Farewell Note

John,

it really hurts to read your farewell message. I wonder how the boats will come along without long-time employees like you and I wonder how the boats will fell like without people like you. You were part of the boats and I'm sure it will be a feeling of emptyness missing you and so many other DQSC people who did not only do a great job but also became friends to many of us. I wish you all the best and we'll hopefully see you again on one of the boats, soon.

Franz

John,

Deb and I never got to chat with you, but we came to know some of your fellow co-workers. What can we say...speechless...Thank you for being a part in making all of our experiences on the DQ so memorable.

This is sad...leaves a feeling of emptyness...

All the best of luck to you. Deb and I sincerely hope to see you again and soon on the rivers...

Debbie and Bruno Krause

John said it really well!

I'd like to add my thanks also to all the very nice people I have met over my 30 years on the DQ and the MQ. You are many more than I can count.

George Fitzgerald hired me in May 1976 to come to work on the yet to be completed Mississippi Queen. He wanted to hire me as a maintenancew man but I told him that I had a BS degree in MET from Purdue and that just wasn't enough. We settled on Junior Engineer and I went to work. I told everyone that I knew that it would just be temporary until I could find something better. I haven't found one yet. 🙂

It turned out that the turnover rate at that time was so high I found you could move up rapidly if you just stuck around. After about three years of that I got my first license. I was the swing guy to do relieving between the MQ and the DQ. It was great experience because I got to see different ways of doing things. I learned a lot, sometimes what to do, and sometimes what not to do.

Finally when I had been around long enough I got to go to the Delta Queen to stay. I guess that's been about 15 or 16 years.

It's been a good life. It put my kids through school and it has allowed me to build a little nest egg so I won't starve tomorrow.

I feel sorry for the guys that have young families to take care of. Fortunately, shipping is very good right now and with a little upgrade and brushup they should find good jobs right away.

I hope the Delta Queen gets the care she needs after all these years. I am sure she can't compete with newer boats on a profit per passenger night basis. But the other boats can't offer the opportunity to ride on "The real thing" a genuine operating steamboat museum. If they realize that and market that unique niche, I think she will do fine.

Thank you all again for you concern, your interest and your genuine care and friendship. I will not soon forget you or the many fine people I worked with over the years.

Dennis Shenk
Chief Engineer, D.Q

[email protected]

To Dennis, John, and Jim who have posted your farewells, and to those other dedicated Queens crew who have not gone public: thank you for preserving and caring for this important segment of steamboating and steamboating history. While this board was instrumental in getting the Queens saved several years ago, I fear our influence in the current morass is zilch - to quote that famous email I received by accident on 11/7/05 from the port captain: "(he) is just another steamboat groupy, just as Judy and hundreds of others that think they know what's best for this company." So there it is, our money was accepted by the company, but our loyalty, knowledge, and concerns were not. So now you loyal, knowledgeable, caring crew are kaput also... that's corporate gratitude and greed overwhelming any semblance of historical significance of the 'product' and of its caretakers and supporters. Long live the Queens, somehow or another....

Dennis,

Somehow that doesn't sound right... you will always be "Chief" to me.

Thanks for your kindness to me and Deb over the years especially during our last cruise. Yes, I cherish what you gave me and it's sitting on top of my piece of bucket board, both it and the board on top of my Mac as I type. I pretend that I can still smell the No. 6...err...Bunker C. Plus I had to show it off to all the other engineers; all impressed. I told them that this was no girley No. 2 part! A worn out small piece of milled metal, but OH MY what a history. That little thing moved me, made music, kept me cool, made me clean, and fattened me up over the years! Again, thanks.

And I will always remember how to cold start the DQ...your discussions on this board helped me convince a client NOT to buy No. 6 fuel oil boilers, big ones too. Which is what I had hoped would happen.

As I said in an earlier post, Deb's and my memories of the DQ and the DQ's crew are priceless. Thank you for being a large part of making that happen. Best of luck.

I can only hope that maybe you will come back some day and teach this newbie a thing or two more.

Bruno

Dennis,

it's just sad, very sad.

