That fact alone makes them both a bit special in my mind.
Somehow this large vessel survived and is still in working condition, kept now as a museum ship in Hamburg (yes, it has its own wikipedia entry too:). In the summer there is not so much icebreaking to be done in these parts, so the ship was doing a ferry-run special from the small island of Borkum to the Eemshaven harbour and on to Emden.
With the family we took a day trip to catch the Stettin on the Borkum to Eemshaven stretch. To my happy surprise you get pretty free run of the ship to look round. The engine room is open for passengers and you get to see all the machinery working up close. Didn't have a good camera with me to capture the swoosh-swish of the large rods and crankshaft; but (of course) a video on the net gives a good impression, engine room shown from ~1:30. (Oh, and the sound on the video is good, but it just can't do the whistle justice. Louder in real life. Much.)
Can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something in the appeal of such mechanical contraptions. Very visible mechanics, an explicitness about their workings and function.
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