Delta Queen Riverboat: A National Historic Landmark

2009-01-14 15:57:14

( Travel )



After eighty-one years in service, the Delta Queen riverboat has finally retired. The revered Delta Queen steamboat first saw service in 1927, after its construction was completed in the west coast. Following a short stint as a ferry, the Delta Queen riverboat began doing longer runs across the western rivers system. After spending time with the navy in 1942, the steamer transferred to the south in 1946 and started operating as the Mississippi Delta Queen.

As befit this grand lady of the country's rivers, the Delta Queen riverboat had a gleaming superstructure built mostly of wood. The woods used on the Delta Queen comprised a handsome collection: oak, teak, cedar and mahogany; its decks were made of hard-to-find ironwood.

Its hull was incredibly strong, fashioned from heavy steel plates made rust-resistant by three coats of galvanizing solution. Two steel girders formed the truss system that gave strength to the hull. The internal system of truss girders used in the Delta Queen riverboat was found so effective that it was adopted as the standard support system for all riverboats. With the system, the hull could carry fittings of great weight, such as the engines that propelled the boat and the steam boilers.

The beautiful woods that comprised the bulk of the Delta Queen's construction created an atmosphere of elegance in all Delta Queen cruises along the great river systems of the country's heartland. But the wooden materials used in the riverboat eventually spelled its doom: in 1966, Congress enacted the law on safety of life at sea, which forbade any vessel with more than 50 passengers on an overnight voyage from using any of the country’s ports.

The owners, the Delta Queen steamboat company, were able to obtain an extension, but this could not always happen. Thus, the boat had to retire in 2008, and with it disappeared a grand tradition in the country's history.


All rights Reserved © Tradenet Services srl
Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.