Zalophus
Dateearly 20th Century
MediumSteel, wood, glass, brass, fabric, rope
Dimensions125' long
ClassificationsTransportation Vehicles
Credit LineCommissioned by John and Mable Ringling, 1922
Object numberRMA53
The Ringling Motor Houseboat, Zalophus
In 1922, John Ringling replaced his yacht Vidofner with the Zalophus. The 125 ft all-steel vessel with a 12 ft beam and a draft of 4 ft was designed for the Gulf waters by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Corporation of Morris Heights, New York. The boat cost $200,000 and was similar in design to John Wanamaker’s yacht, the Pastime, which was moored in Palm Beach, Florida. With 6,200 gallons of oil onboard, it had a cruising radius of 4,000 miles. Because of the modern design and quality of workmanship, the yacht was featured in many of the boating magazines of the time and was used in advertisements for Nelseco engines built by the New London Ship and Engine Company of Groton, Connecticut. One review noted that
All equipment that has been specified for us in the Zalophus, by the owner, is to be the best procurable at this time, and to be of the most modern design. Appointments, decorations and hangings will be chosen with equal care.
Speed-Up, “John Ringling’s Houseboat: Zalophus Equipped with Nelseco Engines.: vol 5, no 9, September 15, 1922, 7.
On June 17, 1922, Mable Ringling christened the vessel and by December 1922, the boat was ready for delivery. The Ringlings used the houseboat to entertain friends and business associates as well as to demonstrate the charm and opportunities of Sarasota to possible financial investors.
With such a large and heavy vessel, running aground was always a possibility. On March 22, 1926, the Zalophus ran aground in Sarasota Bay when traveling from St. Petersburg to Sarasota. Making the trip with Ringling was Jimmy Walker, the Mayor of New York (New York Times, March 23, 1926, 29). On February 4, 1930 while John Ringling was in New York City, Sam Gumpertz borrowed the yacht to motor to Useppa Island with friends and family. At 3am, the boat hit an object about a mile off of Lido Key and sank in 12 ft of water. Heavy seas battered the yacht. All on board were safely brought ashore (Sarasota Herald, February 4, 1930, 1). A statement was issued that there were on 4 passengers onboard of the yacht at the time; later, it was revealed that there were other individuals, including Mayor Walker and his friend, the actor Betty Compton. The Mayor and his friend were taken to Ft. Myers to avoid any scandal (New York Times, February 5, 1930, 21; David Weeks, Ringling: The Florida Years, 220).
With the high winds, heavy seas and tides, the contents and pieces of the yacht washed ashore along the coast; some reaching as far as Cortez, about 20 miles north of Lido Beach (Sarasota Herald, February 6, 1930, 1, 2; Sarasota Herald, March 7, 1930, 1; David Weeks, Ringling: The Florida Years, 220). Some of the furniture was recovered -- most notably, the needlepoint chairs from the Astor Estate that are now in the Ca’d’Zan court. The Dixon family tradition has that the ship’s wheel and compass with its case were recovered by Fernie S. “Pop” Dixon, Sr. (1884- 1959) and his sons by diving around the submerged ship after the accident. “Pop” Dixon and sons worked on the Ringling boats and owned a fish market on Central Ave.
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