Eos was launched in Bremen, Germany from the Lürssen yard in 2006. The ship took three years to build. When launched, she "knocked Athena off the number one spot ." Bill Langan was the designer, Rondal/Huisman supplied the rig, and the remaining naval architecture was completed by Lürssen. The interior was designed by François Catroux. The tall masts are "the maximum height allowed to enable the craft to pass underneath bridges cross the globe."
Size
According to the San Francisco Bay Area sailing magazine Latitude 38, the EOS is longer overall than her nearest rival, the Maltese Falcon. However, much of the length of Eos is in the bowsprit, and although she is slightly beamier than the Falcon, the Maltese Falcon is fourteen feet longer on deck and over longer at the waterline, as seen in the table below: Another very similar style of boat is the older yacht Athena, which has more traditional sail plan but is general smaller, and another example is the Black Pearl, which was delivered in 2018 and is larger overall but like Maltese Falcon uses a 3-mast DynaRig.
"Which one is bigger? Well, it depends on how you measure it. If the bowsprit counts, then the Eos wins," opines the YachtPals website. However, Latitude 38 begs to differ. They "consulted with sailing experts from around the world at the Le Select Bar here in St. Barth," who explained that the length at the waterline and length on deck are "the real measure of size," making Maltese Falcon the largest sailing yacht. In 2007, a BBC headline declared Eos the largest, saying "The world's largest private yacht, owned by an American millionaire, is in a south Devon harbour." Other news outlets have also come out for Eos as the world's largest private yacht.
Press coverage
Press coverage of Eos written for non-sailors describes the ship with phrases like "world's largest,". A 2009 news story about Eos arrival in Fremantle, Australia appears designed to reinforce the glamor and mystique of luxury yachting,. It claims that not only is the ship "the world's largest yacht," but that "Little is known about the yacht's interior, kept a secret by Mr. Diller, but it is believed to boast a glass staircase and panoramic views astern." The outgoing captain was quoted as saying, "I thoroughly enjoy it... I have long, unstructured hours and an ever-changing itinerary. We have no set route but travel mainly between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean." The ship is "valued in excess of US$150 million." Latitude 38 describes Eos owner, Barry Diller, creator of Fox Broadcasting Company, as "currently the Chairman of Expedia and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IAC/InterActiveCorp... parent of companies including Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster, Match.com and others," noting that "In 2005, Diller received $295 million in compensation, the highest of any executive in the United States." When the designer of Eos, Bill Langan, died in Dec. 2010, the yacht was mentioned in his company's article commemorating his work.
Fire
On June 30, 2012, at around 15:00, the ship caught fire outside the island of Ormøya in Oslo, Norway. Barry Diller and his wife were ashore at the time. The crew took the first response to the fire and controlled the situation until the Norwegian fire department and the harbour police arrived at 16:15. The fire was successfully extinguished by 20:00 and the ship made a safe return to port for damage assessment. There were no personal injuries. The fire did, however, cause severe damage to the top decks, whilst the rest of the yacht escaped virtually undamaged. Diller described the incident as being "no problem", emphasizing his relief that everyone escaped unharmed.
