John Wayne Yacht Earns National Historic Status

It hunted mines in World War II, hosted Richard Nixon on its wooden decks and co-starred in a movie with Groucho Marx. Now, John Wayne's former yacht, the Wild Goose, has sailed onto the National Register of Historic Places.

The 136-foot vessel, which is docked in Newport Harbor and currently serves as a charter dinner-cruise boat, was recognized for its connection to one of "the most iconic actors in the history of cinema," according to National Park Service documents.

Built in 1943, the ship has .

It began life as a wooden-hulled minesweeper for the U.S. Navy. In 1962, a Seattle lumber tycoon sold the craft to Wayne, who remodeled it extensively, adding a fireplace, staterooms, a walk-in liquor cabinet and taller ceilings to accommodate his 6-foot-4 frame.

Under the actor's stewardship, the Wild Goose entertained various celebrities and politicians, including Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

In 1969, after Wayne won best actor for his role as Rooster Cogburn in the original True Grit, he reportedly attached Oscars--each wearing an eyepatch--to both sides of the boat.

The yacht's Hollywood pedigree also included a few cameo roles of its own. The boat appeared in TV's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and such movies as The President's Analyst and Skidoo, the latter starring Groucho, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney.

Since Wayne's death in 1979, the yacht's owners have included a Santa Monica lawyer and a casino owner with alleged mob ties.

Today, the Wild Goose is managed by .

On the National Register of Historic Places, the boat joins such esteemed company as New York City's Flatiron Building, Hawaii's Hana Belt Road, a Saturn V rocket in Harris County, Texas, and the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane.

For more photos, visit the National Register's Flickr photostream.