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Elvis Presley Estate Drops Gritty Pic of the King Aboard His Most-Famous Boat

If you are a fan of Elvis Presley, the place to go for old photos of him is the Instagram page created in his honor by his estate. There, you will find some treasured images of the King of Rock and Roll. There is also trivia.

In its latest social media post, which was shared on Wednesday, July 14, the estate of Elvis Presley shared a photo of the King enjoying his time on the water. And, he is doing so on a very, very “famous” boat. In fact, according to the post, the boat shown in the photo was once owned by a beloved President of the United States.

“Elvis loved boats and owned a few throughout his life,” the caption accompanying this photo of Elvis Presley said. “The most famous boat he owned was the Potomac, the presidential yacht used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, which Elvis purchased in 1964 for $55,000.”

Yacht Purchased By Elvis Presley Was Once the ‘Floating White House’ for President Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Potomac was a very large yacht. It measured at 165 feet in length. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the yacht as his “floating White House” during his time as president. The FDR administration led the United States through some very challenging years – 1933 through 1945. He used the yacht from 1936 through 1945.

After President Franklin Roosevelt’s death in 1945, the Potomac, which had originally been a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in 1934, was decommissioned. Other people owned it until it was finally purchased by Elvis Presley in 1964.

The $55,000 Elvis Presley paid for the yacht in 1964 is the equivalent of a little more than $464,000 in 2021 dollars.

How Did Elvis Presley Come To Own the Yacht?

What led Elvis Presley to purchase a boat once owned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt? Well, at first, he reportedly used it for fun. However, later on – being the giving man the King of Rock and Roll was – Presley decided to donate it.

The organization that benefitted from this donation by Elvis Presley was St. Jude’s Children Hospital. It’s not that surprising that he would want to support the organization created by Danny Thomas. Not only did it provide healthcare to children, but it was also located in Memphis. And, what was also located in Memphis? Graceland – the home of Elvis Presley before his death in 1977.

Following the donation of the former presidential yacht, St. Jude’s Children Hospital sold it to bring in funds. Interestingly, the Potomac had a very different future ahead of it after it was sold by the organization.

In 1980, the yacht was discovered to have been used to smuggle drugs into the United States. That year, it was seized by the U.S. Customs Patrol.

Eventually, however, it had another life. It was refurbished and the public was allowed to visit the historical vessel.