In 1938, the Turkish government bought the Savarona Yacht and gifted her to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founding father of the Republic of Turkey. Unfortunately, he died a few months later.
Built by Blohm + Voss for American bridge cable heiress Emily Roebling Cadwalader in 1931, Savarona Yacht was sold in 1938 to the Turkish government and became the presidential yacht of Kemal Atatürk. In 1989, Kahraman Sadikoglu obtained a 50-year lease and, with investors, spent $35m on the refit of this classic superyacht, including a library suite dedicated to the memory of Atatürk and furnished with his personal artefacts.
In 2010, after an alleged scandal, the Turkish government cancelled the lease and resumed ownership. In 2014, she was refurbished and now serves as the state yacht of Turkey. Savarona was for a time offered on the market for superyacht charters around Istanbul, although she is no longer available to the public.
Key features on-board this superyacht include a marble-finished Turkish hammam bath that spans the entire 16-meter beam, a swimming pool, a gold-trimmed grand staircase, and a private cinema. She is named after a type of black swan found in the Indian Ocean region.
Photos
Full Specifications
| Name: | Savarona |
| Length: | 136m (446ft) |
| Guests: | 34 |
| Crew: | 44 |
| Builder: | Blohm Voss |
| Designer: | Cox & Stevens |
| Interior Designer: | Donald Starkey |
| Year: | 1931 |
| Speed: | 18 |
| Engines: | Caterpillar |
| Volume: | 4701 tons |
| IMO: | 5314810 |
| Price: | US$ 100 million |
| Annual Running Cost: | US$ 10 million |
| Owner: | Government of Turkey |
