The history of superyachts: The golden age on the water

She was described by some contemporary witnesses as a smoking "monster". Cornelius Vanderbilt's 82-metre-long wooden "North Star" was pitch black and - although still schooner-rigged - did not have an elegant clipper stem, but a straight, aggressive bow that is already back in fashion today. With her two high funnels and huge paddle wheels measuring 10.30 metres in diameter, she was a strange hybrid. However, the "North Star" fully met the expectations of its wealthy owner, who made his fortune with shipping services and later with railways.

Vanderbilt travelled to Europe with ten of his twelve children and six sons-in-law. The captain, doctor and clergyman of the family had their wives on board with them. The rooms were sumptuous: the saloon was furnished in Louis XVI style, the dining room mainly in marble. There was a sofa with seating for 20. When she was due to set sail from New York on 19 May 1853 for her legendary voyage to Europe, she ran aground. In addition, the stokers went on strike for better pay - they were sacked on the spot. The problems were solved and the "North Star" steamed across the Atlantic at an average speed of 13 knots, the ladies sang songs and the priest preached. She ran aground again off the Needles, but came free with the tide. Vanderbilt travelled Europe for three months.

The "North Star" is considered the first private steam yacht in US yachting history. However, it was not at all style-defining for the exciting era that was to follow: it lacked all the features that became so typical of the "golden years" of yachting. But just how forward-thinking Vanderbilt really was can be seen in the way things continued - it was not until the 1980s that the triumph of private yacht building in the USA finally took off. And with it an unprecedented display of splendour on the water.

English upper class in race with US millionaires

In England, they were already further ahead. The British upper class had time and money, great designers built seaworthy yachts and the Scottish shipyards were unrivalled. In 1863, 30 steam yachts were registered in England, by 1873 there were 140 and by 1883 a whopping 466. People regularly travelled to the Mediterranean, and in the summer they gathered off Cowes, where the European royal families also turned up: Queen Victoria on the 130-metre-long third "Victoria and Albert", Tsar Nicholas II on the 128-metre "Standart" and Wilhelm II on the 21-knot, and therefore somewhat faster, 116-metre "Hohenzollern".

Meanwhile, the wealth of the American tycoons grew immeasurably, with huge fortunes in oil, railways, steel, finance and the press making it all possible. Travelling far and wide was not their first choice; the Yankees liked to show off their wealth for all to see on their doorstep: on the Hudson River, on the way from their country estate to the city, in front of the New York Yacht Club, during the America's Cup. The elite also discovered heavily motorised commuters, which they used to rush from their country estates straight to their midtown offices - narrow constructions with just a saloon, galley and bathroom. They increasingly resembled small destroyers and were subject to an eternal race for speed; nobody liked being overtaken. The wealthy department stores' owner P. W. Rouss built four "Winchesters" one after the other, finally reaching 68 metres in 1915 and 31 knots thanks to two turbines.

Of course, a number of US owners also regularly crossed the Atlantic to Europe with their comfortable yachts - not least to prove to the British aristocracy with their inherited wealth that they had good taste as self-made men. The magnificent, 100-metre-long "Valiant" was commissioned when Consuelo Vanderbilt - a great-granddaughter of Cornelius - married the Duke of Marlborough in 1893. Two worlds collided, with the yacht Vanderbilt, the father of the bride, wanted to score points in the kingdom. "Valiant's" 20 cabins, the library and the various salons were furnished by a Parisian studio in the opulent style of the time, rich solid wood carvings in walnut and mahogany ran through the entire ship, French silk hung voluminously draped in front of the portholes. The bookshelves were closed with cut-glass doors, a Steinway was a matter of course and the bathroom fittings were made of brass. She was nothing more than a country house at sea and, like so many yachts, was built with no regard for cost. Valiant" did not help the marriage in the long run, and they divorced.

