BREAKING: Child drowned in Terrebonne
May 17, 2015
Jingles is more than just a pet
May 20, 2015
The legendary Delta Queen, the oldest authentic steamboat in existence, is set to see its next chapter as new owner and president and CEO of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, Cornel Martin, takes the lead on the $5 million restoration project.
The vessel, which was towed 1,422.3 miles in March from Chattanooga, Tennessee, its home for the last six years, now rests in a private slip in Houma where a crew of four to six workers tirelessly scrape away worn paint, replace water-logged boards and clean up the boat, which the company hopes to put back into service as an overnight cruise ship within the next year.
Built in 1927 by the California Transportation Company in Stockton, California, as the sister steamboat to the Delta King, it was one of the most luxurious transportation methods of the time with a manufacturing cost of $1 million. It operated until 1940 as an overnight cruise vessel before entering military service as the U.S.S. Delta Queen, a job that included carrying wounded soldiers from Pearl Harbor to waiting ambulances at docks in San Francisco.
Following the end of World War II in 1945, Greene Line Steamers of Cincinnati, Ohio, bought her as war surplus for $46,000, overhauling the vessel and operating it once again as an overnight cruise ship. In 2006, she was sold again to a businessman in Chattanooga who leased the vessel as a dockside hotel, but by 2009, he walked away, leaving the boat virtually abandoned for about 15 months until Martin and fellow owners, Leah Ann and Randy Ingram, agreed to buy into the historic treasure.
“I’m not surprised [this boat is part of my life],” said Martin, who has worked for the Delta Queen Steamboat Company on and off since 1993. “I was away from it for about eight years, but never really away because people kept calling me saying, ‘Could you help us do this or that?’ I would provide advice and draft letters along the way … I’m thrilled that the opportunity unveiled itself, I’m thrilled that we were able to buy the boat and hopefully save her. She means so much to so many people and she’s such an important part of our history. To be tied to a project like this is very rewarding.”
Upon tying up in Terrebonne Parish in early April, the company got to work making the repairs necessary to restore the icon to its former beauty. Sealing cracks in both the roof and decks make up the majority of the work currently underway, work that was neglected when the boat went unused 6 years ago, Martin said. These cracks allowed water to accumulate in the boat’s predominantly wooden superstructure, causing the crew to replace buckled boards and repaint.
Once fully restored, passengers will be treated to an enchanting excursion Martin said will remain authentic to the way things were in 1927. Guests will be able to lounge in one of first level’s two lounges, escape to one of the vessel’s 88 staterooms or peruse a plaque bearing the names of the Delta Queen’s most loyal guests, some of whom have cruised the rivers some 150 times, or other nostalgia hanging along the ship’s walls. Guests will also be able enjoy a nightcap at the Texas Bar or listen to “some of the best music around,” according to Assistant to the President Missy Falbaum O’Neill, in the Orleans Dining Room or Texas Lounge. No modern conveniences, such as televisions, will be installed, with the exception of two screens installed by previous owners to show sporting events, all in an effort to keep in line with the historic atmosphere.
“We used to not have telephones, but now everyone has cell phones,” Martin said. “But if you don’t touch your phone, you can completely disconnect from the world … If you want a modern-day cruise, there are a lot of other options, but there’s only one option to do this.”
Other renovation plans include installing new commercial kitchen equipment and replacing the mammoth boilers that reside below deck, which date back to 1919 and do not function properly, with more environmentally-friendly and compact diesel machinery, estimated to cost between $1.2-$1.5 million. The signature cherry red paddlewheel will also be replaced as it provides the only means of propulsion for the boat, a truly unique feature as other boats typically have some type of propeller below water.
The task of getting the Delta Queen to the bayou region and the work done so far has been funded by the owners’ own financial contributions and donations funneled through an online crowdfunding program, a tab Martin said totals roughly $1 million in just a few short weeks and is expected to total the projected $5 million between the planned hotel and marine renovations. Marine work cannot be completed without the support of commercial financing, however, something the company can only secure after a legislation exemption from 1966 Safety at Sea Act is garnered. This exemption would allow old vessels that operate solely in inland waterways to be excluded from the ruling that restricts vessels made of fire-retardant materials from operating in U.S. waters.
The exemption, which has been granted nine times since the vessel’s inception, was introduced in the House of Representatives in March by longtime Delta Queen advocate, Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio, and could be approved by this fall, something Martin said would allow the vessel to cruise again as early as summer 2016.
“It’s not insurmountable,” said Martin, who has made several trips to Washington D.C. in recent weeks to encourage the passing of the bill. “We have offshore supply boats here that cost more than $5 million. It’s not that much considering what you are saving … $5 million and an act of Congress – that’s what we need to put her back in service.”
Once renovations are complete, the steamboat could begin its next chapter along the riverbanks of a bustling city like New Orleans or Cincinnati, or make it way to a much smaller community like St. Francisville or Kimmswick, Missouri, a town of 800 that has already placed an offer in hopes of nabbing the much-sought after piece of history.
“There’s a nice, little competition going,” Martin said. “There are a lot of people that want her back. People grew up watching this boat go back and fourth.”
For now, she sits patiently, awaiting to set sail once again, well protected by her caregivers, a group that includes three alligators who often circle the premises which Martin refers to as “moat security.” The spirit of former Captain Mary “Ma” Greene, who lived and died aboard the ship, also lingers, the proof in mysterious footprints that appeared the day after the boat docked in Houma.
“There are a lot of stories of Captain Mary still being around,” Martin said. “I’ve heard too many examples from too many credible people for it to not be true. She’s watching over the boat. She’s safe and those who have her now are loyal to the vessel and hopefully Ma Greene is going to help us save her.”
“It’s comforting. It’s not scary at all,” O’Neill, who worked aboard the vessel throughout the 1980s and 1990s, added. “We have a lot of souls looking over this boat.”
While the company waits to hear good news, work continues, work the group hopes will one day bring joy to the faces of passengers old and new who appreciate the slower, simpler times, an experience you can’t find anywhere other than aboard the Delta Queen.
“We’re just going to keep plugging at it and keep working on her and fixing her on a very slow bell as the funding allows,” Martin said. “We’ll take it one day at a time and hopefully we save her, but we do know one thing for sure – had we not stepped up when we did, she would have been lost and we couldn’t let that happen.”
Delta Queen Steamboat Company President and CEO Cornel Martin admires the historic treasure currently calling Houma home from the steps of the vessel’s grand staircase.
