How many large steam ships are still in service?

[Rob Lightbody]

Particularly interested in ones that aren't operating in a history/museum context.

[Thomas Hypher]

All LNG carrying ships are steam turbine powered given the gas boil off associated with the storage and transport of LNG.

A few steam turbine container ships of QE2's sort of age are still going under the US flag, also being US built. One famously sank in a Hurricane a few years ago, and wasn't in the best of condition beforehand.

The odd ferry or two, at least one coal fired are also still operating in North America as far as I know.

Several US Navy ships including USS Bonhomme Richard are steam turbine powered amongst other navies having steam turbine ships still or having recently decommissioned the last of them (the French and Canadian Navies for example).

That's what comes to mind, but I'm sure there are some other examples dotted around the world, not as museums and the like.

[Rob Lightbody]

I had no idea about the LNG ships, thats fascinating.

[Thomas Hypher]

I recently watched a Richard Hammond documentary on the LNG ships, not realising why they used steam turbines:

The container ship that sank was SS El Faro. She has/had several sisters. Some other steam turbine container ships operate to and from Hawaii at present as well I think.

And the ferry is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Badger

[Chris Thompson]

Here's one...well sort of. The Delta Queen has been used as a floating hotel but her steam engines are still working and are fired up regularly. There is a continuing effort to get her cruising again but Boilers and all wood superstructure make the coastguard nervous...

[Bruce Nicholls]

We see lots of LNG ships here in Milford Haven. Although I knew they used cargo boil off as fuel I did not realise they were steam turbine powered.