Galeb ( yacht ) Yugoslav Navy ( JRM ) Yacht " Galeb , also known as The Peace Ship " Galeb ( " Brod Mira " ) , was used by the late President of the Yugoslav Republic Marshal Josip Broz Tito on his numerous foreign trips and to entertain heads of state , as well as other persons of worldwide renown . The ship attained an iconic status among the peoples of Yugoslavia , as well as among the many diverse nations and members of the Non - Aligned Movement . " Galeb " is Serbo - Croatian for " seagull " ( the " Laridae " family ) . History . " Galeb " started its tumultuous career in 1938 in Genoa , where it was built as a banana - boat " Ramb III " . After the armistice in 1943 , it was taken over by the Germans and they turned it into an auxiliary cruiser under the name " Kiebitz " . While she was in Rijeka , it was sunk on 25 November 1944 by allied aircraft . " Brodospas " ( SHIPSAVING ) from Split , raised " Kiebitz " in 1948 , after which it was taken to the Pula ship building company Uljanik where in 1952 it was reconstructed as a school ship of the Yugoslav Navy under the new name " Galeb " . Tito embarked on it the first time in 1952 in Podgora , where he conducted an inspection of the boats in the YWN from the deck of the ship . In the next 27 years " Galeb " was in Tito ’ s service for a total of 549 days , of which , for 318 days , the Marshal was on board , sailing over the Adriatic and other seas on political missions . By Tito ’ s death , 102 world statesmen had stayed on " Galeb " . " Galeb " was 117 metres long and 15 m wide with a displacement of 5 , 754 tonnes . With the speed of it was powered by two Fiat diesel engines of 7 , 200 horsepower in total . The Italians , at one point , offered to SFRJ to remove them and exhibit them in the Fiat museum in Torino . In return , they offered to build an entirely new , modern , school ship , but the Yugoslavs declined . The yacht first came to international attention in 1953 when Tito sailed up the Thames to meet Winston Churchill on the first visit to United Kingdom of a communist head of state . He was greeted on board by the Duke of Edinburgh . During the trip , the ship was to dock at Malta , but was prevented from doing so by the nation ' s governor . Tito loved the glamour the yacht conferred on his regime . He used it for parties , foreign visits and diplomacy . World leaders entertained there included Nikita Khrushchev , Gaddafi and Indira Gandhi . Tito was particularly excited to welcome Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton , who played Tito in the 1973 war epic " Sutjeska " . " Galeb " belonged to Marshall Tito from 1948 till his death in 1980 when the yacht became the property of the Montenegrin government following the nation ' s breakup in 1991 . It was sold to John Paul Papanicolaou , the same Greek yachtsman who owns the yacht " Christina O " . It is currently moored on the quay side of the Viktor Lenac Shipyard in Kostrena , a suburb of Rijeka . The Croatian authorities placed a preservation order on the ship and hope to turn it into a museum if they secure ownership at the auction . In September 2008 the boat partially sank on its right side after a leak developed in its hull . On 22 May 2009 , the ship was sold to city of Rijeka for US $ 150 , 000 . The City of Rijeka plans to use the ship as a museum . On 30 October 2009 , the High Mercantile Court of Croatia confirmed the verdict of the Regional Mercantile Court in which the ownership of " Galeb " was awarded to the City of Rijeka . List of ( guest ) heads of state . The following heads of state have been entertained on the " Galeb " : List of ( guest ) famous people . The following people have been entertained on the " Galeb " :