 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Delphine |
| Owner | Jacques Bruynooghe[1] |
| Builder | Great Lakes Engineering Works |
| Cost | $2 million (building cost in 1921) |
| Launched | 2 April 1921 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Requisitioned by the US Navy 1942 |
 United States | |
| Name | USSDauntless (PG-61) |
| Acquired | 21 January 1942 |
| Commissioned | 11 May 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 11 May 1946 |
| Stricken | 5 June 1946 |
| United States | |
| Name | SSDelphine |
| Acquired | 1946 |
 United States | |
| Name | SSDauntless |
| Acquired | 1967 |
  France, Singapore | |
| Name | SSDauntless |
| Acquired | 1989 |
 Monaco | |
| Name | SSDelphine |
| Acquired | 1997 |
| General characteristics (SSDelphine) | |
| Type | Steam yacht |
| Tonnage | 1961 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 |
SSDelphine is asteam yacht launched in 1921. During theSecond World War, the yacht was used by theUS Navy, as thegunboatUSS Dauntless (PG-61).
Power was originally supplied from threeBabcock & Wilcox boilers[2] powering two 1,500-horsepower (1,100 kW) quadruple-expansion engines.[1]
In her 2003 refitDelphine 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]
TheDelphine was commissioned byHorace Dodge, co-founder ofDodge Brothers. The yacht was launched on 2 April 1921 Captained by Arthur A. Archer.[4]
TheDelphine caught fire and sank in New York in 1926, only to be recovered and restored. She suffered further damage in 1940 when she ran aground in theGreat Lakes, and was repaired. She was acquired by theUnited States Navy in January 1942 and rechristenedUSS Dauntless (PG-61), to serve as the flagship for AdmiralErnest 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 ofWorld War II and restored to civilian standards and service, including her original name.[2]
Purportedly,U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt used the yacht and the Yalta accords were drafted while he was on board.[5]
Delphine was sold in 1967 and again in 1968, changing names again toDauntless, 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 rechristenedDelphine byPrincess Stéphanie of Monaco on 10 September 2003. In 2007, the ship was used as part of the setting for theRian Johnson filmThe Brothers Bloom.[6]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.