Cascade General Completes River Boat Conversion In Five Months

After an intensive five-month conversion project in the Portland Shipyard, Cascade General delivered the luxury riverboat Columbia Queen to the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. on May 24. Three days later, the 218' river boat began its maiden voyage up the Columbia through the Snake River canyon to Lewiston, Idaho.

The Columbia Queen's remarkable transformation began when the bare hull arrived in Portland on the barge that had carried it from the Gulf Coast. Within days, shipyard crews were working simultaneously on all five decks. New stairways and walls were fitted and hundreds of windows cut on the four passenger decks. At the same time, wiring and plumbing crews were installing all the utilities overhead on racks in the ceiling void. These included not just the normal shipboard amenities, but also satellite TV, ship-to-shore telephones and data lines to all 105 cabins.

The vessel was intended for use as a casino boat when originally outfitted with two 700 HP Cummins engines for electrical generation and two 950 HP Cummins for slow-speed propulsion. For its new role as an inland cruise ship, a complete re-configuration of the drive system was specified by naval architects Rodney Lay & Associates of Jacksonville, Fl. They called for a huge increase of propulsion power from 1900 HP to 4600 HP, to enable the Columbia Queen to maneuver through the eight locks of the Columbia and Snake rivers in high winds and provide a cruising speed of twelve knots.

Cascade General's engineering team began this challenging re-power by opening four access panels in the main deck, and building a new machinery space in the stern compartment. The existing 950 HP mains were then hoisted out of the engine room, and lowered into the stern where they became the auxiliaries, connected to upward-angled shafts turning azimuthing stern thrusters.

The new mains were to be a pair of 1350 HP Cummins. They were moved by dockside crane to the main deck level, skidded through a doorway by the rigging crew, then lowered into the two vacated spaces in the main engine room. In the Portland Shipyard's Dry Dock 1, they were connected to conventional shafts turning 58" diameter four-bladed propellers in tunnels. The 950 HP auxiliaries were mated to Schottel azimuthing drives with fore and aft propellers fitted in new transom wells.

All external work, including bottom painting and the insertion of the passenger elevator, was also completed in the dry dock while preliminary work was completed on the interior. With the infrastructure in place to support all the demands of modern river travel, the effort began to create 105 traditional-style cabins, three lounges and the central dining room, again using the best available technology.

Hopeman Brothers of Waynesboro, Va. (whose work is known internationally) were the contractors for the passenger and public spaces. The key to their approach lay in the meticulous layout of the new floor design on the original steel deck, followed by the welding of U-section "shoe plates" to the deck wherever walls were indicated. This provided a foundation for a modular wall system, and a team of local craftsmen was able to rapidly sub-divide the cavernous interior into recognizable spaces.

The efficiency of this method enabled all the interior structures to be completed and ready for finish work by April. "Cascade General was a great partner in the coordination of a very complex project," declared Dennis Houseman, site operations manager for Hopeman. "I've also been impressed with all the work we had done by local tradesmen," he added.

On the main deck, work continued on the elaborate ceiling design in the largest public space, the Astoria Room, which serves as both the dining and entertaining area. Passengers in their cabins will also be able to view the activities via the ship's closed circuit TV channel or listen in on the high-fidelity public sound system.

Above the engine room, the ultra-modern galley is fully equipped to prepare the finest in regional cuisine. A ten-day supply of food can easily be stored in the walk-in refrigerators and freezers. An additional unit is dedicated to storing galley waste until it can be properly disposed in port.

The ship's traditional dŽcor features carefully chosen wall coverings, Tiffany stained glass chandeliers and artwork on pioneer themes hung on every available surface. There is an abundance of wood trim and paneling throughout and all furnishings have been carefully selected to create the atmosphere of a 19th century riverboat, down to the Indian-style Pendleton blankets on the beds.

On the top deck, a pair of hydraulically lowering funnels also gives a historic touch to the Columbia Queen, along with the gingerbread patterns cut into the roof overhangs and rails. On the bridge, however, the ship carries the best 21st century navigation equipment--position fixing is by Advanced Marine Technology plotter and GPS, and the ship's pilot has the choice of three redundant steering systems to operate the two rudders and stern thrusters.

In trials, the ship achieved a speed of 12 knots with all four engines, and was able to cruise under mains only at 10.5 knots. The combination of azimuthing drives and the 350 HP bow thruster produces a high degree of maneuverability. Fully equipped, wing steering stations give the captain total visibility during docking.

Safety features include the advanced Nittan fire-prevention system, made in Sweden, automatic fire doors and highly fire-resistant stair towers, a rear-looking remote TV camera, and main deck speakers with "talk back" microphones. The ship passed its Coast Guard trials on May 22 with flying colors.

"Once again, Cascade General has shown its ability to handle a unique project requiring a different blend of shipyard skills," stated Suren Menon, Cascade General executive vice president. "The Columbia Queen is going to be cruising our local waters for many years to come, and I know it will be a great success with passengers and crews."

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Cascade General operates Portland Shipyard, the largest and most complete ship repair and industrial facility on the West Coast of the United States. We provide full-service repairs and conversions for tankers, cruise ships, bulk carriers, container ships, government vessels, tugs, barges and workboats. Cascade General's Portland facility includes a 60-acre (24.2 ha) yard, 550,000 square feet (51,096 square meters) of craft shops, more than 7,600 ft. (2,326 meters) of full-service repair berths, and two floating dry docks.