Rigs were also driven under steam, just in case

"Valiant" was rigged as a brig and, with her high rig, was an example of the fact that people still did not want to rely one hundred per cent on the steam engine. She was one of the first with twin-screw propulsion and travelled at 17 knots. Rigs were initially retained; they stabilised the yacht, provided support when sailing downwind, and headsails helped with manoeuvres in narrow waters. It would be a good decade before functional rigs were abandoned. But masts remained - usually two - they became pure design features and served as filigree signalling masts.

The signature of the early yachts with their elegant gold-decorated clipper sterns, overhanging sterns, low freeboard and fine leap was born. It was very much in the tradition of the fast sailing clippers of the 19th century, as it was the same shipyards and designers who were now building the new private yachts. Masts and funnels were perfectly positioned with an exactly parallel inclination. Deck superstructures remained low, but the more the owners moved towards 100 metres in length, the more often another level was added and an additional deck for the large crew was accommodated in the hull. Bulwarks at the bow or along the entire length of the ship were added over time, and deckhouses were extended across the width of the ship. On a further level, there was often an "observation deck" in front of the first funnel for the best all-round view of the owner and guests.

The steam drive took up a lot of space

The steam drive worked in the same way as a locomotive. Huge boilers containing up to 30 tonnes of water were slowly heated up and it took days to build up the necessary pressure. This principle was not ideal for the US owners, who loved spontaneous joyrides. The space required on board was enormous, coal bunkers also had to be placed close to the ovens and ash had to be stored. In addition to the heat-insulated boilers, there were a large number of pumps and pipes, and last but not least, space was needed for coal trimmers and heaters. Development continued, followed by steam turbines and turbo-electric propulsion. Speed increased and manoeuvrability also improved. Firing with oil brought advantages because it could be stowed anywhere in the hull.

Although great designers worked in the USA, the Scotsman George L. Watson from Glasgow (1851-1904) was the most successful designer of the early steam yacht. He refined the lines to the utmost elegance with great seaworthiness, combining aesthetics with the immodest demands of the owners. As a sailing yacht designer, Watson drew the America's Cup giants "Valkyrie", "Shamrock II" and "Thistle" - the latter became the property of the German Kaiser as "Meteor" in 1891. Wilhelm II seemed satisfied and ordered the "Meteor II" from Watson in 1896. His uncle Edward was so impressed by her that he commissioned Watson to build the 45-metre cutter "Britannia" for the Big Class. She became a legend thanks to her successes.

Watson's European clients included the Rothschilds, but his real clientele were the US titans of the "Golden Age". In 1897, he built sister ships for the wealthy brothers Robert and Ogden Goelet: "Nahma" and "Mayflower" were 93 metres long and, of course, lavishly furnished. Just one year after taking over his yacht, Ogden died on his "Mayflower" off the Isle of Wight. She served as the yacht of the American president from 1902.

Country houses at sea in Victorian splendour were the order of the day

Watson himself described the 98 metre long "Margarita", which was launched in 1900 for the banker Anthony Drexel, as his masterpiece. Naturally, her interior resembled a palace and was overloaded with antiques. She had a double hull and ten watertight bulkheads. Generators supplied electricity for 800 light bulbs and 500 kilograms of ice every day, and there was steam heating and a ventilation system.

In the same year, Watson's 96 metre long "Lysistrata" appeared for the eccentric publisher of the "New York Herald", James Gordon Bennett. She had only one mast and - untypically for Watson - a straight bow. She was also repeatedly labelled the "most luxurious yacht of her time" - the competition between the tycoons was merciless. Bennett had a suite on each of the three decks, a Turkish bath and room for 100 crew. An Alderney cow lived in a ventilated and padded stable, providing fresh milk every day. Bennett travelled a lot between the continents, and editors who applied for a job at the Herald were often hired on the spot instead of going to the office on board.

