258'/78m U.S.-Built Dodge Family Mega-Yacht is 100 Years-Old and Steam-Driven
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- Опубликовано: 11 апр 2021
- Several years ago, Paul Madden surveyed the classic yacht SS Delphine at a shipyard in Portugal on behalf of a client from Singapore, and that is the basis of this Yacht Review.
The vessel was commissioned by the US automobile magnate Horace Dodge. Delphine was built at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Michigan during 1920 at a cost of US$20 million. At 78.5 metres overall, she was launched in 1921, and remains today the largest yacht ever built in the US that is still in operation. Her Tiffany-designed interior was lavish. Dodge never got to enjoy the luxury yacht he had created. He died in December 1919 at just 52 years old, just prior to the yacht's launch.
In 1926, the yacht caught fire in New York and sank. Horace Dodge's widow Anna, funded the five-year recovery and rebuild process at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. During the Second World War she was requisitioned and pressed into duty as USS Dauntless PG61. Stripped of her lavish interior furnishings, she became the flagship of Admiral Ernest King, Commander in Chief of the US Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations. Legend has it that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Molotov and Winston Churchill enjoyed the hospitality the yacht had to offer, and it is said that the Yalta Treaty was drawn up in the vessel's ornate smoking room.
After the war Anna Dodge bought the yacht back again. After a full refit, she fell onto hard times after the war years.
Delphine was donated to the Lundeberg Maryland Seamanship School in 1968, and for the next 20 years she was to serve as a training ship for US merchant seamen. By the 1990's, she was left to rot in a Marseilles shipyard. In 1997, the Belgian jeans magnate, Jacques Bruynooghe fell in love with historic yacht and Delphine was towed to Belgium, where she underwent a full restorative rebuild.
Over the six-year refit period, Jacques invested over €35m bringing Delphine back. Museum archives were scoured for original blueprints to ensure that the engineering and architectural refit precisely matched the original design. He fit powerful bow and stern thrusters. A powerful hydraulically-driven stern thruster pod can swivel 360 degrees and provide full in-harbour manoeuvrability.
In 2003 with a full ISM system in place she arrived in her new homeport of Monaco and entered into her into life as a charter yacht. In 2007 she sailed to Montenegro to take a starring role in the Hollywood production of the movie The Brothers Bloom, starring Rachel Weisz and Adrian Brody.
Where the typical 80 metre motor yacht burns 250 gallons an hour, SS Delphine burns 66 gallons. Her steam engines have been proved reliable without the noise and vibrations associated with the diesel engines. And the steam engines are environmentally-friendly. Twin propellers, each 2 metres tall, are powered using 20,000 litres of water converted into superheated vapour pressure.
Delphine is now 100 years old and cruising the Med!
Xplorer Yachts specializes in the conversion of commercial and government vessels into global expedition yachts. We source our vessels directly from vessel owners in Europe and the U.S. and currently have over 50 vessels we are showing as 'available' for conversion. As 'Owners Rep' we assist in all aspects of the design, purchase of vessel, shipyard bidding and project management. We operate in Europe and the U.S. Direct contact: PM@XplorerYachts.com. More information regarding expedition yachts, go to XplorerYachts.com 
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Forget those horrid modern yachts at Monaco. This is truly a work of art and is everything a yacht should be. A wonderful creation!
Gorgeous
Someone cared enough to give this grand lady some serious love and respect.
Diesel.
omg, ive been on this ship. when i was little, my dad loved to sail, one day, we didnt have many places to spend the night. so we docked the boat next to this ship. the next day, we got invited into the ship, just to look around, it was beautiful. i never realised how special that day was, until today.
Sehr schön das es Menschen gibt die diese alten Schätze erhalten. Hier hat der Besitzer nicht gekleckert. Was für eine prächtige Ausstattung. Respekt und Anerkennung für diese Menschen.
