Liseron
A Legacy at Sea
Laid down in 1953 at Tacoma Boatbuilding in Tacoma, Washington, the motor vessel LISERON was one of seven Adjutant-class motor minesweepers constructed for the French Navy under the auspices of the U.S. Navy’s Military Defense Assistance Pact. She was completed on June 23, 1954 as USS AMS-98, an enlarged and modernized evolution of the earlier YMS-type minesweepers developed during
World War II.
Above: Photo by Marius Bar, Toulon, France
Tacoma Boatbuilding Company was a shipyard at 1840 Marine View Drive, Tacoma, Washington, in the United States. It was established in 1926 and closed in 1992.
Built for endurance and adaptability, these vessels were designed to operate in tropical climates and navigate the shallow waters of bays, coastlines, and narrow inlets, drawing just nine feet. Capable of speeds up to 14 knots, they were equipped with twin 20mm guns mounted on the foredeck, providing both anti-aircraft defense and limited offensive capability. Accommodations were made for a crew of up to forty. Yet despite their wooden hulls and use of brass and stainless-steel fittings intended to reduce magnetic signatures the class ultimately proved less effective in minesweeping operations, as their hulls were later deemed too susceptible to magnetic mines.
Transferred to the French Navy on November 1, 1955, she was commissioned as LISERON (M-683). By 1974, likely still in French service, the vessel was repurposed as a diving tender and reclassified A-723, marking a shift from active minesweeping duties to support operations.
Sometime after this conversion, LISERON returned to U.S. control and was formally struck from the Naval Vessel Register on September 14, 1987. Records suggest she was acquired not directly from a French entity, but through an intermediary acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense or Maritime Administration between 1987 and 1988.
Her next chapter began through the vision of Captain Doug Cope, who traced the vessel’s whereabouts through government archives, and Mike McIntosh, who imagined her transformation into an expedition vessel. Their collaboration, following an earlier successful conversion of the SEA WOLF into the yacht OBSERVER, set the course for LISERON’s rebirth. Early design concepts were sketched informally, later refined by naval designer Ben Auslund.
In 1988, The Boat Company of Port Orchard, Washington, acquired LISERON with the intent of restoring her for small-ship cruising in Alaska. Assigned official number 971339, she was prepared that summer for an Atlantic crossing. A SMIT tug from Rotterdam undertook the tow, though not without incident: during a layover in the English Channel, the towing gear tore free the vessel’s bronze anchor windlass, sending it to the seafloor. Temporary repairs were made in Vigo, Spain, before the month-long crossing continued.
From Brest, France, LISERON was brought to Tarpon Springs, Florida, where an extensive refit began in the fall of 1988. The vessel was stripped to her oak and Purpleheart hull and deck beams, and over the course of sixteen months, a workforce that at times numbered fifty undertook her transformation. Skilled tradesmen, including welders from Duckworth Boats, contributed to the reconstruction. Care was taken to preserve original elements wherever possible, including brass fixtures and the twin 440-horsepower General Motors 8-268A diesel engines. Components sourced from other decommissioned minesweepers in France ensured historical integrity throughout the restoration.
By the spring of 1993, LISERON emerged as a fully realized passenger vessel. Her accommodations were reconfigured to host twenty guests, half her original complement, within ten staterooms distributed across the main and upper decks, offering comfort while retaining the character of her naval origins.
In the decades since, ongoing stewardship has preserved both her form and function. In 2011, PacFish carried out structural repairs to the stem, renewed hull caulking, and installed a bronze stem iron to reinforce the bow. Further restoration in 2016 addressed a leaking seachest and hull wear along the starboard side, replacing twenty-four fir planks and reinforcing frames with Purpleheart, often retaining original fastenings. Continued work into 2017 ensured the vessel’s long-term seaworthiness.
Today, LISERON sails under the care of PacFish, alongside her sister ship MIST COVE, on behalf of the founding family of The Boat Company. Though her hailing port is Juneau, Alaska, she remains a familiar presence in the waters of the Pacific Northwest her passage marked by a history of service, adaptation, and enduring craftsmanship.
French Roots
“Liseron” is the French word for Morning Glory (Convolvulus Arvensis), a climbing plant known for its delicate, trumpet-shaped blooms. Common throughout France, it has also inspired artistic expression, most notably in the Liseron glass designs of René Lalique.
Symbolism: resilience, natural growth, endurance
“Today, she moves through the Tongass not for war, but for understanding. A place where history meets purpose.”
– The Boat company
Be Part of the Story
With a legacy shaped by time and tide, Liseron offers a way of travel that feels both rare and deeply rooted. She invites you into a more meaningful way to explore Southeast Alaska.