I went to a presentation this afternoon at The Quarry in east Vancouver, WA for the American Queen sternwheeler. American Queen is the largest steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Although the American Queen's stern paddlewheel is indeed powered by a genuine steam plant, her secondary propulsion and much maneuverability comes from a set of diesel-electric propellers, known as Z-drives, on either side of the sternwheel. She has 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guests and a crew of 160. She is 418 feet (127 m) long and 89 feet (27 m) wide.
The Great American Steamboat Company has plans to return her to Mississippi River service from a port in Memphis, Tennessee in April 2012. She will re-join her fellow sternwheeler steamboats Natchez, Chautauqua Belle, Minne-Ha-Ha, and the Belle of Louisville. In 2012 the American Queen will participate for the first time in the Great Steamboat Race.
Following the presentation we had coffee, tea, iced tea, fruit platter, cheese and crackers platter, pecan tarts, doughnuts (Beignets) and bread pudding with bourbon sauce. I saw a bright red 1957 Ford Thunderbird on display at the Front Entrance as I left The Quarry.
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