She’s truly a majestic sight!
315 on board as she paddled by.
The photo’s do not do her justice. Looking at her, then seeing all the little people on board was the only way to get a true perspective of her size.
Someday the FW and I will be on board watching the bluffs and shores of the Mighty Mississippi go by.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The American Queen docked in Saint Louis, Missouri
Name: American Queen
Owner: Hornblower Marine Services
Operator:The Great American Steamboat Company
Port of registry: United States 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
In service: 1995
Out of service: October, 2001
Fate: sold
Status: Refitting
Notes: Re-sailed under Great American Steamboat Company
Owner: Delaware North Companies, Inc.
Operator: Majestic America Line
Route: Mississippi River and tributaries
Launched: 1995
Completed: 1995
In service: January 2003
Out of service: November 20, 2008
Fate: sold
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
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 said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by McDermott Shipyard for 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. 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.[5]
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. [2] As of April 2011 American Queen is under contract for $15.5 million to HMS Global Maritime, based in New Albany, Indiana.[6] The new operator, The Great American Steamboat Company announced plans to return her to Mississippi River service from a port in Memphis, Tennessee. She will re-join her fellow sternwheeler steamboats Natchez, Chautauqua Belle, Minne-Ha-Ha, and the Belle of Louisville. She is currently docked in Memphis, Tennessee (Apr 2012).
In April 2012, the 436-passenger American Queen will begin a season of three- to 10-night voyages out of a variety of southern and Midwest homeports, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Natchez, Vicksburg, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Memphis.
In 2012 the American Queen participated for the first time in the Great Steamboat Race. It came in second place.
That would be quite the experience for sure. This has to be the last trip of the year up this way. I wonder if they are having problems operating down south due to water levels?
$3,000 round trip from St. Paul to St. Louis??? A guy could get a new head gasket and timing components installed for that!
That includes beer Pug. 
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That would be quite the experience for sure. This has to be the last trip of the year up this way. I wonder if they are having problems operating down south due to water levels?
Looks like it’s the last trip for up here. There were some trips in Nov down South. Bring sand shovels!
Brian…. thanks for posting, pretty cool read. I think it would be way cool to se it pass by. I camp on an island usually late in the first week of October on pool 9. I’ll have to see if I can time that trip when this beauty is coming y. Sure couldn’t afford a trip on it, but seeing it in person from my campsite, how cool would that be.
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and a crew of 160.
I didn’t mean the FW and I were going to pay for the trip.
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That would be quite the experience for sure. This has to be the last trip of the year up this way. I wonder if they are having problems operating down south due to water levels?
Looks like it’s the last trip for up here. There were some trips in Nov down South. Bring sand shovels!
Actually there are 3 more up here:
Sep 27, 2012 – Oct 5, 2012
Oct 11, 2012 – Oct 19, 2012
Oct 28, 2012 – Nov 5, 2012
Pug, the best rooms on the boat are $5795 the worst are $1995.
I was looking at this a couple weeks ago after I booked a client transportation from the Port in St Paul to a Hotel.
With a crew of 160 and only 222 passengers, I better not have to bait my own hook. 
I see a nice eddy there that probably holds some catfish
You think they’d let you troll off the back? Maybe some planer boards to get out away from the turbulence…
Great read and pics Brian. 
Glad I’m not driving that boat. She sure is a big one
Draft of 8.5 feet in what should be a 9′ channel. She’s going to need her belly painted by the time she gets back to St Louis!
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She’s truly a majestic sight!
Someday the FW and I will be on board watching the bluffs and shores of the Mighty Mississippi go by.
It’s really cool seeing her up close as we have when docked in La Crosse. I’ve often thought how cool it would be to take that trip and just relax and watch the river and shoreline go by and not have to argue with Bret about which wing dam to stop at or ‘cat’ spot to hit. 
Let me know when you and the FW are going to stow away maybe we’ll join you. 
That would be fun Mike!
We would be asking the same question as last time…”What do you think Bret’s doing right now?” 
I can remember as a kid that every summer my parents and grandparents would always get on an excursion boat much like this and go from Lansing to La Crosse and back in a day. We always had a picnic basket of food. What fun it was !!!!
Its decivingly big. I heard it can’t go under the Hastings bridge (train bridge?) but that might just be a story. It leaves a pretty big wake too if you happen to be anchored in a little aluminum boat and it goes by about 100′-150′ away.
Question………..
How did those things navigate the rivers before dredging and locks & dams? I understand that they likely weren’t as large but geez that thing is huge!!
We had my senior prom on a paddle boat in St. Paul way back when. I paid little to no attention to the actual boat though.
Very cool.
I was telling my wife about seeing it last night while she was driving into St Paul this morning. I was headed to River Falls.
While on Shepard Road she said “I just passed it!”
The train bridge in Hastings is a lift bridge and pretty high.
I was reading that prior to the 9 foot channel (around the ’30’s) Congress asked for a 4.5 foot channel. One of the reasons they move to the deeper channel was because the steamboats were getting stuck.
The AQ drafts 8.5 feet. Pre dam construction it wouldn’t have moved. I’m thinking they were much smaller back then.
You honestly do not understand the true size of that thing until you meet it in the no wake zone at the high bridge in Red Wing! She is a HUGE!
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I was reading that prior to the 9 foot channel (around the ’30’s) Congress asked for a 4.5 foot channel. One of the reasons they move to the deeper channel was because the steamboats were getting stuck.
The AQ drafts 8.5 feet. Pre dam construction it wouldn’t have moved. I’m thinking they were much smaller back then.
Paddle boats used to go up the Minnesota all the way to Granite Falls I believe. That would be tricky with 1860s technology.
Did that thing draw water down at the shoreline more than a loaded barge?
Am I the only one that thinks that thing is just a big piece of floating crap
I’ve always thought it would be a cool thing to go cook on one of those or for a barge company. I love to cook and I love the river.
And Brett I believe you are just jealous because it is getting so much attenion
If you were cooking on the thing, I would be right there 
As a kid in Wabasha we used to see the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen all the time. They would occasionally stop at Wabasha, I believe for a time one of the captains was from the area.
They are a beautiful sight and a real piece of America. It’s a shame that the Mississippi Queen was broken up for scrap, but the running costs of small vessles like that are so high compared to the revenue.
Nice pics, Brian.
Grouse
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