Largest steamboats by capacity

As of 2026-07-08, Rügen tops the list with 2,500 seats.

1. #1 Rügen — 2,500 seats

   1914 steamboat

   source Wikidata
2. #2 Mainz (ship) — 1,790 seats

   paddle steamer

   Mainz is a side-wheel paddle steamer for the Lower and Middle Rhine built in 1928/1929 for the Steamship Company for the Lower and Middle Rhine (DGNM), which was used by the Cologne-Düsseldorfer German Rhine Shipping in scheduled service on the Rhine. She was the thousandth ship completed by the shipyard Christof Ruthof and also the last paddle steamer built for the Köln-Düsseldorfer. The Mainz survived World War II as the only ship of the shipping company that was able to sail, but was then... Read more on Wikipedia.

   Wikidata
3. #3 Lohengrin — 1,650 seats

   boat

   source Wikidata
4. #4 Cecilie — 1,600 seats

   ship built in 1910

   source Wikidata
5. #5 Bismark — 1,600 seats

   ship built in 1914

   source Wikidata
6. #6 SS Caledonia — 1,450 seats

   steamboat

   SS Caledonia was a British ocean liner that was built in Scotland in 1905 and converted into a troop ship in 1914. She was sunk by a German U-boat in the Mediterranean in 1916. Read more on Wikipedia.

   Wikidata
7. #7 Milano — 1,427 seats

   steamboat

   source Wikidata
8. #8 Odin — 1,400 seats

   1902 steamboat

   source Wikidata
9. #9 SS Heimara — 1,280 seats

   steamboat

   SS Heimara was a passenger steamer operating the Piraeus – Thessaloniki route. The ship hit a reef and sank on 19 January 1947 in the Aegean Sea, killing around 400 people. It is Greece's deadliest maritime disaster. Read more on Wikipedia.

   Wikidata
10. #10 PS Helvetia — 1,200 seats

    steamboat

    The PS Helvetia was a paddle steamer that operated on Lake Zürich in Switzerland between 1875 and 1958. She had a capacity of 1200 passengers. Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata