Hitler’s ship for the America’s Cup at Artemare Club
In Yawl Marconi’s book of 1939, with the preface of the Aga Khan, the story and legend of a ship, Skagerrak, wanted by Hitler also to participate in the America’s Cup, is told.
Now it is exhibited at Artemare Club, kindly donated ago a few years by the owner Senator Raffaele Ranucci and that enriches the exclusive collection of books of the most beautiful old ships in the world of Commander Daniele Busetto.
In 1939 the German navy ordered the construction of a yacht for the sailing training of its future officers and apparently also to participate in the America’s Cup, the name initially proposed was replaced by the one that commemorated the great naval battle of the First World War , by The Germans called Skagerrak and others from Jutland.
The project was entrusted to Heinrich Rasmussen and construction took place on the construction site that he opened in Lemwerder in collaboration with Georg Abeking. Although she remained during World War II in the waters of Kiel, the Skagerrak miraculously escaped destruction and was confiscated as a war prize after the surrender of Germany.
Put up for sale, it was bought by a wealthy English officer, who kept it until 1958, but two years later the Chilean flag was flown as a result of the purchase by one of the owners who passed it by in quick succession, before the the last one he sold to the Ranucci family, who have owned him for 58 years.
The beautiful Skagerrak has been to Porto Santo Stefano several times, initially at the Cantieri Navali dell’Argentario for some works, it has participated in several editions of the “historical” boat rallies, in 2009 it received the Associazione Scafi d’Epoca y Clásicos award – Asdec, in 2011 it was the only vintage boat that participated in the first edition of the new Rolex Volcano Race in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
