We're on the Move!

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By Greg Brown, Executive Vice President of Operations

It’s hard to believe, but we’re only 10 days away from the reintroduction of the American Queen to American river cruising! The excitement in the Superdome last night as the NCAA National College Basketball Championship Game took place between Kentucky and Kansas is nothing compared to the excitement aboard the American Queen at her berth in New Orleans a few blocks away or here at our office in Memphis!

The biggest news is that for the very first time in nearly five years since she was laid-up by her previous owners, the grand American Queen moved under the power of her mighty paddlewheel! Considering that the paddlewheel weighs 65 tons, that’s no mean feat. We fired up the boilers and applied power to the big wheel as we pulled away from our berth on Perry Street where we’re putting the finishing touches on the American Queen. We quickly achieved about 17 revolutions a minute and had plenty of steam power left. For those not familiar with the workings of a steam-powered paddlewheel riverboat, we got up to speed quite quickly. In other words, we would have made Mark Twain proud. Overall, the new propulsion and control systems operated perfectly. A few added bonuses included a significant reduction in vibration and noise in the Engine Room Bar thanks to our new technology.

While we’ve always said we are restoring the American Queen to same grandeur and glamour as when she was originally built, it doesn’t mean we can’t make a few improvements here and there!

However, our first journey under paddlewheel power wasn’t a pleasure cruise. We paddled along the Mississippi River for about three hours and then headed over to the Hilton New Orleans Hotel Riverside to size things up. After all, the Hilton’s Riverwalk Marketplace is where we will be boarding guests so we wanted to pull alongside and make certain everything lined up properly. The good news is that we landed right where we thought we would with our midship gangway lining up right at the Café Du Monde entrance. The bad news is that we thought we’d have to charge half the crew with desertion as everyone headed for the Café Du Monde for dark-roasted coffee and chicory and a mountain of beignets! I’ve learned that’s one of the dangers of Southern cooking…people are willing to drop whatever their doing for some of the delicious fare! Speaking of which, in my next blog, I’ll give you a sneak peak at what Chef Regina Charboneau has prepared for our guests onboard American Queen. No offense to the amazing treats at Café Du Monde, but once we’re operating the boat on regular cruises, I can guarantee you no one is going to be in a hurry to sample shoreside cuisine!

But all joking aside, preparing the boat for guests by polishing the brass, making the beds and even moving under paddlewheel power is only part of the picture. We don’t talk about it much externally, but I can guarantee you that safety is our number one internal topic here at the Great American Steamboat Company. After our three-hour “river trials,” we concluded the night with a boat fire drill and emergency evacuation test. It was a practice run before the real drill with the United States Coast Guard the next morning.

After running through fire procedures and an evacuation drill with the Coast Guard, only part of the safety checks were completed. We now begin several days of what is called Design Verification Testing and Failure Analysis. Basically, it means we work with the Coast Guard to ensure that we rebuilt everything according to the design plans they originally approved and that, in practical operation, the actual design will stand up to the rigors of regular service and anything unexpected with plenty of margin for safety. In today’s world, security is as important as safety and yesterday we began a series of screening and security exercises with the Coast Guard.

And let me say right here, right now, that you absolutely wouldn’t believe how amazing it is to work with the United States Coast Guard. They have jurisdiction over the American Queen because she is an American-built, American-owned, American-flagged, American-crewed riverboat traveling exclusively in American waters visiting American ports. And that makes the word of the United States Coast Guard akin to the word of God when it comes to all maritime matters of safety and security. And it’s impossible to imagine a more thorough, more professional, more skilled, more dedicated and more helpful group of people than the folks we’re working with at the Coast Guard. Our sincere thanks to them for all their efforts in helping us return the American Queen to service!

It’s been a big few days for the American Queen and the Great American Steamboat Company. The drills are done. The paddlewheel and steam powerplant have been tested. We’ve practiced docking at our new wharf. The beds are being made, the tables are being set, the floors swept and the chandeliers shined. The majestic American Queen is just days away from her return to service.

The only thing missing is YOU!

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