''Queen of the Mississippi'', now named ''American Heritage'', is an overnight
riverboat
A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...
owned and operated by
American Cruise Lines
''American Cruise Lines, Inc.'' is a small-ship cruise line with its headquarters in Guilford, Connecticut, United States. The line operates thirteen small List of U.S. flagged cruise ships, U.S. flagged cruise ships along the East Coast of the U ...
, currently operating on the Mississippi River. She entered service in spring 2015
and was built by
Chesapeake Shipbuilding in
Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Shore of Maryland, the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 United ...
for overnight river cruising within the continental United States. The vessel accommodates 150 passengers in her 84 staterooms
.
The vessel is a sister ship to
''American Pride'', which originally carried the ''Queen of the Mississippi'' name from 2012 to 2015 (before it was repositioned to the Columbia & Snake Rivers). There are some differences between the riverboats, like internal arrangement and cabins on the 5th deck. However, both riverboats feature all outward-facing accomodations with private baths, and many cabins also have private furnished balconies. Both Paddlewheels (''Queen of the Mississippi'' now ''American Heritage'', and ''American Pride'') were completely revovated in 2022.
The ship deck plans:
* 1st Deck - double- and single-occupancy staterooms; dining room
* 2nd Deck - double- and single-occupancy staterooms, all with private balconies; three lounges
* 3rd Deck - owners suites, double- and single-occupancy staterooms, all with sliding doors to private balconies; library
* 4th Deck - owners suites, double- and single-occupancy staterooms, all with sliding doors to private balconies; two lounges
* 5th Deck - Pilot house, double- and single-occupancy staterooms, promenade, shaded public area, sundeck, putting green
Her stern-mounted paddlewheel is driven by a hydraulic motor, powered by diesel engines. This is augmented by two
Z-drive
A Z-drive is a type of marine propulsion unit. Specifically, it is an azimuth thruster. The pod can rotate 360 degrees allowing for rapid changes in thrust direction and thus vessel direction. This eliminates the need for a conventional rudder.
...
units to provide a higher cruising speed and better maneuverability.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
2015 ships
Cruise ships of the United States
Ships built in Salisbury, Maryland