The 224-foot long SS South Steyne was the world's largest operational steam-powered ferry, built by Henry Robb Ltd in Leith, Scotland for the Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company and launched on 1 April 1938. She was named after the promenade behind the beach at the seaside town of Manly. Featuring a double-ended, double-screw design, South Steyne was designed and built to ocean-going standards despite her intended role as a ferry. She featured a rivetted steel hull, steel superstructure to sun deck level, steel bulwarks, teak decks and wheelhouses, and two funnels (one a dummy funnel containing a water tank). Arriving in Australia on 19 September 1938 after a 22,000 kilometre voyage, South Steyne operated between Sydney's Circular Quay and Manley for 36 years, making over 100,000 trips and carrying over 92 million passengers. In 1964, South Steyne collided with the freighter Jason, receiving minor damage, and in 1970 collided with the moored aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, again receiving only minor damage. After a fire on 25 August 1974, South Steyne was taken out of service. Restored in the late-1980s, the ship served as a floating restaurant in Melbourne and Newcastle before steaming back to Sydney to serve as the Sydney 2000 Olympic Information Centre until mid-1997. Today, South Steyne is a floating restaurant next to Pyrmont Bridge in Darling Harbour.
Photos taken 27 October 2014
Displacement: 1,203 gross tons
Length: 67 metres (220 feet)
Beam: 11 metres (36 feet)
Propulsion: four-cylinder Triple-expansion steam engines, generating 3,250 horsepower
Speed: 17+ knots (31.5+ km/h)
Passenger Capacity: 1,781