Russian oligarchs aren’t the only yacht-loving sailors. We went below deck to uncover 10 stories behind the mega-yachts and most-loved vessels commanded by American presidents and other world leaders.

They tend to follow the golden rule - bigger is better - because you never know when you might need a golf simulator room, an artificial beach, or a garage for the Secret Service to park your mini-submarine.
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1. Azzam (2013) 

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the late Emir of Abu Dhabi and ex-UAE president, had it all - including the world’s longest yacht measuring a remarkable 590 feet and costing $600m. Azzam is what’s known as a ‘gigayacht’, a yacht that dwarfs superyachts and even mega yachts. The Sheikh commissioned the vessel as a day boat to access his preferred diving sites so don’t expect to see Azzam pulling into a harbor near you (unless you’re based in and around the UAE). There’s room for a crew of 60 and 36 guests. The yacht is now reportedly owned by the new Emir and President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who can easily afford the $50m a year running costs.

Fun Features: In addition to the helipad, swimming pool, and onboard submarine, there’s a fully-equipped gym, onboard golf training room, bullet-proof master suite, and missile defense system to ward off attackers.

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2. Kingdom 5KR - aka Trump Princess, aka Nabila (1980)

During her early days as Nabila, the yacht was featured in the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983) as the villain's superyacht HQ but she’s been through several owners since then, including former US President Donald Trump (who called her the Trump Princess, above) and later Saudi business magnate Al-Waleed bin Talal. She was built in 1980 for $100m (the equivalent of $355m today) and in her heyday the 281-foot superyacht was one of the largest in the world with a crew of 48 and a top speed of 20 knots.

Fun features: When she was delivered, the five-deck Nabila had a disco, a 12-seat cinema, 11 luxury suites, a helipad, and a pool with a water jet.
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3. Scheherazade (2020)

Who's paying for the staff and upkeep of the 140-meter, $700m Lürssen (again) superyacht Scheherazade, impounded by Italy three months after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022? Bloomberg linked the Scheherazade to Vladimir Putin. Italy will only say that the superyacht has ‘significant economic and business links’ with ‘prominent elements of the Russian government’. As far as superyachts go, it’s a sweet ride. There are 22 cabins capable of accommodating 40 guests along with a crew of 94.

Fun Features: Guests can cool off in Scheherazade’s indoor swimming pool which has a retractable floor that converts into a dance floor. Or they can opt to use the gym, spa, Turkish bath and sauna, cryotherapy chamber for cooling therapy, and gold-plated toilet paper holders. There are also two helicopter decks because you never know when you’ll need a spare.
 

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4. The Sequoia Floating White House (1933–77)

US presidents have enjoyed several yachts over the decades including the USS Sequoia which served eight presidents before Jimmy Carter put it up for auction - a move he later regretted. The 104-foot, mahogany-hulled motor yacht can sleep six and accommodate 40 for cocktails or 22 for dinner. The Sequoia was designated a Historic Landmark and, at one point, commanded a rental fee of $10,000 a day but it’s now said to be undergoing restoration work in Maine. Fear not, the president still has Air Force One, the Sikorsky Sea King helicopter, and an armored Cadillac limousine known as the Beast. 

Fun Features: JFK added a king-size bed. Harry Truman added a spinet piano and LBJ lowered the floor of the shower to accommodate his 6’ 4” frame and replace an elevator with a wet bar.

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5. M/Y Honey Fitz (1931)

The US government initially bought the 93-foot wooden vessel to serve as a WWII patrol boat but Harry S. Truman used it mainly to ferry his Secret Service agents. When JFK renamed the presidential yacht Honey Fitz, the moniker stuck. The 93-foot, 88-ton wooden motor yacht used by Kennedy, Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Richard Nixon sold for between $5.4 and $5.9m at an auction in 1998. Its history, however, remains priceless. 

Fun Features - Original pictures owned by former presidents and their families hang in the yacht’s main salon. Smaller than most, the US presidential yacht weighs 94 gross tons, measures 16.6 feet across the beam, can reach a top speed of 11 knots, and has space for just three crew members.

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6. El Mahrousa aka El Horreya (1865)

Built more than 150 years ago for the governor of Egypt, the 478-foot motor yacht is operated by 160 crew members. She was built in 1865 out of steel and was present at the Suez Canal opening in 1869. She now serves as the presidential yacht of Egypt and is often seen in the Alexandria harbor where the motor yacht is operated by the Egyptian Navy. She was renamed El Mahrousa in 2000 and became the first ship to cross the New Suez Canal extension in 2015.

Fun Features - A wireless telegraph was installed in 1912. Significant alterations to the ship's length were carried out twice in its history - first by 40 feet in 1872, and with another 16.5 feet added in 1905.

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7. Serene (2011) 

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and PM Mohammed bin Salman owns several luxury properties including a 439-foot Serene superyacht valued at $400m. Built in Trieste by Italian shipyard Fincantieri, it accommodates up to 24 guests in 12 cabins with a crew of 52 over the combined 48,000 square feet. The standout element is a chilling snow room - cooled to 12 degrees Fahrenheit and featuring real snow falling from the ceiling. Bill Gates leased the yacht for $5 m per week in 2014 before it was bought by the Saudi prince.

‍Fun Features - In addition to the snow room, seven swimming pools, underwater viewing room, health spa and outdoor cinema, there’s a nightclub, indoor climbing wall, wet bar, jacuzzi, submarine, two helipads, and a $450m Da Vinci painting. 

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8. Potomac (commissioned as a US Navy Vessel, 1936)

The USS Potomac carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt on a secret maritime rendezvous with British PM Winston Churchill before they signed the Atlantic Charter in 1941. The 165-foot-long vessel was dear to FDR, a paraplegic who feared he might be trapped in a fire on the wooden Sequoia. The all-steel Potomac was a former Coast Guard cutter with a crew of 54 men including a dozen stewards to cater to the president and his guests. After many other owners - including Elvis Presley - US Customs seized the Potomac in 1980 for her role as a front for drug smugglers. Towed to Treasure Island, her hull was pierced and she sank, bringing generations of secrets to her watery grave.

Fun Features - FDR’s team added an elevator in the dummy rear funnel so his wheelchair could move between decks.

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9. Samax (1996) 

Scandal-plagued 180.5-foot motor yacht Samax was built for the playboy party prince of Brunei. But in 1997 when Prince Jefri Bolkiah was removed as Brunei’s finance minister by his brother, the sultan, his superyacht was also seized. (The prince had allegedly blown through billions.) The opulent 180-footer, custom-built yacht changed hands in 2022 with the asking price of $18.65m. She accommodates 15 crew and sleeps up to 16 guests in eight staterooms with two main suites. 

Fun Features - Separate staircases and crew entrances ensure discrete service, even at the outdoor bar near the jacuzzi on the sun deck. The main deck holds the main salon with the dining area, a gym, an office, and a sprawling master’s suite with a private lounge and walk-in wardrobe. The VIP stateroom is almost the same size located on the bridge deck next to the second salon and grand piano. 

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10. Britannia (1953)

For the Royal Family and 220 crew, Britannia was home. The yacht was the playground of young King Charles and catered to the Royals for more than four decades until it was decommissioned in 1997. Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela dined in the opulent State Dining Room, while former Prince Charles and Princess Diana honeymooned on board. Today it is a five-star visitor attraction and events venue in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Fun Features - Private home videos and photos from the Royal archives show the late Queen relaxing on deck as the family whizzed down waterslides. Her Majesty’s favorite room was the Sun Lounge (bottom, right), where she enjoyed afternoon tea.