Tycoon 12 US 3

Design & Construction

Tycoon (US-3) was a Second Rule International Twelve Metre, designed by William Starling Burgess and built in 1928 by Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder, Germany (yard construction no. 2364). She was completed in May 1928 and represented one of the most successful American Twelve Metres of the interwar period.

Tycoon was one of six sister Twelve Metres commissioned by the New York Yacht Club for internal comparison racing. All six yachts shared identical hulls, while deck layouts, interior arrangements, and rigs varied, allowing the Club to evaluate performance differences across configurations. The sister ships were Waiandance, Isolde, Anitra, Iris, and Onawa; of these, Anitra and Onawa are the only survivors today.

Hull & Build Method

Construction was composite, a hallmark of Abeking & Rasmussen practice at the time. Every second frame throughout the hull, including the floors, was galvanized steel, with planking in Honduras mahogany, a material widely used for high-performance yachts in the 1920s. The six yachts were built in rapid serial production—approximately five months—then shipped together to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they were rigged and sailed to the United States, a strategy that avoided heavy import duties.

Original Configuration

  • Rig: Bermudan cutter (later altered to sloop in 1931)

  • Construction: Wood planking on steel frames

  • Class: International Second Rule Twelve Metre

Early Ownership & Racing Success (1928–1935)

Tycoon was originally owned by Clifford D. Mallory, with Greenwich, Connecticut (USA) recorded as her home port. Mallory was a founding figure of the American Yacht Racing Union (now US Sailing), and in recognition of his role, the annual yearbook published by the AYRU featured an embossed gold seal showing Tycoon’s profile and sail number “3.”

Under Mallory, Tycoon proved the most successful of the six Abeking & Rasmussen Twelves, achieving an exceptional racing record:

  • Long Island Sound 12 Metre Championship: 1928 & 1929

  • Larchmont Race Week (12 Metre Class): 1928, 1929 & 1930

Season results:

  • 1928: 8 firsts, 3 seconds (14 starts)

  • 1929: 3 firsts, 1 second (6 starts)

  • 1930: 5 firsts, 1 third (7 starts)

Later Ownership & Modifications

  • 1936–1939: Owned by Herbert T. von Frankenberg, renamed Zio, home port Larchmont, New York (USA). An auxiliary engine was installed in 1936.

  • 1940–1953: Owned by A. Atwater Kent, Jr., renamed Arundel, with home ports Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Bar Harbor, Maine (USA). She was re-powered in 1950, extending her operational life.

  • 1954: Acquired by Photoswitch Marine Division, Inc. (Arthur G. B. Metcalfe, President), renamed Trull, home port Marblehead, Massachusetts (USA).

Loss

In 1954, while lying in Marblehead Harbor, Trull was destroyed during Hurricane Carol. The Boston Globe published a widely circulated and dramatic photograph showing the yacht burning in the harbor during the storm, marking the end of one of the most successful Second Rule Twelve Metres.

Historical Significance

Tycoon (US-3) stands as the benchmark yacht of the New York Yacht Club’s Abeking & Rasmussen Twelve Metre series—the most consistently successful of the six. Her dominance in Long Island Sound and at Larchmont Race Week, combined with her advanced composite construction and Burgess’s refined Second Rule design, secure her place among the most important American Twelve Metres of the interwar years.