SS Delphine (1921)
SS Delphine off the French Riviera, July 2008. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Delphine |
| Owner | Anna Thompson Dodge |
| Builder | Great Lakes Engineering Works |
| Cost | $2 million (building cost in 1921) |
| Launched | 2 April 1921 |
| Fate | Requisitioned by the US Navy 1942 |
| United States | |
| Name | USS Dauntless |
| Operator | United States Navy |
| Acquired | 21 January 1942 |
| Commissioned | 11 May 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 11 May 1946 |
| Stricken | 5 June 1946 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate |
|
| United States | |
| Name | SS Delphine |
| Owner | Anna Thompson Dodge |
| Acquired | 1946 |
| Fate | Donated in 1967 |
| United States | |
| Name | SS Delphine |
| Acquired | 1967 |
| Fate | Sold in 1968 |
| United States | |
| Name | SS Dauntless |
| Operator |
|
| Acquired | 1968 |
| Fate | Sold in 1989 to Sea Sun Cruises |
| France, Singapore | |
| Name | SS Dauntless |
| Operator | Sea Sun Cruises |
| Acquired | 1989 |
| Out of service | 1997 |
| Fate | Sold in 1997 |
| Monaco | |
| Name | SS Delphine |
| Owner | Jacques Bruynooghe[1] |
| Port of registry | Madeira, Portugal |
| Christened | 10 September 2003 |
| Acquired | 1997 |
| Refit | 1998–2003 |
| Home port | Monaco |
| Identification |
|
| General characteristics (SS Delphine) | |
| Type | Steam yacht |
| Tonnage | 1342 t (gross) |
| Length | 257.8 ft (78.6 m) |
| Beam | 35.5 ft (10.8 m) |
| Draft | 14.6 ft (4.5 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | Max 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Capacity | 26 passengers |
| Crew | 24–30 |
SS Delphine is a steam yacht launched in 1921. During the Second World War, the yacht was used by the US Navy, as the gunboat USS Dauntless (PG-61).
Design
Power was originally supplied from three Babcock & Wilcox boilers[2] powering two 1,500-horsepower (1,100 kW) quadruple-expansion engines.[1]
In her 2003 refit Delphine was re-equipped with two modern water-tube boilers operating at 20 bars (290 psi), the larger of which has an evaporation capacity of 14 metric tons (31,000 lb) of steam per hour while the smaller can evaporate 4 metric tons (8,800 lb) per hour;[3] these new boilers supply the original quadruple-expansion engines. "Of all the large American-built steam yachts built between 1893 and 1930, the Delphine is the only one left in her original condition with her original steam engines still in service."[1]
History
Early career
The Delphine was commissioned by Horace E. Dodge, co-founder of Dodge Brothers (though he never saw her complete, having died from the Spanish flu in 1920). The yacht was launched on 2 April 1921, captained by Arthur A. Archer.[4]
The Delphine caught fire and sank in New York in 1926, and was recovered after four months, restored and remodeled for $750,000. By 1935, she was docked for an extended period at her private pier on Lake St. Clair. She suffered further damage in 1940 when she ran aground in the Great Lakes, and was repaired.
As gunboat USS Dauntless
The Delphine was acquired by the US Navy in January 1942, refitted as a gunboat with a wartime paint scheme, a pair of 3-inch guns, six .50 cal machine guns, and a Marine detachment. She was commissioned five months later, rechristened as the USS Dauntless (PG-61), with Cdr. Charles F. Grisham in command.[5] She was to serve as the flagship for Admiral Ernest King, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations. She was sold back to Anna Dodge (Horace Dodge's wife) after the conclusion of World War II and restored to civilian standards and service, including her original name.[2]
Purportedly, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the yacht and the Yalta accords were drafted while he was on board.[6]
Post war
Delphine was sold in 1967 and again in 1968, changing names again to Dauntless, only to be sold again in 1986, 1989, and in 1997 – at scrap metal prices to her next owner, Jacques Bruynooghe, who proceeded to restore her for $60 million to the original 1921 condition including interior decor and the original steam engines.[1] She was rechristened Delphine by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco on 10 September 2003. In 2007, the ship was used as part of the setting for the Rian Johnson film The Brothers Bloom.[7]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d Vaporous Lady (Forbes), pp. 236–238.
- ^ a b "Horace Dodge's Steam Yacht DELPHINE". SS Delphine. Archived from the original on 2006-12-13. Retrieved 23 November 2006.
- ^ "SS Delphine Charter Brochure" (PDF). SS Delphine Official Website. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ Pamphlet "Launching of the Delphine" Published - April 2nd 1921
- ^ DANFS.
- ^ Yacht Delphine (Xplorer Yachts).
- ^ Ships of the past: Delphine.
Bibliography
- "USS Dauntless II (PG-61)". DANFS. July 6, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- Levine, Joshua (21 April 2008). "Vaporous Lady". Forbes. Vol. 181, no. 8. pp. 236–238.
- Photo gallery of USS Dauntless (PG-61) at NavSource Naval History
- "Ships of the past: Delphine". Nautilus International. 16 July 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "Warship Wednesday: Dodge's Dauntless Delphine". laststandonzombieisland. September 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- Xplorer Yachts (13 April 2021). "258'/78m U.S.-Built Dodge Family Mega-Yacht is 100 Years-Old and Steam-Driven Yacht Delphine". YouTube.
External links
- Steamy superyacht has impressive pedigree, Melbourne Age 23 Jun 2010