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The training ship Savarona was built by Blohm and Voss, Hamburg and launched on February 28, 1931. At that time and, indeed, for over 20 years she was considered to be the most sumptuously fitted yacht afloat. Named after an ancient sea bird of the South Seas, said to be capable of flying 2,000 to 3,000 miles non-stop, the yacht was reconstructed and converted to a training ship for midshipmen in 1952.
Saloons and dining rooms were turned into classrooms for the trainees and the vessel now carries a complement of 132, plus 81 midshipmen. She has a displacement of 5,710 tons on dimensions 3491/2 ft. (waterline), 4081/2 ft. overall, 53 ft. beam and 201/2 ft. draft.; four 3 in. guns, two 40 m.m. and two 20 m.m. A.A. guns are carried.
A twin-screw vessel, her six geared turbines develop 10,750 s.h.p., giving a designed speed of 21 knots originally, although this is now reduced to about 18 knots. There are four water tube boilers of 400 lb. working pressure, and there is bunker capacity for 2,100 tons of fuel oil. At a speed of 15 knots she has an operational radius of 9,000 miles and as a training ship she is provided with every modern navigational aide, including Sperry gyro-stabilisers.
SG2128 Sea Breezes 3/66

Built as a steam yacht under yard No 490 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg for the American Emily Roebling.
28 February 1931 launched as the SAVARONA.
Tonnage 4,701 gross, 1,410 net, 1,540 dwt. Dim. 135.94 x 16.08 x 6.13m., length bpp 104.7m
Powered by six geared steam turbines, 10,750 shp., twin shafts, speed 21 knots.
Bunker capacity 2,100 oil. Range 9,000 mile by a speed of 15 knots.
Accommodation: had 12 large cabins for visiting guests.
Crew 84.
16 July 1931 completed, building cost 4 million US$.

Mrs. Roebling used the yacht only in European waters and the yacht never visited the USA.
Due to the extreme high maintenance cost, Mrs Roebling put after two years her on the sale list for 3/4 of the price which she had cost.
The MV SAVARONA (also sometimes M/Y, for motor yacht) is a luxury state yacht. She was the largest in the world when launched in 1931, and remains with a length of 136 m (446 ft) one of the world’s longest. She is owned by the Republic of Turkey, and has been leased out to Kahraman Sadikoglu for 49 years ending in 2038.
Named for an African swan living in the Indian Ocean, the ship was designed by Gibbs & Cox in 1931 for American heiress Emily Roebling Cadwallader, granddaughter of John A. Roebling, engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. The ship was built by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany. She cost about $4 million ($57 million in 2010 dollars). Equipped with Sperry gyro-stabilizers, she was described in 1949 by Jane's Fighting Ships as "probably the most sumptuously fitted yacht afloat."
In 1938, the Turkish government gifted the yacht for ailing leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who spent only six weeks aboard before dying a few months later.
Throughout World War II, the ship lay idle in Kanlıca Bay on the Bosporus. In 1951, she was converted to the training ship GÜNES DIL (English: Sun Language). Did have accommodation for 132 crew and 81 cadets. At that time she was armed with 4 – 3 inch, 2 – 40mmAA and 2 – 20mm AA guns. On 3 October 1979, the ship was gutted by fire at the Turkish Naval Academy off Heybeliada Island in the Sea of Marmara. She lay virtually abandoned for ten years.
In 1989, she was chartered for 49 years by Turkish businessman Kahraman Sadıkoğlu. Over three years, his firm completely refurbished her for about $45 million, removing the original steam turbine engines and installing in 1993 two modern 8-cyl. Caterpillar diesel engines, 7,200 hp, twin shafts, speed 18 knots, The ship was rebuilt at Tuzla Shipyards in Tuzla, a suburb of Istanbul, for the purpose of serving famous and important guests and helping to keep the memory of Atatürk alive.
Fitted with 17 double suites, crew 44
SAVARONA features a swimming pool, a Turkish bath, a 282-foot (86 m) gold-trimmed grand staircase that survived from her original construction, a movie theater, and a library suite dedicated to Atatürk, which is furnished with many of his personal artifacts. Under its charter operator the yacht was available for charter including the crew but not provisions.
2013 In service making regular cruises from Istanbul. IMO No 5314810
Turkey 1965 50k sg2128, scott1684
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Savarona