The once magnificent yacht Galeb (Seagull) of the famous Yugoslavian leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito, may soon be a showpiece again. According to news from Rijeka on the Adriatic Sea, plans to refurbish the sleek yacht as a museum are in the works.
Moored at her dock in Rijeka, the Galeb is a sad reminder of the pomp and pageantry that surrounded the iconic Tito. The man most experts considered the most benevolent dictator in European history, Marshal Tito once sailed the world’s leadership around the world on the 117-meter Italian-built luxury yacht. Completed in 1938, the Galeb was not always intended to be a yacht.
During World War II the Italian navy made an auxiliary cruiser out of her. She was nearly sunk by the allies on two occasions but survived until the Germans took over the ship. The allies finally sunk the Galeb and it lay on the bottom of Rijeka harbor until Tito’s government salvaged her.
In her heyday, the Galeb is rumored to have ferried stars like Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as famous political leaders like Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, Haile Selassie, and the now-infamous Muammar Gaddafi. The drone footage below gives shows the shadow of a one sleek and luxurious yacht.
Now, the Rijeka City Museum is intent on refurbishing the vessel and transforming it into a floating museum. According to the news, the Galeb has always attracted a lot of attention, so decision-makers think it’s high time the public get on board for a closer look.
The loose plan is to refurbish Galeb before Rijeka sees tourists from its stent as the European Capital of Culture in 2020. The museum is already collecting period pieces to refit the interiors as they would have been when Tito sailed on her. So far, no maritime company has been selected to refurbish the rusty hull of the ship.
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