The ''American Empress'' is a steam-powered paddle-wheeler that was formerly operated by Majestic America Line and named the ''Empress of the North''. She was built in 2002 at the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders shipyard on

Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington State. (The other large island is Camano Island, ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, for $50 million and debuted as a cruise ship in 2003. She is listed as accommodating 223 guests, and originally cruised

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

Inside Passage The Inside Passage (french: Passage Intérieur) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeaster ...

, the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

, and the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. While being operated by Majestic America Line, the ship was decorated with a 19th century Russian theme, but with Alaskan touches in the form of carvings and masks. During the ship's time in Alaska, several smaller port cities such as Wrangell and Petersburg depended on the visits by the ''Empress of the North'' for a substantial amount of tourist-related commerce. In 2013, the ''Empress of the North'' was acquired by the American Queen Steamboat Company, which in 2014 renamed the ship ''American Empress'' and placed her back into service on the Columbia and

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

s, after five years out of service. The ship's home port is now

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

Grounding incidents

During her years as the ''Empress of the North'', the ship ran aground five times. She hit bottom during her launching from the yard when the restraint system failed and some of the boat builders had to jump in the waters of Puget Sound to avoid being run over. She struck a

navigation lock A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...

in October 2003 at the

Ice Harbor Dam Ice Harbor Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete gravity Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity, run-of-the-river dam in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States. On the lower Snake River in southeastern Washington (state), Washingto ...

on the

, and suffered another grounding in November 2003 near

The Dalles The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...

in the Columbia River. She grounded again in March 2006 near Washougal in the Columbia River. Early on May 14, 2007, the ''Empress of the North'' struck Rocky Island while navigating a 90-degree turn to starboard about from

Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

Icy Strait The Icy Strait is a strait in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska, at about . The strait separates Chichagof Island to the south and the Alaska mainland to the north. The strait is from its west side at the intersection of the Cros ...

. She began taking on water, forcing all 248 passengers to abandon ship. Reports that the vessel either grounded on Hanus Reef, several miles away, or later drifted there were in error. Several fishing boats, a tugboat and barge, another small cruise ship, and the Coast Guard Cutter Liberty evacuated the Empress' passengers, who were eventually transferred to the Alaska Marine Highway ferry Columbia. There were no injuries, and the rescue effort took place in relatively favorable conditions, amid intermittent rain showers and light winds. Though the ''Empress of the North'' had developed a 6-degree list, 33 members of the crew stayed aboard to facilitate the vessel's return to Juneau under her own power. She was escorted en route there by Coast Guard helicopter and a third small cruise ship. The

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

undertook a multi-month investigation, concluding that the "probable cause" of the accident was primarily the inexperience of a ship's officer. The ''Empress of the North'' was repaired at the shipyards of Vigor Industrial in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, by Vigor Marine LLC, and returned to service on July 7, 2007.

Renaming and return to service (2014)

American Empress at Howard Amon Park, stern

The American Queen Steamboat Company, owner and operator of the U.S-flagged ''

American Queen ''American Queen'' is said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by McDermott Shipyard for the ''Delta Queen'' Steamboat Company. Although ...

'', announced on May 22, 2013, that it had purchased the ''Empress of the North'' from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) and that it would rename the ship ''American Empress'' and resume sailings from Portland, Oregon, in April 2014. On April 5, 2014, ''American Empress'' was christened in Portland. The ''Empress'' had been out of service for five years. She is the largest overnight riverboat west of the Mississippi River. The ship's home port is now

(in the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

) and her normal route will follow the Columbia and Snake Rivers between

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

, and

Clarkston, Washington Clarkston is a city in Asotin County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Lewiston, ID-WA metropolitan area, and is located west of Lewiston, Idaho, across the Snake River. The population of Clarkston was 7,229 at the 2010 census. Wal ...

, with 32 sailings scheduled for 2014, in the period April–November.

References

External links

''American Empress'' (ex-''Empress of the North'')
at Steamboats.org {{DEFAULTSORT:American Empress 2002 ships Maritime incidents in 2007 River cruise ships Passenger ships of the United States Ships built in Washington (state)

Grounding incidents

Renaming and return to service (2014)

See also

References

External links