Delta Queen

29°35′35″N 90°39′43″W / 29.593°N 90.662°W / 29.593; -90.662

The Delta Queen in Memphis, Tennessee in May 2003
The Delta Queen in Memphis, Tennessee in May 2003
History
United States
Name
  • STR Delta Queen (1927–1941)
  • Delta Queen YHF 7 (1941–1944)
  • Delta Queen YFB 56 (1944–1947)
  • Delta Queen (1947–present)
Port of registryCincinnati,  United States
Ordered1924
BuilderWilliam Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, Scotland
In service1927
Out of service2008
Identification
Statusplanned refurbishment
General characteristics
TypePaddle steamer
Tonnage1,650 long tons (1,676 t)
Length285 ft (87 m)
Beam58 ft (18 m)
Draft11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Propulsion
Capacity176 passengers
Delta Queen (river steamboat)
Coordinates29.593339350726467, -90.66172983962473
NRHP reference No.70000495
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 15, 1970[1]
Designated NHLJune 29, 1989[2]
Time table of the Delta Queen and the Delta King in their first season in 1927

The Delta Queen is an American sternwheel steamboat. She is known for cruising the major rivers that constitute the tributaries of the Mississippi River, particularly in the American South, although she began service in California on the Sacramento River delta for which she gets her name. She was docked in Chattanooga, Tennessee and served as a floating hotel until purchased by the newly formed Delta Queen Steamboat Company.[3][4] She was towed to Houma, Louisiana, in March 2015 for refurbishing to her original condition.[5]

The STR Delta Queen is 285 feet (87 m) long, 58 feet (18 m) wide, and draws 11.5 feet (3.5 m). She weighs 1,650 tons (1,676 metric tons), with a capacity of 176 passengers. Her cross-compound steam engines generate 2,000 indicated horsepower (1,500 kW), powering a stern-mounted paddlewheel. Built in 1927, she is the last surviving steam-powered overnight passenger boat plying the watershed of the Mississippi.[6] In 1989, she was designated a National Historic Landmark. Originally, she was built as an equal to her sister ship, the Delta King, which is currently moored in Sacramento.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 23 January 2007.
  2. ^ "DELTA QUEEN (River Steamboat)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 23 March 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  3. ^ Gregory, Lauren (5 June 2009). "Chattanooga: Delta Queen Open for Business". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  4. ^ Staff (24 January 2013). "Delta Queen Reopens Hotel". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  5. ^ Writer, Aaren Gordon Staff. "Delta Queen heads to Houma".
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference nrhpinv2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).