It seems one of the few cruise ships that operates on the Mississippi has managed to stub its toe (see what I did there?). They are taking the passengers off and I suppose that will go a long way toward freeing the ship.
The captain and crew of the Ever Given send their condolences.
Just to be clear, are these boats?
I would call it a small inland waters ship. You need a pretty serious license to operate it, that makes it a ship to my way of reasoning. Oddly, I cannot quickly find her tonnage or length. (And I would sort of like to know.)
Specifications of American Jazz
| Year built | 2021 new ship |
|---|---|
| Flag state | USA |
| Builder | Chesapeake Shipbuilding (Salisbury, Maryland USA) |
| Class | Modern Riverboat |
| Building cost | USD 45 million |
| Owner | American Cruise Lines Inc |
| Operator | American Cruise Lines |
| Speed | 12 kn / 22 kph / 14 mph |
| Length (LOA) | 82 m / 269 ft |
| Beam (width) | 18 m / 59 ft |
| Gross Tonnage | 2800 gt |
| Passengers | 195 |
|---|---|
| Crew | 60 |
| Decks | 5 |
| Cabins | 102 |
| Decks with cabins | 4 |
| Sister-ships | American Harmony, American Song, American Melody |
| Christened by | tba |
Dammit
ninja’d
My thanks to Susan.
Hey, what about me? One minute earlier and I would’ve posted the exact same website…
The ship is brand new and they’ve already run it aground? The captain had better start looking for a new job.
We get promotional brochures from a river cruise line that operates around the world. Imagine running aground on a Volga cruise between Kuzino and Yaroslavyl or in some godforsaken spot on the Mekong River in Vietnam.
Might be awhile before you could be evacuated.
I’ll share the podium with you, mikecurtis.
Aw shucks, twas nuthin… 
Call in a couple of Thuds (airplanes; I know where to find one) to drop incendiary bombs on both banks, and when the smoke clears set up landing zones for helicopters. I could have those passengers out in a few hours.
What? You’ve never had a fantasy where you napalmed Kentucky? : 
A perfect opportunity may be available …
The only cruises I’ve been on were two aboard the Delta Queen, from New Orleans to Natchez and back. Being launched in 1927 her superstructure is wood, forbidden under SOLAS. As a riverboat she was never more than a couple hundred yards from shore and after a lot of lobbying plus many coats of fire retardant paint Congress started passing exemptions every few years allowing her to operate. Alas, 2007 was the last exemption and she’s been laid up more or less since then.
The first trip in 1981 when we were docked in Natchez, the Mississippi Queen, run by the same company, launched in 1976 and twice her capacity had come from up river; we tied up outboard of her and had to cross her forepeak to get to shore. Naturally everybody was touring the other boat and the difference was stark. DQ was all brass and mahogany and MQ – while it had more amenities – was chrome and Plexiglass. People commented, “Gee, we don’t have anything like this on our boat.”
I did not know what to expect by this thread title. But in My Mind’s Eye, there were saxophones and an upright bass.