For over 30 years, the old Circle Line V has sat rusting away at the mouth of the Ohio River; a nearly forgotten vessel. First departing in 1902, coming from Wilmington, Delaware, the ship was captained by railroad executive, J. Rogers Maxwell – a passionate yachter. Originally named the Celt, this 180-foot-long, steam-powered boat would experience many name changes throughout its wild and interesting life.

In 1917, once the Navy became in charge, the boat was renamed the “USS Sachem.” This boat was smaller and faster than other boats, proving worthy in its ability to maneuver around and escape attacks by the Germans; thus the US Navy rented this ship, along with many others. Equipped with depth charges to sink German U-boats, as well as machine guns to aid in the fight against incoming torpedoes, this boat now proved a worthy adversary of German units.

During WWI, Thomas Edison had been conducting government-funded experiments in the New York Harbor; the newly named USS Sachem carried him during these travels.

A rare photo, taken by Lewis Lueder, shows Edison cleanly shaven and enjoying his time on the yacht.

After the war ended, the ship was sold off to Roland L. Taylor – a Philadelphia banker, who then released it to Captain Jake martin, using the boat as a chartered fishing boat during the Great Depression. Fast forward a handful of years, and welcome 1941. During this year, the Navy bought back the ship at a price tag of $65,000, then using it to train soldiers on using sonar equipment in the Key West Harbor. Not long after the Navy’s re-purchase, the ship was renamed the USS Phenakite. After some time patrolling Long Island Sound, the ship was eventually returned to Captain Martin, who is actually known to be a pioneer of party boat fishing.

As if surviving two World Wars wasn’t enough, the Sachem was then stationed in New York City, where it ferried tourists around Manhattan for the next 40 years, and even appeared in Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach” music video before its demise. During these years, the ship underwent two name changes – first being renamed to the Sightseer, and finally the Circle Line V, which is still visible on the boat’s side.

During the 1980s, the ship made its final rounds. Robert Miller, a resident of Lawrenceburg, KY purchased the boat at the price of $7,500. One day, after venturing up the Ohio River, the boat was “lost.” For 30 years, nobody really knew where it went (I’m sure a few did) – but it was not until recent years that this incredible collection of history was resurrected. Though it may remain nothing more than an empty, rusted skeleton of a once vibrant vessel, the story of its incredible life will live on.

Very often, I’m asked what gear I use for my photography, videography, etc. Questions ranging from what type of camera/cameras I use, what lenses I use, backpacks, memory cards, even what type of laptop I recommend, or what type of introductory camera I recommend…all that stuff, and more!

Well, of course I love to recommend camera gear or adventure gear that I trust and love, so at the end of each post I create here on my blog, I like to give a bit of a run-down on gear I use almost all the time!

So here it is! My entire (or most of it) list of photography/editing/adventure gear that I use.

My Camera (Sony a7riii) – https://amzn.to/2AFtzQv

Alternative Camera – https://amzn.to/2VHjR9h

Theta 360 Camera – https://amzn.to/2CaRwzm

Sandisk Memory Cards – https://amzn.to/2SN5sX6

Sony 16-35 4.0 – https://amzn.to/2HgLFhN

Zeiss 55 1.8 – https://amzn.to/2SK4Dys

Zeiss 85 1.8 Batis – https://amzn.to/2SNRQLm

Laowa 12mm 2.8 Zero-D – https://amzn.to/2AESLXD

My Favorite Backpack – https://amzn.to/2RKTi44

Tripod 1 – https://amzn.to/2SKxxON

Tripod 2 – https://amzn.to/2M2gUM6

MSI Laptop (great for editing, & much more) – https://amzn.to/2shGfZn

My e-books – https://amzn.to/2Bumcwo

Hardcover books and prints available at – www.oddworldstudio.com