Commissioned in 1921 by Horace Dodge and built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Michigan, SS DELPHINE is the last fully operational steam-powered superyacht on the planet. At 78 metres she dwarfs most modern charter fleets, and a comprehensive 2026 refit has brought every system, surface and fitting back to the exacting standard that Tiffany of New York set when she first slid down the ways. Her quadruple-expansion steam engines still turn the twin shafts, delivering a cruising speed of eight knots and a top speed of twelve, all accompanied by the rhythmic heartbeat of reciprocating machinery that no diesel can imitate.
On deck, the scale is immediately apparent. Wide teak promenade decks run from the clipper bow to the classic counter stern, framed by polished brass stanchions and the gentle sweep of an Edwardian sheer line. An aft deck dining terrace seats twelve beneath an awning for alfresco suppers under the Mediterranean sky, while a teak-surround jacuzzi offers an open-air soak with a perspective that stretches from the waterline to the horizon. Signal flags, gold-leaf nameboards and a raked funnel complete a profile that turns every harbour into a regatta.
Below decks, the interiors belong to a different era. The main salon is anchored by a Steinway grand piano and dressed in silk upholstery, art-deco sconces and hand-carved panelling commissioned from Tiffany over a century ago. A separate formal dining salon seats twelve beneath a barrel-vaulted ceiling of gilded plasterwork, with crystal, silver and fine linen laid by stewards trained in the customs of an older tradition. A Chesterfield lounge bar, a piano bar and a grand staircase foyer add further layers of social space, each room finished in the same dark mahogany that runs unbroken through the vessel.
Twelve en-suite staterooms accommodate up to twelve guests in comfort that rivals any heritage hotel ashore. The master suite spans the full beam amidships, with a sitting room, writing desk, dressing room and private bathroom, all panelled in hand-finished mahogany and lit by brass reading lamps and arched portholes. The remaining eleven staterooms offer doubles and twins in the same period style, each with individual climate control and en-suite facilities.
A crew of 26 manages every aspect of the charter, from steam engineering and navigation to silver-service dining and spa operations. The wellness deck includes a mosaic-tiled hammam, a cedar-lined sauna, a fully equipped gymnasium and a hair salon, amenities that would be exceptional on a new-build but are astonishing aboard a centenarian. The original wheelhouse, with its engine-order telegraphs, brass gauges and wooden helm wheel, is open to guests during passages for a first-hand encounter with steam-age seamanship.
Available from EUR 500,000 per week in the low season and EUR 590,000 at peak, SS DELPHINE charters along the coasts of Italy and France, cruising the Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, Corsica and Sardinia. Whether the occasion calls for a black-tie dinner in a Monegasque bay or a private concert on the grand piano while anchored off Capri, no other vessel afloat can deliver the same fusion of living history, mechanical wonder and uncompromising luxury.
