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
History
United States
Name
  • STR Delta Queen (1927–1941)
  • Delta Queen YHB 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
Designated NHLJune 29, 1989

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 from 2008 to 2014 when purchased by the newly formed Delta Queen Steamboat Company. She was towed to Houma, Louisiana, in March 2015 for refurbishing to her original condition.

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. 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 moored in Sacramento.