Metro

War over prez yacht

The owner of the legendary former presidential yacht Sequoia is suing his lenders, claiming they’re trying to commandeer it in a “fire sale,” say documents filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The lenders “developed . . . a dastardly plan to wrest control of the Sequoia from” its owner, the complaint states.

Sequoia owner Gary Silversmith, of Washington DC, was burdened by the costs of maintaining the 104-foot wooden yacht.

Silversmith received a $5 million loan in July 2003 from FE Partners.

But FE Partners gave Silversmith only half the loan and then served him with fabricated default notices, the filing alleges.

The notices were issued for infractions like bringing prostitutes abroad the vessel, according to the complaint, which calls those charges “outright false.”

“The plan was to strategically loan only half of what it contracted to loan,” forcing Silversmith to default, court papers say. The yacht — used by presidents from Herbert Hoover through Gerald Ford — is a national historic landmark.

An attorney for the lenders called the suit “grossly inaccurate and without merit.” FE Partners counsel Richard Graf said Silversmith has “failed to comply with the most basic terms of our loan agreement.”