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American Queen was a Louisiana-built river steamship said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. American Queen's primary mode of propulsion is its stern paddlewheel powered by a steam engine extracted from the 1932 dredging vessel Kennedy. Her secondary propulsion, which provides additional maneuverability and speed, comes from a set of diesel-electric propellers known as on either side of the sternwheel. There are also two bow thrusters that offer better maneuverability when docking or treading water. She has 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guests and a crew of 160. She is long and wide.
In May 1996, American Queen participated in the Summer Olympics torch relay. It was originally planned for the AQ to carry the flame up the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri to the hometown of Mark Twain - Hannibal, Missouri. Due to high water levels on the rivers, American Queen could not reach St. Louis. So instead, the Olympic flame was brought aboard the vessel on the Ohio River in Paducah, Kentucky and stayed onboard until reaching the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers at Cairo, Illinois.Pousner, Howard. "Riverboat gamble: Team scrambles for new route as the Mississippi rises", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 29, 1996, page C3.Pousner, Howard. "River fails to extinguish flame's appeal", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 31, 1996, page E3.
On June 4, 1997, while docked in Memphis Harbor, passengers aboard the American Queen spotted the body of a man floating near the southern tip of Mud Island and notified vessel crew. First mate Dave Williamson retrieved the body to bring to local police which was later identified to be the remains of singer Jeff Buckley.
American Classic Voyages, the parent company of Delta Queen Steamboat Company, declared bankruptcy on October 19, 2001. ACV blamed its fate on the September 11 terrorist attacks and the spike in cancelled reservations, although many other factors attributed to the bankruptcy. Despite launching an ambitious expansion, American Classic Voyages faced operational challenges. According to sources close to ACV, the company's successful brands had strayed from what had made them attractive to their niche clientele, ACV's rollout of new cruises was mismanaged and the company had a costly dispute with its shipbuilder, Northrop Grumman Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Resulting from the bankruptcy of American Classic Voyages, American Queen was taken out of service in October 2001. Delta Queen Steamboat Co. was subsequently purchased by Delaware North and American Queen was brought back into service in January 2003.
Following reports that Delta Queen Steamboat Co. had suffered heavier losses than previously stated from the damages and travel disruption of Hurricane Katrina, Delaware North sold the company to Ambassadors International Inc. in April 2006 for $3 million.
From 2006 to 2008, American Queen and its sister vessels sailed under Majestic America Line, a subsidiary of Ambassadors International. After multiple failed attempts throughout 2008 to sell Majestic America Line, it was decided to break up the fleet and sell the vessels individually.
On November 20, 2008, the steamer American Queen was retired to the reserve fleet in Violet, Louisiana. Due to the failure of Majestic America Line, she was returned to the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) who held her $30 million mortgage. The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration records the ship's movement to the Beaumont Reserve Fleet on January 22, 2009.
In April 2011 American Queen was purchased for $15.5 million by HMS Global Maritime of New Albany, Indiana.
For a period around 2014, the American Queen Steamboat was a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In October 2014, American Queen struck jagged rock on the Cumberland River on its way into Nashville, Tennessee. Passengers were able to embark on time while repairs were made, although the vessel had to wait for Coast Guard clearance before sailing which came a day later. American Queen suffered another accident during high water conditions on the Mississippi River shortly before midnight on September 4, 2018, when she collided with the old Champ Clark Bridge in Louisiana, Missouri. The vessel sustained some damage to its port side.
In the late 2010s, AQSC began rapidly expanding its fleet. The company purchased two abandoned casino boats in 2016 which would later be remodeled and reintroduced as American Duchess and American Countess. In January 2019, AQSC acquired Victory Cruise Lines which consisted of Great Lakes cruise ships, Victory I and Victory II. The two coastal cruisers were reintroduced under AQSC as Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator respectively.
In response to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, American Queen Steamboat Company suspended operations in March 2020. AQSC, along with numerous other cruise lines worldwide would struggle to return to normal operations for the next couple years.
In October 2021, American Queen Steamboat Company changed its name to American Queen Voyages to reflect the addition of ocean-going itineraries. The company's headquarters were relocated from New Albany, Indiana to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In February 2024 American Queen Voyages announced they were ceasing operations and shutting down. In March 2024, assets of American Queen Voyages were put up for auction. Competitor American Cruise Lines successfully bid for all four of AQV's river vessels. American Queen was purchased for a price of $2.15 million.
Upon the purchase, American Cruise Lines evaluated options for the future of the American Queen other than adding the vessel to their operational fleet or as it was immediately done with sister vessels American Duchess and American Countess, selling it as scrap. In May 2024, they were reported to be contacting cities and towns along the Mississippi River and its tributaries to offer up the 29 year-old vessel as a donation.
In January 2025, footage was released online showing American Queen in the process of being dismantled at a scrapyard in Houma, Louisiana, with all its exterior cabin doors removed. That same winter, another notable and record-setting US-built passenger cruiseliner, SS United States was towed to Alabama to be scuttled and become an artificial reef.
In 2009, American Queen was featured in an episode of Little People, Big World in which the Roloff family took a cruise aboard the vessel.
In 2018, American Queen was featured in an episode of Cruising with Jane McDonald. The show followed British singer Jane McDonald on a cruise aboard the American Queen from New Orleans to Memphis.
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