USS Oneida ( SP - 432 ) USS " Oneida " ( SP - 432 ) was the proposed name and designation of an American steam yacht considered for use as a section patrol craft during World War I . In July 1917 the seagoing yacht was ordered taken by the U . S . Navy for service in international waters , but the yacht was never acquired and instead remained in private hands . It was the second of two yachts named " Oneida " by owner Elias Cornelius Benedict , a prominent New York City banker and one of the world ' s leading yachtsman . In 1922 , after Benedict ' s death , the " Oneida " was purchased by publisher William Randolph Hearst . In November 1924 the yacht was associated with the mysterious death of American film producer Thomas H . Ince , a scandal that became part of early Hollywood lore . The " Oneida " was sold by Hearst sometime after 1927 . In 1932 the yacht was in use as a ferry vessel on Lake Champlain , based at Burlington , Vermont . In 1940 , the rusty hull of the " Oneida " was purchased as scrap by Canada , for conversion into munitions for World War II . Design and construction . Designed by Albert S . Cheseborough , the " Oneida " was a 552 gross ton steam yacht built in 1897 by the Harlan and Hollingsworth Company of Wilmington , Delaware . The yacht measured 200 feet overall , with a breadth of 24 feet and a draught of 11 . 5 feet . Ownership . The yacht was originally owned by George William Childs Drexel ( 1868 – 1944 ) , son of Anthony Joseph Drexel , and named the " Alcedo " . It was sold to John Hays Hammond , who renamed it the " Atreus " , in 1912 . In March 1913 Hammond sold the yacht to Commodore E . C . Benedict for a reported $ 100 , 000 . " Benedict has decided to re - christen the yacht " Oneida " , which is the name of a smaller yacht which he also possesses , " reported " The New York Times " . " He will rename the latter . " The old " Oneida " was renamed " Adelante " and converted into a tow vessel , and the new " Oneida " became a fixture in the yachting centers of the East Coast . On April 24 , 1913 , Benedict set out on his fourth South American trip in his new " Oneida " , to see the Panama Canal before it was opened and to sail through the new waterway . An avid yachtsman and fisherman , Benedict took many extended ocean trips in the company of many friends and distinguished guests . In July 1917 the " Oneida " was ordered taken by the U . S . Navy for service during World War I , and the yacht was given the identification number SP - 432 . In September 1917 the orders were cancelled , and the " Oneida " continued to remain in Benedict ' s possession . Within the year the yacht was equipped with oil - burning boilers that increased her cruising radius to 4 , 000 miles . The yacht was reconstructed and overhauled in 1920 , when its length was increased and state - of - the art equipment and luxurious fittings were installed . In August 1922 the " Oneida " was purchased from Benedict ' s estate by publisher William Randolph Hearst , owner of the International Film Service Company of New York , for use by the film studio . Extensive improvements were made under the direction of Cox and Stevens , and the yacht cruised to the Pacific Coast that winter . On November 19 , 1924 , American film pioneer Thomas H . Ince died under suspicious circumstances after being a weekend guest on Hearst ' s yacht . The mystery surrounding his death became an enduring scandal in Hollywood lore . The " Oneida " was still in Hearst ' s hands in 1927 , but by 1932 the yacht was in use as a ferry vessel on Lake Champlain . The author of a " Talk of the Town " feature in the October 15 , 1932 , issue of " The New Yorker " magazine recognized the " Oneida " after driving aboard for the crossing from Port Douglas to Burlington , Vermont , and disclosed the yacht ' s fate : The ferry company , it came out , had got her at a bargain , taken her through the St . Lawrence and the Richelieu Canal , remodelled her , and put her to work . Passengers who do not themselves recognize the " Oneida " as the former Hearst yacht are likely to be advised of this chapter of her history anyhow , for over a stairway leading downward from the main deck is a sign : " MUSEUM Admission 10c . " Our traveller paid a dime and descended to the museum , which he found to be the Hearst living quarters , faithfully preserved in their elegance : two of the rooms , usually occupied by Mr . Hearst and his secretary in the old days , fitted with mahogany furnishings , dark - red damask hangings , and notably soft and deep bedding accessories ; and the third room , Mrs . Hearst ' s , in ivory and gilt with a bath which even now has gold - plated fittings . The curator of the museum is a young lady who chats interestingly about the Hearsts , dealing in both fact and surmise , and sells souvenir postals of the interior for ten cents each . On August 21 , 1940 , the rusty iron hull of the " Oneida " was sold as scrap to Canada , and used to make munitions for World War II . Popular culture . In the 2001 film " The Cat ' s Meow " , a period drama about the Ince scandal directed by Peter Bogdanovich , the " Oneida " is represented by a 1931 yacht called the " Marala " .