Luxury yacht Octopus is one of the world’s largest yachts. She is built by Lurssen Yachts. She was owned by the billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The motor yacht is powered by Mercedes diesel engines. Her top speed is 20 knots. Her cruising speed is 12 knots.
Two Helicopters and a Submarine
M/Y Octopus has a large helicopter hangar on the main deck. Giving shelter to two helicopters. The yacht has a large glass-bottom pool and a 10-person submarine.
The submarine and the main tender (named Man of War) float into the yacht through a large hatch.
The two helicopters on the Octopus bear the registration numbers N904AF and N76AF. The first one is an MD900 and the second a Sikorsky S-76C.
Update: The helis have been replaced by two Airbus H145 helicopters, with registration N745AF and N746AF.
A Music Recording Studio
Paul Allen yacht has a music recording studio on the bridge deck. (Update: the studio was removed in a 2021 refit, the area is now a bar) Allen owned the guitar Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock. Allen played guitar as well.
Other features include an observation lounge, a cinema, a juice bar near a gym. There is a hair salon and a medical center.
Yacht Octopus Interior
The owner has a dedicated deck. With a large study, a walk-in closet, and an outside bar with a whirlpool.
The yacht can accommodate 12 guests and has a crew of 42.
There is a large VIP cabin, 4 guest cabins, a children’s cabin. And there are two additional staff/doctors’ cabins.
On this page, you will find exclusive interior photos of Octopus.
The exterior was designed by Espen Øino Naval Architects. The interior was designed by American designer Jonathan Quinn Barnett of Seattle.
Allen also owned the yacht Tatoosh and the Feadship Meduse.
In January 2016 Tatoosh was involved in an accident. Her anchor chain damaged a coral reef in the Cayman Islands.
Bill Gates Yacht
The Octopus boat is often referred to as the Bill Gates yacht. However, Bill Gates is not the owner of the superyacht Octopus.
As far as SuperYachtFan knows Bill Gates does not own a yacht. Update: Gates is building a large superyacht in the Netherlands, and owns a support vessel named Wayfinder. In the winter season, 2013/2014 Octopus went to Hamburg, Germany for a refit.
Owner
The yacht’s owner was the Estate of Paul Allen. Update: In August 2021 Octopus was sold. Her buyer is a Swedish pharma billionaire. We received two names:
- Frederik Paulsen Jr, non-executive chairman of Ferring Pharmaceuticals. He perfectly fits the profile, with enough wealth and an exploration background.
- Roger Samuelsson, founder of SHL Healthcare. He is less known, but SHL is a large company, with more than 5,000 employees.
Update: We can confirm that Roger Samuelsson bought Octopus.
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