Zuckerberg's armada? $100M support ship joins superyacht in Seattle

It was a perfect storm of terrible optics for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

As thousands of Meta employees processed layoffs, including almost 1,400 in the Seattle area, Zuckerberg’s superyacht floated through the ship canal and docked in Lake Union. Then another ship came.

News of the ludicrously capacious Launchpad, Zuckerberg’s $300 million megayacht, landed like a thud to Seattleites on Tuesday. Social media was ablaze with people saying the Meta chief’s wealth on display as the company was undergoing enormous cost-cutting was distasteful.

The western shoreline of Lake Union where Launchpad moored is a few blocks from one of Meta’s remaining Seattle offices, in a building called Dexter Station where 299 employees have been laid off since October, according to state filings.

The ship, which is hard to miss, is docked right next to Westlake Avenue North and the parallel pedestrian and bicycle friendly Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop.

Launchpad was soaked in sunshine for most of last week and, while Zuckerberg likely wasn’t on the ship, crowds waned and waxed as those on strolls or jogs stopped to gawk.

Even two days later, on Thursday, onlookers still stopped as they passed the yacht. Cyclists who didn’t stop at least turned their heads as if the large ship had its own gravitational pull. Though Lake Union has its fair share of houseboats, sailboats and yachts, the Launchpad looked out of place among them all.

A day after Zuckerberg’s sleek, 390-foot yacht settled in Lake Union, its companion took over a slip on the northern tip of Seattle’s waterfront at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, as first reported by GeekWire.

The 262-foot Wingman, a much more utilitarian-looking ship than Launchpad, is what’s known as a yacht support vessel. Zuckerberg reportedly purchased the vessel, formerly known as U-81, for $100 million from New Zealand’s richest man, Graeme Hart, according to Luxury Launches. The ship is equipped with a crane to grab submersibles, boats and personal watercraft out of the water, along with a helipad.

According to Superyacht Fan, the mammoth ship can hold 16 crew members and has a gym and spa.

Zuckerberg has another yacht support vessel that’s not in Seattle - at least not yet - bringing his fleet to three ships worth about $430 million.

While Zuckerberg’s ships have mostly garnered dismissive eyerolls, social media scorn and the awestruck look of passersby, they haven’t been as controversial as yachts owned by other billionaires with Seattle ties.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ gargantuan $500 million Dutch-built yacht caused a stir in 2022 when it was reportedly built too tall to pass under a historic bridge in Rotterdam. It was reported that the city would have to dismantle the bridge to let it through, leading to egging threats from locals.

The 417-foot ship, named Koru, finally left the Netherlands in 2023. It ran into another problem later that year when it was too big to anchor among other private yachts in Port Everglades, Fla. It found company among oil tankers and container ships.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 6:33 AM.