“Placida” was designed by the Henry J. Gielow Company and built by Bath Iron Works. She was one of five diesel-powered sister ships, built on speculation, and essentially to the same design, by the Bath Iron Works in the early Thirties, among them, “Placida,” “Sylvia” and Kenkora II. The over-all length of each ship was slightly more than 190 feet, with a displacement of 396 tons.
“The Placida had two launch tenders. The starboard launch was the one usually used to take members of the owner's party (guests etc.) to and from shore facilities such as the Clifton Dock in Northeast Harbor or any other place where the yacht was unable to tie up to a pier. The port launch was used to take the crew ashore and bring supplies on board when needed. The port launch could also be used when the starboard launch needed engine repairs since the two launches were the same size.
The starboard launch is the one used as the Northeast Harbor Fleet race committee boat. The race committee started boat races and recorded how they finished. This went on for a year or two immediately following World War II. I do not recall seeing the port launch after the War.” – Albie Neilson 09/12/11
“Placida” was purchased by the Navy on June 19, 1941 for use during WWII and converted for Naval service at Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, Florida. She was commissioned as “USS Ruby” (PY-21)on September 23, 1941 and decommissioned after the war on July 23, 1945 at Boston, Massachusetts. She was struck from the Naval Register on August 13, 1945 and transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal on December 26, December 1945. The once proud yacht was scrapped in 1957.
Information compiled from several sources, among them:
“Ruby (PY-21)” by Gary P. Priolo, NavSource Online: Patrol Yacht Archive
, 2006, Accessed online 07/31/2011; http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/1321.htm
“Placida” was laid down December 23, 1929 and launched May 17, 1930. She was bought by Henry Garner Haskell Sr. and delivered to him on July 1, 1930. She was a twin screw diesel seagoing yacht, 190 feet long with a 10 foot draft. Mr. Haskell and his family cruised in her extensively from Maine to Florida with Wilmington, Delaware as her home port.
