Historic Steam-Powered Superyacht Gets a $20 Million Price Cut

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Nov 1st 2010 at 8:01AM

Back in January when we reported that the SS Delphine (above), one of the last great private steamships of the 1920s, built for motorcar magnate Horace Dodge, was for sale at $70 million we assumed it would be snapped up right away. Now the astounding superyacht has been listed on global luxury marketplace JamesList for just $53 million, a price cut of nearly $20 million, making it a truly exceptional bargain. The listing also includes some great images of the classic craft which we've included in the gallery below. When the 257-ft. yacht was launched in 1921 Dodge had it fitted out with an interior by Tiffany & Co., acres of wood paneling and every conceivable luxury a gentleman could purchase.

She was pressed into service during World War II as the flagship for Admiral Ernest Joseph King, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy. Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt are said to have met aboard her prior to convening the Yalta Conference with Stalin in 1945, but she was sadly allowed to rust away in subsequent years. A European clothing mogul had her fully restored to former glory, including the steam engines, several years ago at a cost of $60 million. Along with accommodations for 26 guests and 28 crew members, there's a music salon, cinema, fitness center, spa, sauna, smoking room, swimming pool and original fixtures like the telegraph machine in the mahogany pilothouse.

Gallery: SS Delphine