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About
Delta
Queen
Steamboat...
The U.S. flag is once again flying proudly over Delta Queen Steamboat Company's
paddlewheelers and a good 'ol American sense and spirit of the
red-white-and-blue pervades everything from onboard theatrics to menu planning
and from decor to ports of call.
The three-vessel Delta Queen Steamboat
Company traces its roots back to 1890 when, in Nashville, Tennessee, a newly
licensed river pilot bought H.K. Bedford, a steamboat, at auction. Thus was
launched Captain Gordon Christopher Greene's Greene Line Steamers. After
numerous decades and several generations of family operation, the line in 1948
purchased Delta Queen, a river steamer that served as a troop carrier in San
Francisco during World War II. Ultimately, economic difficulties resulted in the
company's selling off all their vessels, save Delta Queen, and that river
steamer continues to sail today. Ultimately, Greene Line Steamers passed out of
founding-family hands and was acquired by Overseas National Airways in 1969,
which renamed it the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Under those auspices,
construction began on a second vessel: the Mississippi Queen, America's
largest-ever-steamboat; it was launched in 1976.
The 1980s represented a
bit of a heyday for the company after it was purchased by a new owner -- a
Chicago millionaire -- who moved Delta Queen's headquarters to New Orleans and
built a steamboat passenger terminal. In the 1990s, the company acquired
American Hawaii Cruises and ultimately founded American Classic Voyages, which
oversaw both American Hawaii and Delta Queen. Another 1990s highlight: a third
ship, the American Queen, was built and launched.
Alas, economic
troubles resurfaced in October 2001 and Delta Queen's parent company, American
Classic Voyages, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was brought back
to life in May 2002 when it was purchased at auction by the Delaware North
Companies.
Mississippi Queen was the first ship to re-launch and was
followed by the venerable Delta
Queen. American Queen made
its re-debut in January 2004. The company continues to operate from its New
Orleans headquarters and itineraries follow its traditional line, featuring
three- to 11-night river cruises throughout the South and America's heartland.
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CRUISECLEVER - DELTA
QUEEN STEAMBOAT
