Delta Queen; American Historical Dilemma
By James Donahue
If ever there was a riverboat to be loved and romanticized it has to be the Delta Queen. This beautifully painted and well maintained vessel holds the honor of being the last steam-powered overnight passenger boat plying the great rivers of North America. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, owners and lovers of this 285-foot-long may still be afloat but federal laws are making its continued existence, other than a moored floating museum, problematic.
Putting all platitudes aside, the Delta Queen was built in 1927 with its companion, the Delta King, by the William Denny & Brothers shipyard at Dumbarton, Scotland. The two boats were shipped in pieces to Stockton, California where the California Transportation Company assembled them for regular service on the Sacramento River between San Francisco and Sacramento. They also took excursions to Stockton on the San Joaquin River.
At the time they were launched these two magnificent vessels cost more than a million dollars, each.
When they went into service they were considered the most lavishly appointed and expensive sternwheel passenger boats afloat. They sailed between the two California cities for 13 years until requisitioned by the U.S. Navy for World War II service. They were painted battleship gray and remained in San Francisco Bay where they transported wounded military personnel from Ocean-going ships to area hospitals.
In 1946 Delta Queen was bought by the Greene Line of Cincinnati, Ohio. She was towed through the Panama Canal, the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Pittsburgh. Two years later Delta Queen returned to regular passenger service steaming through the waters of the Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.
During those years three U.S. presidents walked the decks as passengers. They were Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman and most recently, Jimmy Carter. While operating for the Greene Line, Mary Becker Greene, wife of the company founder Gordon Greene, and a riverboat captain, died aboard the Delta Queen on April 22, 1949. Her ghost is believed to have been haunting the historic old vessel ever since.
A special feature on the Delta Queen has been her steam calliope, mounted on the Texas deck aft of the pilot house. It was used to play the ship as it docked and then when leaving her moorings.
The ship recreated historic steamboat races as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The Delta Queen raced with the Belle of Louisville on the Ohio River. The winner of the race received a trophy of golden antlers, which were mounted on the pilot house until the next race.
Trouble for the ship began in 1966 when Congress began passing Safety at Sea laws that prohibited carrying passengers on wooden constructed ships and then as coal-fired steamships. Owners and lovers of the Delta Queen fought hard to save the boat. In 1970 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the ongoing campaign to save the ship, Jackie Baillie, a member of the Scottish Parliament, and 15 supporters submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament calling for preservation of the ship.
In 2009 Delta Queen was brought to Chattanooga, Tennessee where it became a floating boutique hotel. As a hotel the vessel offered dining, a lounge, live music and theatrical performances. The hotel was closed in 2014.
The fate of this grand historic riverboat still remains in question. Congress approved nine exemptions during four decades to allow Delta Queen to continue operations. On November 27, 2018, the House of Representatives voted to reinstate an exemption to allow the boat to return to service after a decade-long retirement.
According to Wikipedia, the ship is now owned by the newly formed Delta Queen Steamboat Company. She is moored at Houma, Louisiana where owners are refurbishing the steamboat to its original condition.
By James Donahue
If ever there was a riverboat to be loved and romanticized it has to be the Delta Queen. This beautifully painted and well maintained vessel holds the honor of being the last steam-powered overnight passenger boat plying the great rivers of North America. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, owners and lovers of this 285-foot-long may still be afloat but federal laws are making its continued existence, other than a moored floating museum, problematic.
Putting all platitudes aside, the Delta Queen was built in 1927 with its companion, the Delta King, by the William Denny & Brothers shipyard at Dumbarton, Scotland. The two boats were shipped in pieces to Stockton, California where the California Transportation Company assembled them for regular service on the Sacramento River between San Francisco and Sacramento. They also took excursions to Stockton on the San Joaquin River.
At the time they were launched these two magnificent vessels cost more than a million dollars, each.
When they went into service they were considered the most lavishly appointed and expensive sternwheel passenger boats afloat. They sailed between the two California cities for 13 years until requisitioned by the U.S. Navy for World War II service. They were painted battleship gray and remained in San Francisco Bay where they transported wounded military personnel from Ocean-going ships to area hospitals.
In 1946 Delta Queen was bought by the Greene Line of Cincinnati, Ohio. She was towed through the Panama Canal, the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Pittsburgh. Two years later Delta Queen returned to regular passenger service steaming through the waters of the Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.
During those years three U.S. presidents walked the decks as passengers. They were Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman and most recently, Jimmy Carter. While operating for the Greene Line, Mary Becker Greene, wife of the company founder Gordon Greene, and a riverboat captain, died aboard the Delta Queen on April 22, 1949. Her ghost is believed to have been haunting the historic old vessel ever since.
A special feature on the Delta Queen has been her steam calliope, mounted on the Texas deck aft of the pilot house. It was used to play the ship as it docked and then when leaving her moorings.
The ship recreated historic steamboat races as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The Delta Queen raced with the Belle of Louisville on the Ohio River. The winner of the race received a trophy of golden antlers, which were mounted on the pilot house until the next race.
Trouble for the ship began in 1966 when Congress began passing Safety at Sea laws that prohibited carrying passengers on wooden constructed ships and then as coal-fired steamships. Owners and lovers of the Delta Queen fought hard to save the boat. In 1970 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the ongoing campaign to save the ship, Jackie Baillie, a member of the Scottish Parliament, and 15 supporters submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament calling for preservation of the ship.
In 2009 Delta Queen was brought to Chattanooga, Tennessee where it became a floating boutique hotel. As a hotel the vessel offered dining, a lounge, live music and theatrical performances. The hotel was closed in 2014.
The fate of this grand historic riverboat still remains in question. Congress approved nine exemptions during four decades to allow Delta Queen to continue operations. On November 27, 2018, the House of Representatives voted to reinstate an exemption to allow the boat to return to service after a decade-long retirement.
According to Wikipedia, the ship is now owned by the newly formed Delta Queen Steamboat Company. She is moored at Houma, Louisiana where owners are refurbishing the steamboat to its original condition.