An authentic steam yacht
Built in the tradition of the great American steamers of the early 19th century, the SS Delphine was launched in 1921, on behalf of Horace Dodge, co-founder of the eponymous car manufacturer, who died four months before launching, having succumbed to the Spanish flu.
She is the only yacht of this era to have remained in her original configuration, with a steam-powered propulsion unit. The engine room of the SS Delphine is equipped with three Babcock and Wilcox boilers, which feed two quadruple expansion engines developing 1500hp each. Hence the two letters "SS" for "Steam Ship".
Shipwreck, Spanish flu and Yalta agreements
The SS Delphine had an eventful life. Following a fire, it was wrecked in New York harbor in 1926. Refloated and restored, she continued to sail on the Great Lakes until the beginning of the Second World War.
Like many other yachts at that time, she was requisitioned by the US Navy and converted into a warship. Renamed USS Dauntless, she was equipped with several guns and repainted in grey camouflage. Used as Admiral Ernest King's personal ship, it was on board that Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt prepared the Yalta Conference.
After the war, the ship was bought by his widow, who renamed the boat after their daughter, Delphine.
A seductress who deserves all the attention
During the next 50 years, SS Delphine knew several owners. But the beauty did not get all the attention she deserved and her condition deteriorated for many years. Her current owner, the Belgian Jacques Bruynooghe, bought her in 1997 as a wreck. Her restoration at great expense (for an amount of around 40 million euros), was carried out in a Belgian naval during 6 years.
This long restoration has allowed Delphine to regain its original configuration, but now requires meticulous daily maintenance, especially for its steam engine, manufactured more than a century ago.
" At first glance, the engines seem very simple, especially without electronics, but when it comes to maintenance, it's another matter " according to Willem, the chief mechanic. " And when a part is defective, it is not easy to find it on the market: it must be custom-made by specialized yards! Consequently, this means that you have to be able to anticipate possible problems. This means being able to listen to the machine and to discern every little sign of weakness ".
A timeless charm
Its inverted bow, yellow chimney and the finesse of its lines give Delphine an atypical silhouette, well known on the Mediterranean coast. One of the main difficulties on a century-old yacht is to marry a claimed classicism with some modern equipment, essential for a charter activity.
Her venerable boilers develop only 3000 HP, far from the power race observed on modern yachts. But who cares! With a cruising speed of 13 knots, Delphine is far from being the fastest yacht, but she is undeniably the most charming.