Now this is a Yatch. Stunning. What a vacation/ life it would be sailing and anchoring around the world in this stunning vessel.
I spent some time on her when she was owned by the Seafarer’s International Union. She was in good shape then but was showing her age and minimal maintenance. I’m glad to see her back to her former glory plus update.
When did the SIU have her? When I was at piney point they had an old wooden hulled patrol boat.
Lucky you!
I was in boot camp at Piney Point in 84 the 85 class a 396 it was still there then and they were just selling it to be be redone
@@brentschuelle2679, Don't think Piney Point is a boot camp.
@@josephkordinak1591 1980 to 1992 I believe
Promenade decks similar to the old *ocean liners*, not “cruise ships”. Having said that, this is a beautiful yacht. Modern day yachts are so ugly. Yachts from the 1920’s and 1930’s are beautiful.
good distinction - "Ocean Liner" vs all-you-can-eat "Cruise Ship".
True. The beauty of wood beats fiberglass every time.
@@ExpeditionYachts Two entirely different beasts even today. A liner such as Cunard's three Queens is designed to sial on regardless through all but the very worst of weather whereas a cruise ship needs to turn tail and run as they are not designed to cope with heavy sea states.
Very true . . . but you'll have to fight me for the "Delphine!"
Yes, another example is the "Sea Cloud". Today a small cruise ship with sails. But originally a privat yacht. Also very beautiful.
Following the restoration in Belgium, my son was 2nd mate on her for her first voyage down to Monaco, where a party was had on board for the Monaco Royal family and he had the privilege of meeting and talking to the very elderly Mrs Dodge.
The current owner wrote a book about the restoration and history. Unfortunately not may copies of the book exist, but I have a copy, signed by the senior Officers. A beautiful book it is too.
Yes, that is a beautiful book!
This was Admiral Thomas V. King's flagship during WW2 When it was the Dauntless . It ended up at the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship later . It was there i n 1975 when I was a trainee there and later when I became an upgrader and staff member. In my Fireman/ Oiler class we fired up a boiler to raise steam to power a generator to run the radio equipment . The school was re-applying for the ship's FCC liscense . I spent many hours showing classes around the ship explaining things . We did maintain it to the best we could . In one of the shots in this video is the stack with chevrons on it ,each one is for 6 months of U.S. service. I don't know when she left southern maryland but I am so glad she is being taken care of.
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing this. Online you may find more ido on Jacques Bruynooghe and his daughter who did an amazing job restoring this vessel in Belgium. We did a full purchase survey on her in Portugal about 8 years ago. The steel hull and the steam engine were in great condition, as was the restored interior. One of the world's great yachts.
You are a very lucky guy!
Greetings from Brazil.
Correction needed: This was Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King's flagship
I remember seeing the SS Delphine way back in the 1960's, while she was being towed downstream in the Detroit River for a refit prior to being placed back in service. Of course at that time she wasn't a 100 year old antique yacht.....lol. I still remember how beautiful she looked at that time.Thank you for bringing back an old memory.
Wow it’s like having a mansion on the water, so beautiful indeed….👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Cheers from Padre Island TEXAS , great insight , timeless style and elegance , have restored classic Yachts and Automobiles as a freelance artist for 40 yrs. , lived aboard 1968 Camper and Nicholson ketch , 1980 German Frers club racing sloop and 1973 Chris Craft Sport Fisherman ( all 38 ft. , im just a SURFER and HOT RODDER , debt free BACHELOR PAD !!!! ) and the cars i kept for myself : Lotus , Lancia , e type Jag fixed head coupe , Alfa Spider and GT V6 Milano etc etc
What a stunning vessel! And don’t even get me started about the wonders of steam propulsion! It’s so superior in so many ways. The silence alone makes it worth it. I could go on and on.... Great video! Thanks!
Couldn't agree more!
I saw her moored in Monaco harbour in spring 2018. I thought what a beauty! Now I know what ship it is. Thank you so much for posting this portrait.
you're welcome.