Eventually, for me the boats have lost their magic. I know it's naive talking about something like "magic". Of course the Delta Queen Steamboat Co has alwas been in the cruise business, with emphasis on "business", nothing "magic" about this. But it make a big difference wether a company takes care of the magic aura of its product - just look at Disneyland, how magic it is when the late-evening parade ends with fabulous fireworks. That's magic, as long as they give you the chance to believe in Mickey Mouse. And everyone wants to believe. Just don't force them to give up believing in Mickey Mouse.

Now, MAL is destroying this kind of magic around their boats, step by step. Skipping the "Steamboat" from the companies name. Calling the boats "ships". Firing all the familiar (and experienced, trusted, long-time) employees, our friends. You name the many steps in that direction.

What's left when the magic is gone? Yes, it's still the good old Delta Queen that I love so much. I'm feeling so sorry for her. But what is she now? A cruise ship? With small cabins for a very high rates, to be paid to a heartless company that took the magic away? It hurts so much. Call me naive, but taking away the magic destroys so much, it's hard to tell how much. It'll take a while to recover from this. Just speaking for me personally, I'm not in the mood for an other cruise at this time.

Franz

Those are my feelings exactly, Franz - they just put another nail in the coffin of the QUEENS - the first being the horrendous increase in prices, then dumping the DQSC name and logo which is known world-wide, now eliminating all these trusted and knowledgable long time employees. This is just the beginning of losing employees - most of the others won't come back at all, after being laid off and sent on their way. These people have seen the boats through some difficult times, but they will have to get on with their lives, not wait to see if MAL will rehire them in 3 months.

They have no concept of how to market the boats. They don't realize that we repeaters mostly ride for the same reason - we love the crew first of all, we return to meet up with old friends and meet more steamboat lovers - and we love the boats, but what are they without all the other components!

These "smart" people have created their own nifty little package to sell us, and guess what - we don't want it.

I can't even look forward to my first trip next year, at this point. In fact I wonder how many cancellations they'll have with this latest fiasco! And I doubt if their phones have been ringing off the hook, since their huge price increase. We have all tried very hard to tell them what WE want and they are determined only to give us what THEY want. So the end is in sight - I doubt if they'll make it through 2007.

Yes, very very sad!

Dennis
Your loyalty to the boats will never be forgotten by those who know you. Your experience is irreplaceable. Companies like to say that no one is irreplaceable but when it comes to steamboat engineers like yourself that simply is not the case. I look back to 1976 when we both started together on the MQ and all the trials and tribulations of that 1st abbreviated season. You were the one that we relied on to fix problems that came at us so fast and were so complex that I dare not try to describe them. We in the Purser’s Office would be paging “Dennis Shenk dial 280” 10 times a day or more. Air conditioners dripping in the closets on the passenger’s cloths, sinks over flowing, toilets that would not flush, door knobs that would not open. And I did not even know what you were going through in the Engine Room to keep everything running. You were there saving our bacon many times a day and doing it without complaint in your usual stoic manner. You have continued over the years to keep things proper on “our” steamboats because of your dedication to keeping things right, like relocating a whistle back to its proper location so that the Delta Queen can sound off its sonorous voice in a fitting manner. We will miss you Dennis. Best of luck in your future.

Amen Judy, Franz and Pat.

March 17th is the day, the moment of truth of how ugly the company may have made this. That Saturday night as we leave NOLA will I be nervous about no 'pilots' being on board? Will there be someone in the engine room to get us quickly going again if what happened in Paducah this October happens again? If my wife and I have the slightest sense that all is not right with our safety we will cancel our other three reservations.

I'm personally not that upset about what they have named the company nor whether I'm on a 'ship' or a 'boat'. Actually I am, but I'll live with it. I can even take the increases in price, we just won't cruise as often, and I'll work the specials as best as I can. I can even ignore the silly logo. But the company is messing not only with people I'm very honored to call as friends but ultimately messing with my personal safety, both basically close to 100% of the reason we continue to give them our money, year after year after year.

WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO THE CREW?

But then again, I really know why, don't I?

Is anybody at MAL listening? Of course not, they're only listening to the language of money...

