Service History
The steam yacht
Gertrude was renamed the
Garcia, then the
Minerva, then the
Doreen and finally
Sue.
"The
Doreen had a wooden hull, clipper bow, large afterdeck which was converted to a diving platform in 1954. Also, at one time it had a red smokestack and a gilded figurehead. Whether this figurehead was still present at the time of the sinking is not known. The
Doreen in 1941 was the last steam yacht in operation til it was altered in 1946 to a gas engine. The ship was placed in storage in 1946 and again in 1949. By 1954, the
Doreen was in a sad state of repair. The engine, propeller, steering apparatus, masts and most of the brass fittings had been removed. A model T rear axle was fashioned for a steering mechanism. A war-surplus electric generator was used for lighting on board. Most of the alterations took place when the
Doreen was acquired by the 7 teenagers who at one time owned her.
Final Voyage
"The fate of the 80 foot motor yacht ... is still not certain, as the boat after its semi-sinking of two weeks ago, still remains on the lake as a navigational hazard. The yacht which is approximately three quarters submerged below the surface of the lake is located off the shore of Cedar Point Park near Williams Bay."
"The sunken yacht
Sue which had been lying at the bottom of the lake was moved Monday so that now it is no longer a navigational hazard. The owner... has the boat pumped all day and is again above water... The boat began to sink again... and before total sinking was towed away. Who towed the boat or where the boat was taken was not made known."