An iconic Lurssen explorer superyacht Octopus that still holds the title of the largest explorer in the world with her 126.2-metre LOA, ahead of the delivery of the giant 183-metre REV, has been listed for sale jointly through Fraser and Burgess. The news comes 11 months after the yacht’s passionate owner Paul Allen sadly passed away at the age of 65.
Paul Allen was one of the founders of the Microsoft, alongside with Bill Gates. Paul Allen also owned NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and NFL’s Seattle Seahawks teams, with his fortune estimated at $20,3 billion by Forbes. It is well known that he had a passion for the ocean and adventures, owning a 92-metre Nobiskrug Tatoosh in addition to Octopus.
A renowned world-class cruiser and one of the most well-travelled yachts in the global fleet, Octopus encompasses eight decks and an interior volume of 9,932GT with exteriors by renowned Espen Oeino, along with interiors by Jonathan Quinn Barnett of Seattle.
Unlike the other owners of superyachts who are trying to stand out with non-standard form or a length of their boats, Paul Allen has made a bid for excellence, for example, his yacht was built under the scheme of diesel-electric with 8 diesel generators, who simultaneously work on two electric motors of 6 megawatts, propelling screws.
Also, Octopus has thrusters that allow her to go into any port or moor without help of tugboats despite the length of 126 metres.
With accommodation for up to 26 guests across 13 cabins, and 63 crew across 30 cabins, Octopus has explored multiple destinations since her delivery in 2003, including the coast of Antarctica, traversed the Northwest Passage and recovered the ship's bell from the wreck of HMS Hood at a depth of 2.8km for the Royal Navy.
Credit: Jan Sieg
Other notable discoveries include the wrecks of the WWII battleships USS Indianapolis and IJN Musashi off the Philippines and the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in the Coral Sea.
Octopus comes with abundance of features and amenities specially tailored for those looking to explore the globe’s most remote and inaccessible destinations. For instance, the submarine Pagoo can dive with eight guests and two crew for up to eight hours. Octopus also houses two helicopters, seven tenders, two liferafts, an ROV capable of diving to 3km and several jetskis.
A dive centre and hyperbaric chamber are also on board, along with a beach club with bar on the starboard side.
The superyacht comes equipped with a full owner’s deck including a private bar and Jacuzzi forward and private al fresco dining area aft. While the yacht has two elevators servicing the guest areas onboard, one is dedicated to the owner’s exclusive use.
On the bridge deck below, there is a generous pool aft along with al fresco dining, a bar and pizza oven. Just beneath the bridge deck is a deck dedicated solely to entertainment with a spa, library and bar, cinema, gym, multiple lounges and a basketball court on the deck below. There is also a glass-bottomed observation lounge in the tank deck.
Techno wise, the superyacht features a maximum speed of 19 knots and a transoceanic range of approximately 12,500 nautical miles at 12.5 knots.
Despite her expedition nature, the yacht has been also much favoured by the world’s top-rate celebrities, with Mick Jagger recording an album in on-board studio in 2011 and Usher, U2 and Johnny Cash listed among other performers.
Octopus underwent a significant refit in 2019.