James Beaver-Webb, another successful designer of those years, was also Scottish. He moved to the USA to be closer to his customers. He drew his second "Corsair" in 1890 and the third in 1899 for perhaps the most demanding and experienced owner, the banker J. P. Morgan. Both were practically identical, but at 93 metres, the third was 20 metres longer than its predecessor and had two turbo-electric engines. It was converted to oil firing in 1923. Morgan sent her to Europe six times, making the passage himself on one of his White Star liners. On his return, he was regularly greeted off New York by the "Corsair III", which had already returned home. There were bigger ones, there were more splendid ones - the Vanderbilt clan, the Astors, Pulitzers, Carnegies and what have you. But "Corsair III" is considered by naval historians to be the most graceful, elegant steam yacht of all time, perfection par excellence. And it was J. P. Morgan who gave this era its much-quoted motto: "If you ask the price of a yacht, you can't afford one."

Many superyachts ended in the First World War

Many steam yachts served in the navies of their nations during the First World War, including the "Corsair III", which in the meantime belonged to Pierpoint Junior. In 1913, 272 steam yachts with more than 75 feet were registered in the USA, 263 in the United Kingdom and 9 in Germany. Only a few returned to service as yachts after the end of the war; many were actively involved in naval battles, sank or were scrapped. Construction activity declined significantly and materials were in short supply. But the break did not last long, a rapid boom followed in the USA and with it many very large superyachts - most of them now with huge diesel engines.

But in 1929, when diesel propulsion had already become established, the banker George Baker built his second "Viking" with turbo-electric steam propulsion. He could afford the extremely comfortable ship, as he was the third richest man in the United States after Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller. The 82-metre yacht was constantly underway for eight years. Its innovative rectangular windows could be closed at sea with steel bulkheads. Baker set off on a round-the-world voyage in 1937, with enough oil in the tanks for the passage, under just one engine from Panama to Tahiti. Refuelling took place there: 1,500 barrels with a good 285,000 litres of oil came on board - stowed by hand.

And the fourth "Corsair" still ran on steam. The legendary "Corsair III" had been in service for 31 years, but in 1930 the fourth, 104 metres long, finally arrived with turbo-electric propulsion. This marked the peak of the steam yacht era in the USA. Incidentally, a modern replica under the name "Nero" from 2008 failed miserably: various decks were placed on the elegant hull lines and the fine silhouette was gone. In 1930, the 91 metre long "Nahlin" was to be built in England with steam propulsion for the wealthy heiress Annie Yule. She was the last beautiful steam yacht to be delivered by the G. L. Watson design office.

Still the 24th largest superyacht today

"Nahlin" is still sailing today: in 2006, the British entrepreneur Sir James Dyson acquired her in a sad state and had her painstakingly restored to her original condition by Nobiskrug in Rendsburg and Blohm & Voss in Hamburg over a period of six years. The Oldenburg workshops recreated her elegant interior one-to-one. The project manager for the marvellous resurrection after 80 years was none other than the current G. L. Watson office in Glasgow, Scotland.

With all fidelity to the original: Dyson has dispensed with the steam drive in the restoration. It was a Hamburg shipyard of all places that brought the great era of yachts under steam to a close: in 1931, Blohm & Voss built its third "Savarona" for Emily Cadwalader, the stuffed heiress of a wire rope multinational - 124 metres long and the largest private yacht ever at the time. Her turbine system was oil-fuelled with four boilers and she ran at 21 knots. The magnificent yacht never reached her owner's homeland, as she was no longer able to afford the now high import duties. Emily used her yacht for a whole two seasons, and in 1938 it became the state yacht of President Kemal Atatürk. Savarona" also survived, and the fact that she is now the 24th largest superyacht in the world proves just how powerful she was.

Many a US billionaire lost his fortune after the depression at the end of the 1920s, and with great poverty, the splendour on the water was no longer appropriate. But of course there was still a lot to do: William K. Vanderbilt II, brother of Consuelo and great-grandson of Cornelius, got his 85 metre long "Alva" in 1931 - also built in Germany, at the Germania shipyard in Kiel. Her two eight-cylinder diesels were huge, her range was 13,000 nautical miles. She travelled the world with a seaplane on board. But "Alva" no longer had the elegant lines of the "golden yacht age": with her almost straight bow, short canoe stern, high freeboard and huge decks, she had the appearance of a commercial steamer. A great era was coming to an end.

• Read part 2 of the superyacht story here