This is my new project.
Length: 79 m
Launch date: 2 April 1921
Beam: 11 m
Shipyard: Great Lakes Engineering Works
Shipyard: Great Lakes Engineering Works, Detroit, USA
IMO: 8971815
Flag: Portugal
Documentation has been gathered over the last few weeks to get a good basis for designing this beautiful and atypical vessel in good conditions.
This ship with its pre-dreadnought style has an extraordinary story to tell after 101 years of tumultuous life. Beautiful stories that motivate me, because in 1/100 scale, this ship will require a lot of work before being printed (length 79 cm, width 10.8 cm).
Once again thanks to Roland who found me some original plans from the American shipyard archives.
A bit of history:
1921-1942 - the early days
Launched in 1921 at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Michigan, the S.S. Delphine was, at 78.65m and 1,255 tons, the largest yacht built in the United States that still exists today.
Her first owner, Horace Dodge, of American automotive fame, designed Delphine's unique quadruple-expansion steam engines, which still operate today.
Sadly, Dodge, one of the greatest yachtsmen of his time, died four months before the boat was completed.
The yacht passed into the hands of her family, who cruised and attended all the major boat races. In 1926, Delphine caught fire and sank in the Hudson River. Five months later, in New York, she was revived to her former glory.
[1942-1946 - the war years[/b]
Like many other yachts of her era, when the United States entered World War II in 1942, Delphine was placed in the naval service.
Renamed U.S.S. Dauntless (PG61), she served as flagship to Admiral King, head of the U.S. fleet and chief of naval operations, and unofficially as a presidential yacht.
According to legend, the yacht went down in history as the Yalta yacht, where the world leaders of the time, Churchill, Truman, Stalin, prepared the Yalta convention.
[1946-1997 - the formative years[/b]
After the war, the Dodge family bought the Delphine from the Navy. She was almost permanently moored at the private jetty on their Rose Terrace property in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
Anna Dodge sold the Delphine in 1968 to the Lundeberg Maryland Seamanship School, where the Delphine served as a steamboat training vessel for 18 years.
Since 1986, the yacht has passed through a succession of owners, both commercial and private, and eventually ended up in Marseille, where she remained for many years in a state of increasing disrepair.
In 1997 it was bought for scrap by the current owner.
[1997-2003 - the years of restoration[/b]
Although separated by over 80 years and an ocean, the first and current owners of Delphine have much in common.
They are passionate yachtsmen, successful businessmen and have passed on the love of yachting to their families.
Delphine's new life is the result of extensive historical research by the owner's daughter. Fortunately, the original drawings, detailed plans and photographs were available to work from during the refit and restoration.
This extraordinary yacht, with its 13 cabins, vast entertainment areas, has artfully recreated the bygone era of the 1920's, with all the latest equipment and communication facilities.
Renamed in September 2003 by H.S.H. Princess Stephanie of Monaco, the S.S. Delphine was inaugurated in September 2003.
S.S. Delphine is one of the most unique and exceptional yachts in the Mediterranean fleet. In 2004, she received the annual showboats award for best refit.
In addition to her beauty and comfort, the S.S. Delphine still boasts the distinction of being the largest steam yacht in operation.
In 1921, she represented the pinnacle of technology and fashion with her quadruple expansion-recovery steam engines, each developing 1,500 horsepower.
Today, she is a living example of how far yachting has come and, at the same time, how little has really changed. Steam engines are as reliable and have the same reaction time as modern diesel engines, without the noise and vibration.
The 2 engines of the Delphine.
https://youtu.be/456XAZslSYY
https://youtu.be/28wO5ZF0QUw
