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Circa-1918 Ringling Brothers circus magnate’s yacht lives on in Marina del Rey

KCBX | By Tom Wilmer
Published January 22, 2018 at 4:57 AM PST
M.V. Zumbrota companionway
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M.V. Zumbrota companionway
Thomas Wilmer
bar railing pays Homeage to Ringling Brothers' star elephant Zumbrota aboard the yacht M.V. Zumbrota
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bar railing pays Homeage to Ringling Brothers' star elephant Zumbrota aboard the yacht M.V. Zumbrota
Thomas Wilmer
Captain Chuck Myers in the engine room of the M.V. Zumbrota
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Captain Chuck Myers in the engine room of the M.V. Zumbrota
Thomas Wilmer
M.V. Zumbrota berthed at Marina del Rey
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M.V. Zumbrota berthed at Marina del Rey
Thomas Wilmer

M.V. Zumbrota docked at Mariner's Village, Marina del Rey, California
Credit Thomas Wilmer
M.V. Zumbrota docked at Mariner's Village, Marina del Rey, California

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a visit with Captain Chuck Myers aboard the historic M.V. Zumbrota, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2018 and home ported today in Marina del Rey Harbor.

Subsequent to Charles Ringling’s ownership, the Zumbrota was purchased by Warner Brothers Studios for the private use of starlet, Mae West.

During WWII it was drafted by the military for use as an anti-submarine vessel patrolling the Coast of California.

Today, the M.V. Zumbrota, operated by Hornblower Cruises as a charter yacht hosting up to 125 guests, is home ported in Marina del Rey.

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Culture Editor @360magazine

Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer winner of the Lowell Thomas Award 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013
Credit SATW Foundation
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer winner of the Lowell Thomas Award 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013
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Travel NPR OneHornblower CruisesMarina del ReyM.V. ZumrbotaRingling Brothers
Tom Wilmer
Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
See stories by Tom Wilmer
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