The Delta Queen Steamboat Company
A 501-c3 Not-For-Profit Organization

Company Background
The DQSC was established in 1890 as a freight transporter called Greene Line Steamers. The company has changed hands numerous times, has endured wartimes, and continues to survive economic downturns. Most recently, the company owned and operated the overnight passenger vessels American Queen, the Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen.
The S.S. Delta Queen, along with trademarks Delta Queen Steamboat Company and Delta Queen are chartered from the owner with current operations as a dockside-floating hotel in Chattanooga, TN. The chartering company is primarily owned by Ms. Leah Ann Ingram, founder of All Aboard Travel. Ms. Ingram’s company has provided transportation and shore side services for the DQCS for the past 20 years. Hotelier and owner/investor Sydney Slome was instrumental in securing the Delta Queen and negotiating a charter arrangement with her current owner.

Captain Phillips and Hotelier Slome and Company Chosen to Charter the Delta Queen

Ambassadors International, Inc., owners of the historic Delta Queen, chartered the vessel to our company to act as caretaker for its 174-guest Delta Queen while Ambassadors continues to search for a buyer to operate it as an overnight cruise vessel. The 82-year old vessel can no longer cruise since federal law prohibits her from operating overnight cruise voyages without an exemption due to its wooden superstructure. A beloved fixture of America’s rivers, the 176-guest Delta Queen was the last traditional steamboat carrying overnight guests on inland waterways. Delta Queen is a registered historic treasure of the Department of the Interior and the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is a National Historic Landmark and a member of the National Maritime Hall of Fame. The Delta Queen was recently nominated for inclusion on the National Trust for Preservation’s 2009 list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places.
Under the oversight of project manager and Captain Harry Phillips, a full crew was assembled, USCG inspections performed, and the Delta Queen departed New Orleans late January, 2009 under her own steam. The five-day cruise went flawlessly as did the mooring at Coolidge Park Landing in Chattanooga. The Delta Queen soon commenced operations as a dockside boutique hotel named the Delta Queen Hotel where she is preserved in her current state and generally managed by hotelier Sydney Slome, owner of Chattanooga’s finest boutique hotel the Stone Fort Inn.
“The company is committed to preserving this national landmark. In order to maintain the steamboat’s historical significance, provisions of the charter agreement prevent the Delta Queen from being altered,” said Diane Moore, president, Ambassadors Cruise Group. “We selected Phillips due to his knowledge of restoring and maintaining historical properties and his maritime experience. Chattanooga’s renewed waterfront is an ideal location for people to celebrate the Delta Queen and enjoy her great historical and cultural value.”
“The Delta Queen is a national treasure and she will be cared for accordingly until her return to overnight cruise service,” said Phillips. “She truly compliments Chattanooga’s vibrant waterfront. Her mooring at the North Shore ’s charming Coolidge Park will provide the first opportunity for all ages to experience and appreciate the last operable, and most cherished overnight passenger steamboat in the country.”

Unsolicited support for the caretaking efforts by our company to include US Senators, Congressmen, Governors and business leaders similar to the letter from Congressman Zach Wamp.