us a great opportunity to know the boat inside and out. That’s a great thing for your crew and a captain to know.”
Historical details preserved throughout the vessel
The restoration team preserved numerous original features that tell the story of the yacht’s Presidential service. The blue-and-white upholstered furniture designed by Jacqueline Kennedy has been meticulously recreated.
A folding map table that once concealed equipment for the Secret Service remains intact. Even the original dome lights were preserved, rechromed during the restoration, and continue to illuminate the yacht today.
“During the restoration, any time that we were taking things apart, we used as much as we possibly could to keep the boat original,” Captain Albritton noted.
The Honey Fitz represents the end of an era in Presidential history. The tradition of Presidential yachts began with President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 and continued until President Jimmy Carter sold the U.S.S. Sequoia in 1977, citing cost concerns.
While modern Presidents no longer maintain official yachts, the Honey Fitz stands as a beautifully preserved time capsule from when American Presidents conducted business and relaxed on the water.
The full video tour of the Honey Fitz is available on the White House Historical Association’s YouTube channel, offering viewers a chance to step aboard this floating piece of Presidential history.
After nearly a century of history and service to five different Presidents, the Honey Fitz continues to sail as a testament to a unique chapter in White House history – when Presidents commanded not only the Oval Office but also their own vessel on the high seas.