My profound thanks -- and a long and loud whistle salute to ALL the great people who have struggled valiantly to keep the DQSB Company boats rolling on the river for many years, in order to preserve the grand American tradition of steamboating. Although I try to be enthusiastic and optimistic about all things, I fear that, given the recent and outrageous happenings on both the Ohio and Mississippi involving 4 of our remaining steamboats, we are, sadly, witnessing the end of steamboating as we know and love it. When our beloved steamboats and the REAL and DEDICATED river people who crew them (and who make happy passengers keep coming back) are treated so disdainfully, the outcome cannot be good for all concerned! Experienced navigation and engineering personnel for steamboats don't grow on trees! Especially, let's not lose sight of the fact that a LOT of people's lives and livelihoods are being adversely affected here! Capt. Tom Greene and other departed river luminaries must surely be looking down from heaven with tears in their eyes!

Becky and I are going to reserve judgment on MAL until after our short trip on the "Empress of the North" in March and a longer trip on the DQ in April 2007. Until then no one will really know what is going to actually happen on the boats and the overall "steamboatin" river experience. We can speculate all day long. Everyone will have an opinion. Right now we are trying to stay positive about our own "steamboatin" future. Hopefully our upcoming two trips will not be our last on the rivers of America, but they very well might be it. MAL needs a chance to succeed. They did take over a failing Delware North effort and are breathing new life in the boats. Let's not count them out just yet.

Its not MAL we're counting out, its the loyal, knowledgeable, dedicated crews who have been counted out, and if you think a boat such as the DQ can be run as safely and as reliably under blue water crew or cheaper recent academy graduates or cheaper nonunion crew - all three groups of which have never yet set foot aboard her under guidance of the pros - well.... Bruno mentioned a naughty word, 'safety'. I know from experience that's not something welcomed by the company, under whichever name, to be discussed openly. But if indeed the boats come out with totally new navigation and engineering crews, there's no way I'd plunk down either my cash or my life that first season. I'd speculate that I have more steering time in the NOLA harbor than some of the Mates, aka pilots, they'll hire - and I sure wouldn't want to be on a boat there with me in charge of navigation!!!

I have nothing new to say because all my thoughts have already been well said by others. But I do want to add my voice of thanks to those who have worked so devotedly all these years to keep the boats running and to make our experiences as passengers so wonderful.

Sadly this all started LONG before MAL took over...

I could go on & on with reasons why my family & I have opted out with the Delta Queen but I won't publically...no sense mixing up the septic tank...

Arrogance will be the ultimate death knell, not the economy I feel...

We all yearn for the times we shared years ago...if we only could go back in time!

I share Bruno's apprehensions about safety, and I also worry about the boat's machinery. I may be new to this board, but I've been around steam most of my life, and know that each engine has it's own "personallity." It takes time to learn where "slop" is OK, and how much is allowable before it's a problem, and also what sounds to listen for, and what ones tell you that all is well, and which ones tell you that all is NOT well. I hope all the Queens will have experienced folks aboard; but most especially the DQ, she's got the most miles on her. Looking back, she was basically new when Capt. Greene bought her! I have my fingers crossed that she will still be safely operating when March 17 rolls around. After waiting 36 years to board her and now all this is going on. . . . .AAAAUGH!!!
Steamcerely,
David Dewey

David Dewey;2754 wrote: I After waiting ... to board her and now all this is going on. . . . .AAAAUGH!!!

My thoughts exactly, I can't imagine what would go on if no one aboard had experience with the engines. If that does happen, I guess we will discover the consequences. Our trip is the second 'up river' cruise on the upper Ohio next season. The MQ and the DQ won't have been there yet.

Let's just wait and see. I've seen all these complaints before, when new owners took over. And just in the run-of-the mill operation, I have seen many really scary situations. I was on the DQ 9 years. Those that predeced me or have worked there longer have probably seen the same scenarios time and time again. Since the Greenes, the DQ has had several owners, most of which had nooo idea what they were getting into. Remember, repeaters, there was that first cruise you took where you knew no one, had no idea what was going on in the engine room or pilot house, and yet you had a good time and went back. And then, you got to know people, which helped make the trip more enjoyable. Never-the-less, you probably noticed that there was a huge turnover and the faces in the crew changed on each trip. The new season is 3 months away. A lot can happen. At some point in time, the new owners will have opportunities to realize that the Mississsippi River system is different, and that experience is key. Anyway, I hope so.

