As of 2026-07-08, PS General Slocum tops the list with 3,000 seats.
- #1 PS General Slocum — 3,000 seats
paddle steamer maritime disaster
PS General Slocum was an American sidewheel passenger steamboat built in Brooklyn, New York, in 1891. During her service history, she was involved in a number of mishaps, including multiple groundings and collisions. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 Vaterland — 1,600 seats
ship build in 1926
source Wikidata - #3 PS Waverley — 1,350 seats
1946-built preserved seagoing passenger carrying paddle steamer
PS Waverley is a Clyde steamer, the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world. Built in 1946, she sailed from Craigendoran on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long until 1973. Bought by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS), she has been restored to her 1947 appearance and now operates passenger excursions around the British coast. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Stadt Luzern — 1,200 seats
paddle steamer built in 1928
source Wikidata - #5 Loschwitz — 1,056 seats
steamboat, build 1899
source Wikidata - #6 Steamboat Wilhelm Tell (now a lakeside restaurant) — 1,000 seats
paddle steamer built in 1908 by Sulzer and operated on Lake Lucerne, Switzerland
source Wikidata - #7 PS Maid of the Loch — 1,000 seats
Clyde-built paddle steamer (1953 - now)
PS Maid of the Loch is the last paddle steamer built in the United Kingdom. She operated on Loch Lomond for 29 years. As of 2022, she was being restored near Balloch pier. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Helvétie — 980 seats source Wikidata
- #9 Simplon — 980 seats
1920 paddle steamer on Lake Geneva, based in Sous-Gare/Ouchy in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland
source Wikidata - #10 Stadt Wehlen — 934 seats source Wikidata