Stars & Stripes 85 12 US 54
Design and Construction
Stars & Stripes (US-54), also known as Stars & Stripes ’85, was an International 12 Metre yacht built to the International Third Rule as part of the United States campaign to reclaim the America’s Cup in 1987. She was designed by the team of Britton Chance, Bruce Nelson, and David Pedrick, and built in 1985–1986 by Robert E. Derektor.
US-54 represented the next step in the rapid design evolution of the late Twelve Metre era, incorporating lessons learned from earlier campaign yachts while pushing performance within the limits of the Third Rule.
America’s Cup Campaign
From 1985 to 1987, Stars & Stripes ’85 formed part of the Sail America Foundation program representing the New York Yacht Club in the 26th America’s Cup Match at Fremantle, Western Australia. The campaign was led by Dennis Conner, who served as skipper and helmsman but was not directly involved in the design of the four Stars & Stripes Twelve Metres.
The overall campaign budget was estimated at over USD 16 million, including more than USD 1 million in sails supplied by North Sails and Sobstad. Training took place primarily in the Molokai Channel, Hawaii, with Liberty serving as an early trial horse.
Role Within the Stars & Stripes Program
Stars & Stripes ’85 was the second of four Twelve Metres built for the campaign. From the outset, she proved clearly superior to Stars & Stripes ’83 (US-53), which itself had already surpassed Liberty. US-54 was widely regarded as a fast and successful training boat, playing a critical role in refining sailing techniques, sail development, and crew coordination.
Although she did not become the final defender, US-54 served as a direct developmental precursor to Stars & Stripes (US-55), the yacht ultimately selected to race and win the 1987 America’s Cup. Many of the design and performance insights gained from US-54 fed directly into the final configuration of the winning boat.
Post-Campaign Ownership
Following the conclusion of the 1987 campaign, Stars & Stripes ’85 remained under the stewardship of the Sail America Foundation before later passing to the America’s Cup Organising Committee. She was subsequently associated with the Pier 39 Yacht Club, with her home port listed as Tokyo Bay, Japan, reflecting the international legacy and continued interest in America’s Cup Twelve Metres.
Historical Significance
Stars & Stripes (US-54) is historically significant as:
A Third Rule International 12 Metre from the peak of the class’s technical development
A key training and development yacht in the successful 1987 America’s Cup campaign
A clear performance advance over US-53, helping shape the final winning design
An integral part of the Stars & Stripes series, representing the methodical, multi-boat approach that enabled the United States to reclaim the Cup from Australia
While not the yacht that crossed the finish line in the Match itself, US-54 stands as a vital contributor to one of the most famous comeback victories in America’s Cup history and as a representative example of the final, highly refined generation of Twelve Metre racing yachts.