Steam is still one of the most efficient means of motive power . Just ask any nuclear powered vessel
Agreed.
That's the whole point...
How do you get that steam?
That will define EFFICIENCY.
Greetings from Brazil.
It is, but nuclear is much better for being effcient compared to a boiler using bunker fuel
Nuclear is actually a lot less efficient than a proper oil fired superheated plant. The efficiency of a steam plant depends on the temperature of the hottest part of the system. Pressurized water reactors simply cannot reach the same steam temperatures as the boilers on an Iowa battleship or Fletcher destroyer due to material limitations on the reactor side of things. What nuclear ships do have is practically limitless fuel, the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of coal.
But polluting assuming it uses bunker oil.
Not forgetting the SY Sunbeam
Owned by the Brassey family
They undertook a world cruise. Lady Brassey ( Normanhurst Estates in East Sussex ) wrote a book about their journey.. Voyage in the Sunbeam.They departed from Hastings in great fanfare with a Navy Reserves Gun Salute.There's an engineering model in the museum at Hastings. My Grandfather John Anderson was the Chief Engineer. He was from Auchterarder studied in Glasgow and part of his training at the North British Locomotive works.. He gained his Chief Engineers Certificate at 21.
BEAUUUTIIFUL!!! Money, or no money, beautiful is beautiful. I've never seen so much lovely woodwork, in such a smaller setting. Something, that should be shared, with whoever is interested (including the poor). History is for everyone, not just the self-entitled.
Beautiful ship. I have sailed on steam, diesel electric and diesel ships. Not sure about a reciprocating steam engines but steam turbine ships are some of the smoothest ships. It looks like no expense was spared on her restoration.
Do you know what fuel is used to heat the boiler?
@@jondeur2686 I believe they are using diesel. They refit newer modern boilers during the restoration. I believe they are Babcock-Wilcox
Remember this boat tied up on the Detroit River in the 60's when I was a lot younger. Nice to see she has survived. survives.
What a piece of Art.
Stunning!
She would turn heads and be envied by anyone.
The upkeep and running costs would be stunning as well.
'If you need to ask,
You cannot afford it!'
Very apt. I wonder how JPM's yacht compared to this one?
JP Morgan's yachts had steam turbines and were very sleek and fast.
Amazing! Absolutely amazing - especially that Dodge himself invented the engines! The work that went into restoring it is a tribute to the man who purchased the ship. "Magnificent" hardly seems sufficient to describe the vessel. Thanks for putting this video together. May your hull never garner barnacles!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Triple expansion engines were obsolete when this boat was built. Turbines would have been far better.
@@ExpeditionYachts A very fine piece of work; thanks for posting it.
My father was a captain on the Wyandotte Chemical boats and at one time in his later years he was offered the Captains position of the Dodge yacht. He stayed with the Wyandotte fleet and retired.
Beautiful boat. Love the old school light string over the masts.
In nz we have a steam ship on lake wakatipu in Queenstown its the tss Earnslaw it was built in 1911 and still runs every day it's owened by Realjourneys in Queenstown I have been on it several Times its brilliant .
I love this yacht, MV Olympus is also a favourite and Nero.
Actually, in terms of LOA, CAKEWALK is the longest yacht built in the U.S. at 281 ft/85.6m. BUT - much of that is bow overhang and swim platform. Delphine beats it on waterline length. I mention this preemptively, as I expect to get comments on that assertion.
lets not debate which ship is longest..... No nit pickers ..we are here to enjoy a ship that was brought back to life, a work of art really... Thank you so very much for sharing this video,and your efforts involved.
thanks for sharing this gorgeous vessel with us
Glad you enjoyed it
simply State of the Art. No more words to say... . I am faszinated, what a beauty. Please more of those Beauties!!!
Thank you! Will do!
i have actually seen the SS Delphine in Tunisia 10 years ago in Yasmine Hammamet Port. it is magestic... if only some company build this kind of ships again.
