Superyacht once named after Ghislaine Maxwell catches fire in Washington DC
Image courtesy of DC Fire & EMS
A superyacht once named after Ghislaine Maxwell caught fire in Washington DC on Tuesday (14 October 2025).
The 180ft vessel, originally called Lady Ghislaine and owned by the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, has a long history and has been linked to numerous high-profile figures.
Newspaper reports place Donald Trump and Ghislaine and Robert Maxwell at a party aboard the Lady Ghislaine in May 1989. Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in a minimum-security facility in Texas for trafficking underage women to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. Epstein was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Now renamed Dancing Hare, the yacht is owned by Anna dePeyster — a British-Australian writer who was married to Rupert Murdoch from 1967 to 1999.
The vessel reportedly emitted “light smoke” from its deck while docked at the Wharf near the 600 block of Water Street SW.
Firefighters from the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department responded around 2pm. Spokesman Vito Maggiolo said damage to the Dancing Hare was “relatively minimal” and that the blaze was “extinguished without injuries.” All those on board were reported safe, and power to the yacht was shut off during the incident. Media reports attributed the fire to an electrical issue on the upper deck.
Launched in 1986 from the Amels shipyard in the Netherlands, the yacht has undergone several name changes, including Lady Mona K. Maxwell purchased it for about $20m and named it after the youngest of his nine children. He died in November 1991 after disappearing from the Lady Ghislaine; his body was later found drifting in the Atlantic Ocean, 20 miles off Gran Canaria. Though speculation surrounded his death, a coroner ruled it accidental.
Dancing Hare has undergone several refits, most recently in 2023 at Derecktor Shipyard in Fort Pierce, Florida. The yacht accommodates up to 12 guests in six staterooms and carries 13 crew across eight cabins. Powered by twin Caterpillar engines, it reaches a top speed of 15.5 knots and cruises at 14 knots. Its interior and exterior were designed by Jon Bannenberg, with naval architecture by Diana Yacht Design.
The US Supreme Court recently declined to review Maxwell’s case, though Trump has suggested he might consider a pardon.
