Not Again!

[Calliope]

For the second time this year the AMERICAN QUEEN broke her shaft. Actually though, this time around the repair to the crack didn't hold, so for anyone booked on the AQ from now until the foreseeable future she'll have a towboat helping her along.

 

This past summer while her wheel was down the towboat faced up to the jockey bar aft of the wheel and pushed the AQ along her appointed rounds. Hopefully, this is the case this time, and with the towboat astern passengers shouldn't be bothered by the noise and smoke of the towboat's diesel machinery.

[biker1972]

Ouch! So sorry for those on the next few trips. Hopefully in the coming down time they will be able to get things right. Our Thanksgiving cruise was so nice since they had no issues of any kind other than running out of Bud Light before they got to New Orleans.

[Calliope]

There was a temporary fix done to the wheel that the Coast Guard allowed, so she'll finish the 2014 season with a gusset placed on the cracked shaft to hold it together. During winter lay-up a new shaft ,being made now, will replace the old shaft.

[Maeshel]

There was a temporary fix done to the wheel that the Coast Guard allowed, so she'll finish the 2014 season with a gusset placed on the cracked shaft to hold it together. During winter lay-up a new shaft ,being made now, will replace the old shaft.

That is great news. We are scheduled for the New Years cruise.

[hondorner]

We just got off from the Dec 13 cruise from N.O. to Vicksburg and back. We were late in departing from Baton Rouge; no official reason given, but a "small mechanical problem" was mentioned. It was cold; few people on deck and the River Grill bar never opened, so no one mentioned a tug -- except on was alongside the stern at Nottoway Plantation, and one was tied up against the Port side when we arrived in N.O. on the 20th. In other words, it was such a smooth ride no one noticed the tug. I suspected a broken shaft, but never bothered to walk all the way back (we were in 402) and check it out, and didn't visit the engine room bar that last couple of nights.