It was 1959, and I was employed at the Miami Seaquarium.
There were some very attractive girls working there
at that time, and I was fortunate enough to marry
one. 48 years later we are still married. We both
had a mutual friend named John Lyman who was an announcer
at the Seaquarium. It was difficult to figure out
exactly who John really was. Rumors suggested he was
previously a Commander in the British Navy, also possibly
a Commander in the U.S. Navy. At any rate, he owned
a very large and beautiful sailing yacht named the
Ostwind. There was only one thing wrong with this
yacht. The Ostwind was built for Adolph Hitler. Rumors
again charged that John Lyman was in a British Navy
group responsible for securing the captured yacht
in Germany after the war. Supposedly he and several
others stole the yacht and sailed it to the U.S. Other
more believable reports said the yacht was under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy and was “transported”
to the U.S. in 1947. How John became sole owner of
this was never factually determined. One morning John
asked me if I could take off for a few minutes with
him. We went to the Miami Marina and boarded the most
sleek and beautiful yacht I have ever seen. There
I was, standing midship surveying this huge 85 foot
piece of perfection. The entire yacht was meticulously
built of different types of wood, expertly installed.
This was the Mercedes of ships. The huge sail was
made of Egyptian linen. The yacht was built to exhibit
German superiority in Olympic competition. It was
a real classic.
So why was I there? John explained that he was having
financial problems and the Ostwind was for sale for
$25,000. The price was a giveaway, however there was
no way I could raise that kind of cash. That was the
last time I ever saw John or the Oatwind. I took a
job flying for a company in Lansing, Michigan. From
time to time friends sent me newspaper articles on
the ill fated and controversial yacht. Later I started
writing documentaries on my two websites. I decided
I would try to piece together a story, or at least
a portion of it.
OSTWIND YACHT
ADOLF HITLER
FIND JOHN LYMAN
My entire story depended on finding John
Lyman and try to get the real story of this vessel.
I did everything possible to find John, I can only assume
he has passed on, taking the story with him. There are
numerous reports written about the Ostwind but none
that tell the story from the beginning, disclosing how
he became owner of the Ostwind. Perhaps someone reading
this will contact me with authoritative information.
Little did I know that the best was yet to come. I will
attempt to put together some of the pieces about the
life and death of the Ostwind.
OSTWIND SUNK IN MIAMI
RIVER
The first report I received from friends
said that John could no longer keep up with the expenses
of this growing burden. It had sunk in the Miami River
with only the mast sticking up. It became an eyesore
and a navigational hazard, and John was given notice
to remove it. Remove it where? This was easier said
than done. An 85 foot boat sitting on the bottom is
not simple to move around.
REPORT # 1
The first report has the Ostwind sold
to someone in Jacksonville, FLA. It was somehow transported
from Miami to Jacksonville. While in Jacksonville ,
sitting in dry dock, it began to rot, and vandals had
stripped it for souvenirs. As it sat there rotting away
a group of Jewish citizens reportedly set it on fire,
destroying what was left of the intricate woodwork.
It was then supposedly sold for $1.00 to a group in
Plymouth with the purpose of turning it into a museum.
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