New Paddle Wheeler
By Anne Kalosh.
American Queen Steamboat Co. announced an agreement with Gulf Island shipyard in Louisiana to build a 245-passenger riverboat that will become the fourth vessel in its U.S.-flag fleet.
The new paddle wheeler will be built using the hull of Kanesville Queen, a former gaming vessel constructed in 1995. The boat will soon travel under its own power from the Marine Builders shipyard in Jeffersonville, Indiana, to Houma, Louisiana, where construction is scheduled to commence before year’s end.
Renderings of the new American Countess show a boat with three decks and two stacks. * Rendering: AQSC
A delivery date, along with itinerary and vessel details, will be announced in the coming months. Renderings show a three-deck vessel with double stacks and a bright red paddle wheel.
“We continue to break sales records and incredible demand remains for more capacity on the river with each of our boats continuing to sail full,” American Queen Steamboat Co. Chairman John Waggoner said. “We look forward to collaborating with Gulf Island’s team of skilled workers and craftsmen to deliver a riverboat that will once again exceed expectations of our guests and continue raising the bar on domestic river cruising.”
American Queen Steamboat Co.’s current fleet includes American Queen, the largest paddle wheel steamboat ever built, and 2017’s American Duchess which, like the newly announced vessel, was constructed on the hull of a former casino boat.
American Queen and American Duchess ply rivers of the U.S. Heartland, visiting cities including Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis and Minneapolis.
American Empress sails the Pacific Northwest on the Columbia and Snake rivers between Vancouver, Washington (across the river from Portland, Oregon) and Clarkston, Washington.
More details of American Countess and its itineraries are to be announced soon. * Rendering: AQSC
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HEIDI SARNA
