Delta Queen to sail away

Chattanooga Times Free Press ^ | June 15 2014 | Ellis Smith

[iowamark]

Despite the tone of the article, the passage of the exemption by the US Senate is not assured.

"TIMELINE

* 1924 — Construction begins on Delta Queen in Dumbarton, Scotland

* May 1927 — Delta Queen and sister ship Delta King christened

* June 1927 — Both boats begin service between Sacramento and the San Joaquin River Delta

* October 1940 — Delta Queen begins service for the Navy in a variety of roles

* June 1945 — Delta Queen takes newly created United Nations delegates on tour of New York City

* December 1947 — Delta Queen bought by Cincinnati businessman for use on the Mississippi River System

* 1966 — Safety of the Sea law, designed to forbid oceangoing vessels with wooden hulls from carrying overnight passengers, inadvertently affects the Delta Queen

* 1976 — Delta Queen bought by Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York

* 1986 — Delta Queen begins sailing out of New Orleans

* 2006 — Majestic America buys Delta Queen, decides not to renew contract with Seafarers Union

* 2007 — Exemption to Safety of the Sea Law not renewed, allegedly blocked by U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar of Minnesota

* 2008 — Delta Queen completes last voyage, docks in Chattanooga for use as a hotel and bar

* 2013 — Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke attempts to evict Delta Queen

* February 2014 — An ice storm cripples the Delta Queen, and the boat stops taking visitors

* June 2014 — A group of investors led by businessman Cornel Martin seals deal to buy boat, return it to duty"

[Jeff Chandler]

[plangent]

I was lucky to be aboard the Delta Queen in 1975, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis and it was truly a trip out of time.

Mostly older folk who sat in rocking chairs watching the shoreline pass by, with card games in the evening, wonderful food, and just a suspension of the cares of the world.

I’m glad for the memories; sorry that the next generation never knew of riverboat tranquility.

[plangent]

I should also add my thanks to Betty Blake and Bill Muster for keeping such a grand tradition alive.

[Yo-Yo]

Am I to understand that the Delta Queen and Delta King were built in Scotland, crossed the Atlantic, portaged through the Panama Canal, and serviced the West Coast? I am amazed that the ship, with such a low freeboard, could withstand the open ocean.

[AlexW]

That is quite a history that I knew little about.
I well remember the Delta Queen docking in Memphis on a fairly regular basis during the early 60s. It was one of two paddle-wheelers that frequented Memphis. The newer boat was the Mississippi Queen.
They were easy for me to spot, as my father’s office was on Front Street.

[GeronL]

the air conditioning dates back to 1919?

[xrmusn]

US Senate decision???

I thought it was the US Coast Guard that had the final say — certify — if ANYTHING was to be cleared to carry passengers.

Anything from a Steamship to a game of Dodgeball, get the Pols involved and it becomes a ClusterFluke

[hinckley buzzard]

There are plenty of riverboats plying the Ohio and the Mississippi, for as long a voyage as you want. They certainly seem idyllic but they are not cheap.

[AlexW]

“I am amazed that the ship, with such a low freeboard, could withstand the open ocean.”
_____________________________________________
It was shipped in pieces and rebuilt in California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Queen

[HokieMom]

Love her. Hope she’s restored and sails again.

[iowamark]

http://www.save-the-delta-queen.org/

http://www.americanheritage.com/content/fight-queen-or-two-cheers-congress?page=show

[Charles Martel]

The Delta Queen did have to make a blue-water trip (under tow) when it was moved from the west coast to the Mississippi. Her superstructure was tightly covered to prevent damage and minimize shipping water. I think there are pictures of her transiting the Panama Canal.

[virgil]

Maybe they were brought over in pieces. I have a hard time believing they could cross the Atlantic too.

[therapsida]

My Father played banjo on her for a while.....This is very good news..

[JRandomFreeper]

1842. Compressed ammonia type to make ice which was then used to cool air in a Florida hospital. That's the first commercial use I know of.

/johnny

[First_Salute]

http://maritimematters.com/2010/06/the-delta-king-california%E2%80%99s-monarch-by-shawn-j-dake/

“The steel hull was actually built by William Denny & Brother’s Dumbarton yard in Scotland. The sections were assembled on the banks of the River Clyde, then taken apart, carefully marked for reassembly and shipped by freighter to San Francisco, then barged to the construction site. Cross compound condensing engines were designed by the Charles H. Evans Company of San Francisco in 1925 but built in Scotland. Two oil-fired water tube boilers were acquired from unused, surplus machinery intended for World War I, U.S. Navy destroyers. The four deck superstructure was entirely constructed of oak, teak, mahogany and Oregon cedar, while the Main Deck freight level was constructed of hard ironbark purportedly from Siam.”

[octex]

My Father played banjo on her for a while.....This is very good news..
*********************
Welcome, newcomer, to FR.

My step-daughter’s FIL solicited and booked group cruises on the Delta Queen for many years and made a good living. He died in the late ‘80s, too early, from cancer.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I am surprised to see its sister ship, the King, used for a long time with no controversy and no fanfare. If I had known there was a sister, I would have assumed it was scuttled long ago by lack of hype.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Part of our honeymoon was on the American Queen, young at only 20 but also the biggest.

Wonderful time. Gorgeous ship, especially for so young. Loved it. My idea of a cruise, not going to 3rd world dumps. Although I loved the ship.