Introducing 'A' - The Ultimate Luxury Yacht

It may have a simple name - 'A', but there is nothing plain about Russian billionaire, Andrey Melnichencko's sleek submarine-like $300mm USD luxury yacht, or should we say mansion!

Currently moored in the San Francisco Bay, the 394ft. yacht has 23,600 sq.ft. of living space that houses not one, but three swimming pools, one of which can be switched from salt to fresh water, with the mere press of a button, thanks to the sophisticated hydraulic systems.

Walk up the silver-leaf walled spiral staircase and you will see the entrance to the yacht's 2,583sq.ft. Master suite. Accessible by a fingerprint security system and encompassed in bombproof glass, the room sports a King-size bed that sits on a plate, which rotates with the switch of a button. Press another button and the bed itself rotates! The combination rotations are designed to provide occupants with the best views of the scenery outside or, the 60-inch plasma television that retracts from the ceiling!

The owner, 38-year old Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichencko, seems to have a penchant for animal skins - The walls of one of the rooms is covered with white stingray hides, while another is smothered with hand-stitched calf's leather. The main deck features chairs made from alligator hides and kudo horns!

The boat also has a helipad and a garage that houses two landing boats, each worth $1mm USD.

And if you think 'A' is just a pretty face, think again! Designed to outrun any threat - human or otherwise, it sports two high-speed diesel engines, capable of delivering 24,000 horsepower and, propelling the humungous 5,959 gross-ton ship to 24knots - about a third faster than most boats its size. Rumors are that just like a James Bond vessel, 'A' has a secret escape pod, though nobody knows for sure.

It takes a full-time staff of 37 people and about $20mm USD annually, to maintain 'A' in it's pristine condition - Chump change for the self-made billionaire, who is estimated to be worth about $4billion USD.

sources: online.wsj.com,mercurynews.com,insidebayarea.com,azcentral.com