LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Grand Format Autographs #629  / 

25590

Howard Hughes' Yacht The Southern Cross Archive

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
Howard Hughes' Yacht The Southern Cross Archive
<B>Howard Hughes' Yacht <I>The Southern Cross</B></I></B></I> <B>Archive of Typed Letters Signed and Telegrams.</B></I> Not content to only own airplanes, Howard Hughes purchased, in the early 1930s, a huge yacht of 425 feet and named it <I>The Southern Cross.</B></I> It is known that Katharine Hepburn painted her first picture while cruising through the Bahamas with Hughes on this yacht in 1937. Carl B. Flynn was the captain of the ship and he accumulated this vast archive of interesting material. Included are approximately 19 telegrams, some in manuscript, as well as two Typed Letters Signed "<I>Howard</B></I>" by Hughes and an extremely detailed letter giving communications instructions to Flynn. The first letter is dated December 23, 1933 to Flynn and reads (in part): "I don't want you to waste any money in the operation and maintenance of the boat. I don't want you to let anyone overcharge you for any work or material. However, regardless of what it costs, I want you to do everything that is necessary or adviseable [sic] to insure that there is no deterioration of the boat, outside or inside. I expect this boat to last a lifetime, and saving a few dollars now at the expense of allowing the boat to deteriorate may cost more in the long run. I think it is cheaper to keep a boat in first class condition than to let it go to hell and then try to repair it." Hughes didn't keep it a lifetime- he sold it within six years of writing this letter. The most interesting of the items in this archive are the three pages of special instructions to Flynn and his assistant, showing more than just a hint of paranoia on Hughes' part. We'll mention a few: "All correspondence must be sent thru Cox and Stevens. Never Direct", "Never mention H.R.H's name", "Never mention the Boats name", "Pay cash", "When telegraph operator or clerk asks name, give name 'Jones' or none", "Sign all wires: 'C'", "Never phone from a placewhere anyone could overhear you", "Never use a phone that goes through a switchboard". Well, you get the picture. A fabulous archive of material and a rare opportunity for the collector. All items are in fine condition.
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