Absolutely amazing! I would do anything for a journey on her. Toilet cleaner crew? Fine by me! Just an awesome vessel!
I came to America on the NAL Oslofjord. At eight years old it was quite an adventure, It was in the waning days of the old Ocean Liners which had genuine destinations as opposed to just cruising around and eating.
There's a couple of old pictures in a local bar in Marine City MI of this boat, I looked it up a few years ago, was nice to find her still afloat.
My first thought, seeing the thumbnail, is that the design was cribbed from that of Pre-WWi destroyers. So it didn't look out of place in the US Navy.
Gorgeous ship. A trans-Atlantic trip on board would be wonderful.
Exactly!
During WWII my day was the ships photographer for the USS dauntless. He was stationed at the Washington Navy yard. I have several pics of the inside of this ship.
Love to see them!
Would much have something like this, than a modern one! Very nice
I would love to tour this yacht. So much to admire and take in.
Absolutly beautiful
Thanks!
Beautiful vessel.
I will live on that yacht for the rest of my life.
Fabulous.
Pure class.
I just sent this video link off to a friend who is a direct descendent of Horace Dodge.
Awesome. Thank you.
You're welcome!
AMAZING!
The Camo paint design along with those deck guns really looks badass on the SS Delphine, or USS Dauntless. Heck if I owned this ship (if I was rich lol) I'd keep that look. Has that early battleship look.
Nobody would mess with you in Camo...
really great article and history, thank you !
Glad you liked it.
Wow! What a beauty.
This vessel is a piece of high aesthetics and art
Beautiful ship. They definitely don’t make them like this anymore!
fw1421, I don't think they make anything of real quality anymore. I was a GMG in the navy and spent 3 1/2 years on a ship commissioned in 1971, USS San Bernardino (LST-1189). After I was transferred off I was assigned to a ship that was originally commissioned in 1944, the battleship Missouri as a 16 inch gunnersmate for 3 years. When it came to quality between the 2 ships, the Missouri won hands down.
Amazing thankyou
Glad you enjoyed it
Gorgeous
She is one beautiful lady…stunning Roly🇬🇧.
What a grand old dame ❤️❤️
speechless so beautiful
Back when ships like this beauty were crafted works of floating art, so wonderful to see it brought back to its former glory. Modern yachts these days look like cheap and tastelessly done chunks of fancy plastic to me, SS Delphine is a queen amongst many pretenders.
Awesome and informative video!!
Glad you liked it!
Very beautiful boat.
I remember seeing an interview with the daughter of the Belgian owner. She was in a slip in Monaco. Beautiful old girl (the ship) ha ha.
Dodge may have had a patent on some sort of engine, but it wasn't on any sort of compound expansion engine. In any case by 1920 ships were being powered by turbine engines for their efficiency, smoothness and compactness compared to the quad expansion engine on Delphine.
Incredible !!!!!!!
I took seamanship classes on her in the late 1970s when she was merchant marine classrooms in Piney Point, Maryland.
Lucky you!
Beautiful ship!!
It really is!
Built in the same shipyard that built the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The "Fifer" and the "Taconite" were moored at the Bayshore docks in Vancouver, BC for decades. The Taconite (Tacoma) was built in 1930?? for Mrs. Bloedel (MacMillan Bloedel Lumber) as a birthday gift. A friend crewed on it for years. It, too, sipped fuel. The Fifer, a steel yacht from the era, was sold down into SF and I believe Melvin Belli, the lawyer, owned it.
Fuel Consumption: 600 litres/hour @ cruising speed
>(Note: consumption depends on cruise time, & the longer non-stop cruising, the lower the consumption- for example- 5 days non-stop sailing @ 380 litres/hour)
WOW, the owner would have to hire a Steam Engineer to operate the Boilers, and, a full Crew!
