Istanbul is defined and surrounded by water; the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Late in 1932, Hiawatha, a 50-foot motor launch built by American Car & Foundry in Wilmington, Delaware, arrived in the world’s only city to straddle two continents to support the U.S. Mission to Türkiye. Hiawatha went to work, shuttling America’s envoys from one side of Istanbul to the other as well as meeting U.S. ships as they arrived in port.

With a single captain, Naci Gülten, for its first 50 years ending in 1982, Hiawatha became one of the best known vessels on the strait. Now, 90 years later, Hiawatha – much like Longfellow’s romantic ode for which it was named – has become legendary. Hiawatha is the oldest and longest-running ship of its kind sailing from the Golden Horn, passing İstanbul’s iconic sites.

The plucky vessel, brass fittings gleaming, became a constant American presence as the ancient city grew into a modern metropolis. Today we celebrate Hiawatha’s storied history as we look to secure her future.