A life's obsession found in film

"Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius" (rex-imperator) 09/23/2016 at 14:22 • Filed to: QED

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So one of my vehicular obsessions is Anthony Fokker’s 1936 yacht QED.

In an age when most yachts looked like something from the 19th century, Fokker’s yacht looks space age today.

Featured in Life Magazine in 1938 she sank in the Hudson River in 1939 during a family friends honeymoon cruise. A few injuries on the crew, but no one died.

Well I found her. In film! This may not float your boat... but this is extraordinary for me.

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Batman the Horse > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 09/23/2016 at 14:28

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QED for a boat name feels very meta for the 1930s.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 09/23/2016 at 14:29

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Now I feel better about the fact that I’ll never own a yacht, because I’ve just discovered that Q.E.D. is the only name I’d ever want anyway.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 09/23/2016 at 14:37

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That’s an incredible boat. How did she sink?

ttyymmnn > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 09/23/2016 at 14:43

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Pretty sure it filled up with water. But I’m no expert. I know more about Fokker’s airplanes.

ttyymmnn > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 09/23/2016 at 14:43

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About what you’d expect from an airplane builder. It’s beautiful.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Honeybunchesofgoats 09/23/2016 at 15:15

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Amen to that. I don’t think ‘meta’ was a term back in the 1930s, but Fokker achieved it without knowing.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 09/23/2016 at 15:19

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Caught fire in the night somehow. I’m not sure they ever discovered a cause like they can today. Wooden hull, engines, 1930s electrical. Fires were rampant on land and at sea back then. It’s why we have an electric code.

A few months ago I found the local NY newspaper article about it. Some of the crew suffered burns, but everyone got off and were recovered from the water. The crew won some praise for their actions. I can’t find it right now.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Batman the Horse 09/23/2016 at 15:20

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Funny, I just said the same thing without reading your comment. Great minds think alike.

kanadanmajava1 > ttyymmnn 09/23/2016 at 15:33

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I found this (from Yachts in a Hurry by Philip Moore):

“Q.E.D. was up-to-the-minute in specifications and style, and with twin Wright Typhoon engines of 600 HP apiece, plus a smaller Packard cruising engine, she was fast. But Fokker’s Q.E.D. had a short career. In October of 1939 she burned and sank in the Hudson River with the loss of one of her crew.”

It seems that the poor boat was first filled with fire and then with water.

The “Typhoon” TM-1 engine is a marine version of a Wright’s T-3 aircraft engine. It has a displacement of 31.5 liters (1947.54 cid). No idea what the Packard engine was but probably just their marine straight eight that was quite common in smaller yachts in 30's.

ttyymmnn > kanadanmajava1 09/23/2016 at 15:36

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Thanks. Somebody needs to build a modern replica. I wonder if the plans are still in a filing cabinet somewhere.

Roman Savchuk > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 09/23/2016 at 15:55

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Hmm.. that raised pilothouse shape, that bow cutouts... It’s like the designers of the vessel below were aware of her, no?

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Roman Savchuk 09/23/2016 at 16:06

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Interesting. Never seen this one. Fokker basically transferred the airliner cabin to the pilot house. I guess the design makes sense in several applications.