They can afford it. OG engines, the steam engines built on the Great Lakes were world class, in fact look up the SS Badger, shes a coal fired Steam Ferry that operates every day going from Wisconsin to Michigan. She still has her OG 1956 Steam engines that run like new
on these boats I believe you need an Engineer just to hit the two buttons: fuel and oil pump. One trip the Taconite from this era had a replacement Eng. NOT hit the oil pump and caused 200 grand in damage (fortunately insured) to the engine.
I imagine the pool of available marine steam Engineers is probably pretty small.
@@TheMrLebaron ,more like 1953. The Spartan started running in 1952.
Also, they steeple-compound Skinner Uniflow Steam engines.
During the refit she was fitted with 2 modern boilers. Babcock-Wilcox I believe. They do not require as much attention as the old boilers
I'll have to pick up my tux and formal dining attire from the cleaners before I accept my ride invitation. Dinner is at 20:00. Proper attire is expected. See you at the captain's table!
I fell in love with a ship
This ship
Stunning yacht , strangely modern look to the bow ? . Worked on an old coaster and buffing the brass work was a full time job but really worth it .
" buffing the brass work was a full time job but really worth it ." Think that is a full time job? Try polishing all the brass on an Iowa class battleship 16 inch gun turret, powder flats and magazines.
Nothing like buffed brass and 7 coats of varnish!
Mot the largest. That title appears to still be held by Aquial formerly Cakewalk. Built by Dercktor and current owned by Stan Kroenke and Ann Walton.
No you said 250 feet in the beginning of the video so you were right…..👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Anything with a 10 stool bar is my kinda Nautical Experiance
Great video of a wonderful vessel. I served in the HMAS DIAMANTINA ( River Class) which was powered by a triple expansion Babcock boiler and with steam on recirculation we too cruised many quiet nautical miles. The engine never let us down although the fumes from the funnel with a following wind made life on the open bridge very unpleasant. DIAMANTINA is now a museum in the Brisbane River, Queensland Australia and she was my first appointment as a young Sub Lieutenant as Bridge Watchkeeper & Bosun. All steel and rivetted she sometimes popped a few in heavy weather in the Great Southern Ocean of Australia.
Ha- it must have been pretty rough to pop a rivet!
@@ExpeditionYachts Diamantina was engaged in oceanographic research and down south we regularly encountered a swell height (trough to crest) of 15 metres and a period (distance between two consecutive crests) of 300-400 metres. Hogging and sagging caused some plates to move and being held over at 30 deg heal for extended periods (3-5 minutes) caused some fittings to fall off (rusty bolt syndrome). We would tie ourselves to the binnacle to not get thrown from side-to-side.
THE BOAT IS VERY ELEGANT AND NOBLE, IF THE DODGE FAMILY HAD PUT AS MUCH ATTENTION INTO THE QUALITY OF THEIR CARS, THE BOAT MAY STILL BE AFLOAT AND SAILING TODAY.
GOOD JOB HORACE.
It is.
Would be nice seeing her back on Detroit River n Lake Erie where she steamed the waves
i *really* admire it’s ocean-liner-esque aesthetics.
if only modern yachts took note…
Great Lakes Engineering was in River Rouge, Michigan, not Detroit. They also built the Edmond Fitzgerald.
Thanks for that footnote. Interesting.
At the time they had a yard in Detroit to, thats where it was built. That yard went away in the late 20s
@@ExpeditionYachts River Rouge is in Detroit G1 Sokol is not correct.This area has many zip codes. Ford Motor Company owns this site at Zug Island and the river is the southern boundary. The Ford family recently required the Ford Motor Company to completely restore the Rouge Assembly Plant and also made the roof a garden. Respectfully, Tom.
Interesting, disturbing. Of course, the Fitzgerald had to adhere to a strict schedule that sent her into hell and high water on a regular basis. Yachts don’t do that so they seldom break in half.
