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Bills could return steamboat to Ohio
Photo
A family views the riverboat Delta Queen as it is docked on the public landing on the Ohio River in Cincinnati. Some Ohioans in Congress say proposed legislation allowing the Delta Queen steamboat to again carry passengers on overnight trips on America’s rivers could help bring the historic vessel back to Ohio.
Associated Press
CINCINNATI
Ohioans in Congress hope proposed legislation allowing the Delta Queen steamboat to again carry passengers on overnight trips will help bring the historic vessel back to the Ohio River and Cincinnati.
They recently introduced bills in the Senate and House of Representatives to eliminate a restriction that has kept the Delta Queen docked the past few years. The National Historic Landmark that once plied the Mississippi and Ohio rivers is now a floating hotel in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The legislation would grant the 86-year-old wooden paddlewheel steamboat that operated for decades out of Cincinnati a 15-year exemption from the Safety at Sea law. The federal law passed in 1966 prohibits boats of a certain size with a wooden superstructure from carrying 50 passengers or more on overnight trips on the sea and America’s rivers. The Delta Queen received numerous exemptions until the last one expired in 2008 and Congress failed to renew it.
Lawmakers and others say eliminating that hurdle could pave the way for the Delta Queen’s return to the Ohio River, boosting the economy in Cincinnati and other Ohio River towns. An investment team trying to buy the vessel from Xanterra Parks & Resorts says Cincinnati is a strong contender for the homeport if the team’s bid and the legislation are successful.
Cornel Martin, a former Delta Queen Steamboat Co. vice president, heads the team of investors seeking to buy the vessel.
“We don’t want her lost to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers forever,” he said. “We think it’s important to preserve this piece of history and allow future generations to continue to enjoy America’s rivers from the Delta Queen.”
Tom Meserau, a spokesman for Xanterra, based in suburban Denver, said the company doesn’t comment on offers it “may or may not have received” and doesn’t confirm or deny whether properties are for sale.
But Martin, of the New Orleans area, says the team hopes to hear back within a few weeks on its bid.
Cincinnati was the Delta Queen’s homeport from 1946 to 1985 when it moved to the Port of New Orleans, where it operated until 2008. The steamboat went into service in 1927 carrying overnight passengers between Sacramento and San Francisco and was used as a U.S. Navy transport ship in World War II before being sold as war surplus to a Cincinnati-based company, Martin said.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who sponsored the Senate bill, said in a written statement that the steamboat’s legacy is “rooted in Cincinnati, and the city should play a role in her future.” Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, another sponsor, said returning the Delta Queen to Cincinnati would boost jobs and tourism along the Ohio River “at no cost to the taxpayer.”