CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A historic paddle wheel riverboat that has been
docked in Tennessee for the last seven years is headed to New Orleans for a
complete restoration.

The Delta Queen will depart from Chattanooga on Sunday for the trip, which
is expected to last from nine to 14 days.

Leah Ann Ingram, part owner of the newly created Delta Queen Steamboat
Co., told the Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://bit.ly/1CEXN39) that the
riverboat will be transformed back into a luxury overnight passenger
vessel.

The Delta Queen was removed from waterways in 2008 when Congress declined
to give it another exemption from the Safety Life at Sea Act. It became a
floating hotel in Chattanooga until it was damaged in an ice storm in 2014.

Ingram says the boat’s new owners are pushing for another congressional
exemption and hope to offer cruises next year.
(AP)