Molotov was the Soviet foreign minister. When bombs dropped on Helsinki he claimed that they were breadbaskets for the starving Finns. So, the Finns came up with a drink to go with the bread, thus the "Molotov Cocktail". It was an in invention from the Spanish civil war but the Finns gave it its name.
Most interesting. Thanks for that!
If I had a yacht... Yes, this styling, not a new mega-yacht. It's mahogany and brass for me. That bridge! I'd make a fool of myself pretending to conn the ship and manning the wheel and engine telegraphs. (An old fool.) Such a bridge with steam engines is what I want most of all.
another thumbs up.
thanks!
I like it
Very similar design as the Carpatia. This ship had gained fame for saving those still alive from the sinking of the Titantic.
Great ship, great review! Did this ship have stabilizers or was it just as instable as the early ocean liners?
Stabilizers were added in the re-fit, as I recall.
Reminds me of the Gunilda.
Beautiful! Why not use a similar “Dodge Steam Engine” in new vessels? I assume salt water works ok?
I would not broker a deal out the us with this classic keep it here
American built excellence
I'd be willing to enter into a contingency contract - if I sell my house, I'll trade the $ value for this ship! Plain and simple.
I love this boat but I wish the beam were wider. Such a narrow beam for a boat of its size.
✌🏻🇺🇸
That was the norm then.
We have a beautiful wooden yacht from this era based at Cates shipyards and owned by D. Washington of Wash. Marine Group (Montana cowboy). It's very narrow as well. Seems to be the Italian way of design in those days. Would probably "roll" on the open seas if not commanded well.
all yachts pre-1960 are my favorite. the lines, the details, the wood. The new ones arent as elegant and special.
You should not be in a hurry to take the boat to go swimming in a nice spot. You have to start making steam something like 24 hrs before casting off.
I believe it is something like 8 hours. Sort of like a pizza oven.
Why would it be so surprising that the refit was done in Belgium? Belgium has a lot of world renowned shipyards.
Surprising because , to my knowledge, no large yachts have been built in Belgium. Yes, they have very capable commercial yards. I went to business school in Brussels.
Dodge may have developed the quadruple expansion engine but he didn't invent it. John Elder, who died in 1869, held patents for triple & quadruple expansion steam engines. The first commercially successful use of a marine compound steam engine is thought to be the SS Aberdeen in 1877. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine designed by Alexander Kirk. Both these men came from what is now Glasgow & were pioneers in more than one field. Further reading is recommended.
Thanks for comment.
Would love to know how fast she can cruise at? Just amazing
Cruise at 8k, max 11k
@@ExpeditionYachts what fuel did the use to heat the water, oil? I wonder if it will ever be possible to to install an appropriately small nuclear reactor. It’s clean, you never buy fuel again.
2:33 You don't even mention the Belgian's name, but you sure do with other's who just may have been aboard. It is not that difficult to pronounce, and since we have him (and his daughter) to thank for this beautiful ship, one would think that you would more appropriately credit him.
Jacques Bruynooghe. A very cool guy. And Ineke Bruynooghe, who did a brilliant job researching and project managing.
I had heard that these ships were amazingly quiet.
Yes. Steam engines have little vibration and not loud exhausts.
Beautiful! But,,,,is she unsinkable?
A friend and I once went to a Ferrari dealer to look at some cars.His Grandmother was very wealthy and offered to purchase any car that he wanted.
He happened to comment to the salesman that none of the cars had a price listed. The reply was: " If you have to ask, you can't afford it."
The most important rooms on a ship were missed, the kitchen and pantry areas. My question is, did this ship have a walk-in freezer? Respectfully, Tom.
Yes. I don't recall exactly- but they would usually have a walk-in freezer and a walk-in cold stores.
How does it make the steam? coal ?wood? In the refit did they add stabilizers?
Diesel for steam. No stabilizers.
so a high pressure pump, atomizers and draft inducer blowers to draw hot gasses through the boiler heat exchanger?