Santa Barbara Maritime Museum Logbook

By Lydia Rao

Major Max C. Fleischmann was an outdoors enthusiast, fisherman, avid philanthropist, and heir to the Fleischmann Yeast Company. His impact on Santa Barbara cannot be understated as his generosity shaped the development of the community as it remains today. As a yachtsman, he had a substantial hand in the creation of the breakwater, where he moored his 218-foot Haida, arguably the most recognizable yacht in the Santa Barbara Harbor.

In the mid-19th century, Fleischmann’s father and uncle emigrated to the United States from Austria-Hungary. After their arrival, they started manufacturing yeast cakes with American businessman James Gaff, creating the first commercial yeast facility in America. Eventually they grew the business to include producing vinegar, beer, and gin. Fleischmann was born in 1877 and joined the family business at a young age. When he was not in school, he shoveled coal into the company’s furnaces. Fleischmann was a man of many talents, and enjoyed boxing, tennis, and polo. He loved hot air balloons, earning national acclaim in 1909 after winning a 900-mile race from St. Louis to the Atlantic Ocean. He was a major in World War I, serving in France with the Airborne Division in the Signal Officers’ Reserve Corps.

Initially drawn to Santa Barbara in 1911 for polo, Fleischmann loved the area so much that in 1919 he bought land to build an estate in Summerland, now the Pacifica Graduate Institute. He soon joined the Santa Barbara Yacht Club and became the major donor behind the construction of the breakwater. His philanthropic efforts also included purchasing a dredge at the harbor to combat the issue of shoaling and funding an entire wing at Cottage Hospital. He is the founder of the Santa Barbara Foundation and was responsible for the auditorium, library, and mammal and bird halls at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Fleischmann owned 22 boats in his lifetime, with many, if not all of them, named Haida. After the construction of the harbor began in 1927, he contracted the construction of his largest yacht yet, the 218-foot Haida. She was designed by American ship architects Cox & Stevens, built in Germany by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, and named after the indigenous Haida Gwaii of western Canada. Haida Gwaii, meaning “islands of the people,” is both the name of the First Nations people and the island archipelago they inhabit off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. The Haida have a long maritime history that stretches back more than 15,000 years, having built strong trading networks with surrounding islands and the mainland. Fleischmann had immense respect for these seafaring people and named many of his boats Haida.

Once completed, the Haida started her journey to Santa Barbara, traveling more than 9,000 miles and arriving in the spring of 1930. Fleischmann, who had been serving as president of Fleischmann Yeast Company after his brother’s death in 1925, found he was not suited for business management. He decided to sell the majority share of the family business in anticipation of the arrival of his new yacht. Just as eclectic as her owner, Haida was set apart from all the other ships on the waterline by her single smokestack, and solid black appearance.

The ship, reminiscent of a vintage cruise liner, had four decks with luxurious accommodations including multiple sitting rooms, sun decks, and a full dining room. The yacht could hold up to 12 passengers and a crew of 25 and was powered by two inline six-cylinder engines. When running at a top speed of 250 rotations per minute, they produced 750 horsepower that could reach speeds up to 14 knots. The engines were started with tanks of compressed air, and there was no gearbox. Each engine had its own engineer, who communicated with the captain on the bridge via telegraph. Straight shafts ran from the engine to the stern tubes and powered large propellers over six feet in diameter.

The ship was outfitted with modern conveniences like electricity, refrigeration, hot water, and a long-range radio. Built to withstand open ocean voyages, the original layout included a tackle room, photography studio and darkroom, and an aquarium. Fleischmann often brought along anglers and scientists to help identify catches, and several marine identification books were written from information collected aboard Haida from trips that spanned the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to the equator. These expeditions continued for a decade, until the start of World War II. Haida served in World War II (under a different name), later traveling the world in the decades to follow. Still afloat today, she is nearing her 95th birthday.

Check back next month to learn more about Haida’s travels of the past century, all under the power of her original diesel engines.

Questions, corrections, or suggestions for the next Curator’s Log? Write to SBMM Collections Manager Lydia Rao at lrao@sbmm.org.

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Some sources below for those inclined to read more:

Beresford, Hattie. “Moguls & Mansions: Max C. Fleischmann.” Montecito Journal, vol. 2, iss. 2, 2010, pp. 56-66. 

Bookspan, Rochelle, et al. Santa Barbara by the Sea. 1982.

Graffy de Garcia, Erin. Noticias: Safe Haven. Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 2010.

“Max Fleischmann: Max Fleischmann’s Family.” Spillian. Dec. 26, 2015. 

Oglesby, Richard. “75th Anniversary: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.” Noticias, vol. 37, no. 4, 1991, pp. 61-120. 

O’Neill, Owen H. History of Santa Barbara County, State of California. Harold McLean Meier. 1939

Spaulding, Edward, ed. “The Breakwater.” Noticias, vol. 8, no. 1, 1962, pp. 1-11.