Fantome was originally ordered for the Italian navy but was purchased before completion by the Duke of Westminster, who finished her as a yacht (launched in 1927).

At the end of the war she was stranded in Portage Bay for 14 years, barred by King County from sailing pending the payment of back taxes.

Hurricane Mitch, then over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away in the Caribbean Sea, was expected to pose a risk to Jamaica and possibly the Yucatán Peninsula.

In case Mitch made landfall in the Yucatán or Belize, by being on the southern side of the island, it would provide her with enough protection to hopefully keep it from getting damaged by large swells and high winds.

As Mitch moved in on Roatan and Honduras, Fantome made one desperate attempt to flee to safety, now heading east towards the Caribbean.

On 2 November, a helicopter dispatched by the British Type 22 Frigate HMS Sheffield discovered life rafts and vests labeled "S/V Fantome" off the eastern coast of Guanaja.