A Rich and Dramatic History:
MV Savarona

In 1938, she was purchased by the Turkish government as a state yacht. The first president of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, was her first patron, but he unfortunately fell ill and died less than a year after boarding her for the first time. Savarona’s situation changed again when she came under the Turkish Naval Authorities. During World War II, the ship remained idle in Bosporus, Turkey before being used as a training vessel. In 1979, she was gutted and left to rot, but that would not be her final end. In 1989, she was contracted to 49-years of service to a Turkish business man, Kahraman Sadikoglu, who refurbished her over the course of 3 years at a cost of 45 million dollars. One of her major mechanical changes included replacing her original steam turbines with twin caterpillar diesel engines. Due to a scandal concerning alleged illegal activities onboard the ship, the charter was revoked. As of 2015, the Turkish government is back at her helm using her to welcome heads of state and escort the Turkish president.

Read more on Boat International here.