The American Queen docked in Saint Louis, Missouri |
|
| Career (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | American Queen |
| Owner: | Hornblower Marine Services |
| Operator: | The Great American Steamboat Company |
| Port of registry: | United States |
| Route: | Mississippi River and tributaries |
| Builder: | McDermott Shipyard |
| Cost: | US$ 65 million |
| Laid down: | 1994 |
| Launched: | 1995 |
| Christened: | June 1995 by Lynne Cooper Harvey & Paul Harvey |
| Maiden voyage: | June 9, 1995[1] |
| In service: | 1995 |
| Out of service: | October, 2001 |
| Fate: | sold |
| Status: | Refitting |
| Notes: | Re-sailed under Great American Steamboat Company |
| Career | |
| Owner: | Delaware North Companies, Inc. |
| Operator: | Majestic America Line |
| Route: | Mississippi River and tributaries |
| Launched: | 1995 |
| Completed: | 1995 |
| In service: | January 2003[2] |
| Out of service: | November 20, 2008 |
| Fate: | sold |
| Career | |
| Owner: | MARAD |
| Port of registry: | Violet, Louisiana then Beaumont, Texas |
| Out of service: | November 20, 2008 |
| Status: | mothballed and under contract in 2011 to Hornblower Marine Services and/or the Great American Steamboat Company[3] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Steamboat |
| Tonnage: | 3707 |
| Length: | 418 ft (127 m) |
| Beam: | 89 ft (27 m) |
| Height: | 109.5 ft (33.4 m) |
| Draught: | 8.5 ft (2.6 m) |
| Decks: | 6 |
| Installed power: | Steam engine and diesel-electric |
| Propulsion: | Paddlewheel and Z-drive |
| Capacity: | 222 staterooms, 436 passengers |
| Crew: | 160 |
American Queen is the largest steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Although the American Queen's stern paddlewheel is indeed powered by a genuine steam plant, her secondary propulsion and much maneuverability comes from a set of diesel-electric propellers, known as Z-drives, on either side of the sternwheel.[2] She has 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guests and a crew of 160. She is 418 feet (127 m) long and 89 feet (27 m) wide.[4]
The Str. American Queen was retired to the reserve fleet in Violet, Louisiana, on 20 November 2008. Due to the failure of Majestic America Line (her owner) she was returned to the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) who held her $30 million mortgage. She is currently in storage in Beaumont, Texas.[2] As of April 2011 American Queen is under contract for $15.5 million to HMS Global Maritime, based in New Albany, Indiana.[5] The new operator, The Great Amercian Steamboat Company announced plans to return her to Mississippi River service from a port in Memphis, Tennessee.[6] She will re-join her fellow sternwheeler steamboats Natchez, Chautauqua Belle, Minne-Ha-Ha, and the Belle of Louisville.
In 2012 the American Queen will participate for the first time in the Great Steamboat Race.[7]