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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 of Spanish flu 4 months before launching.
She is the only yacht of this era to have remained in her original steam-powered configuration. The SS Delphine's engine room is equipped with three Babcock and Wilcox boilers, which power two quadruple-expansion engines, each developing 1,500 hp. Hence the two letters "SS" for "Steam Ship".
Shipwreck, Spanish flu and the Yalta agreements
The SS Delphine had an eventful life. Following a fire, she was wrecked in New York harbor in 1926. Refloated and restored, she continued to sail the Great Lakes until the outbreak of the Second World War.
Like many other yachts at the time, she was requisitioned by the US Navy and converted into a warship. Renamed USS Dauntless, she was fitted with several guns and repainted in gray 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 it after their daughter, Delphine.
A seductress who deserves every attention
Over the next 50 years, SS Delphine had several owners. But she didn't get the attention she deserved, and her condition deteriorated for many years. Her current owner, Belgian Jacques Bruynooghe, bought her as a wreck in 1997. Her costly restoration (at a cost of around 40 million euros) was carried out in a Belgian naval shipyard over a period of 6 years.
This lengthy restoration has restored Delphine to her original configuration, but now requires meticulous daily maintenance, particularly for her steam engine, built over a century ago.
" At first glance, the engines seem very simple, especially in the absence of electronics, but when it comes to maintaining them, it's another matter altogether "according to Willem, the chief mechanic. " And when a part becomes defective, it's not easy to find on the market: you have to have it custom-made by specialized yards! As a result, you need to be able to anticipate potential problems. This means listening to the machine and discerning every little sign of weakness ".
Timeless charm
Her inverted stem, yellow funnel and slender lines give Delphine an atypical silhouette, well known on the Mediterranean coast. One of the main challenges of a century-old yacht is to combine a strong sense of classicism with a number of modern features, essential for a charter business.
Her venerable boilers develop a mere 3,000 HP, a far cry from the race for power seen on modern yachts. But never mind! With a cruising speed of 13 knots, Delphine is far from being the fastest yacht, but she's undeniably the one with the most charm.