It's like Old Man Mr. Burns once told Capt'n Tom Greene... the DELTA QUEEN will last his lifetime and the lifetimes of generations after him. And it turned out to be true. The Queens will continue running, and there will be qualified crews found to do so. That new company isn't going to let the safety of the boats, passengers, and crews become jeopardized. Long ago, I learned that there is always someone waiting for their chance, their turn, and these folks will come forward and the Queens will operate safely under their guidance, and life will go on. Always has; always will.

Surely, this new outfit isn't going to wipe the slate clean.... are they? I've been out of touch, down on the Tennesse River. No TV, limited cell phone, and no computer. Life gets no better.

What's happening is probably the confluence (to use a RIVER term!) of 3 things: 1) the union contract expires this winter; 2) the CG new licensing and crewing requirements re: Mates instead of 1st class pilots 3) the new company's desire to maximize profits by cutting labor costs. Hopefully this is just a lot of posturing in trying to get a cheaper deal with the union and at the midnight hour some deal will be struck allowing the current crews back. Somehow though, I'm afraid it goes deeper than that - time will tell.

Although I am notorious as a critic of the Coast Guard, I think concerns about safety are not valid. The USCG does insist that competent personnel run the boat and that all of the safety equipment and appliances are properly maintained and used. They are very good at that phase of their work. The boat will not leave the dock without a thorough inspection of personnel and equipment.

After coming home from work as a hospice nurse the past few nights, I was too emotionally drained to add anything above and beyond what has already been posted. My sentiments have been echoed by the others here.

How can we not miss many of the officers and crew that some of us have known as far back as the early 70's? Names like Dennis, Leroy, Lexie, Mike, John, Gabe, Travis, et. al. would be talked about around the dinner table, and last names weren't even necessary to use. They were just known. Maybe one day new names will be mentioned around the table, and they will have the same familiarity as the old ones. I hope so, and time will tell.

I'm still not understanding this union thing. Unions do not prevail on the river, so why is it a big issue? I know they have provided engineers for many years, due to a shortage of such on the river. The rest of us joined as it was a recommended company policy, although several of the trip pilots did not. The crew was in a different union from the licensed personnel. People were hired, then they joined the union. The union was called upon to provide engineers, but very seldom were other positions filled in that manner. By the way, some of those union engineers were doozies. It is a good thing that we had a number of old hands in engineering that worked long periods of time for years and years. When they weren't around we got some real wackos.

My concern is about engineers. I could be wrong, but I just don't know of any other source for steam engineers than the union hall. More steam engineers seem to be dying than are being made! Perhaps the engineers on the NATCHEZ have license for steam vessels over 2000 horsepower, but not necessarily. Kenny Howe is the only engineer on the BELLE of LOUISVILLE with that much license, and who knows if any of them out there want to work on the D.A.M. QUEENs.

You're right, Lexie, just because someone is from the union doesn't make them a good engineer. Just because someone has a license does't make them a good pilot, mate, captain, engineer, etc. One of my dad's favorite stories was the newly minted chief engineer who walked out of the inspector's office with his chief's ticket. He said to the inspector, "Well, now I know everything!" The inspector asked for the license back and ripped it up in front of the somewhat boastful engineer. Then the inspector instructed the engineer to come back in six months after he learned some sense.

I have to put in my two cents and make sure I'm on the record for what I stand for.

As many have posted, you can tell this is very emotional for we true "river rats". It's hard to make sense out of this. As many of my friends know, I'm no lover of BIG business. I'm much happier working for the small guy. It seems those guys in their ivory towers are so far removed from what is really going on that - as in this instance, they think they own ships rather than boats. Therefore, how could they know they own a national treasure in the DELTA QUEEN. They are just lumping her in with all their other "ships".

Again the almighty dollar comes into play. It doesn't matter what is really honest and right. It appears AI started early on not caring about the repeat passengers who stayed with their boat of choice through thick and thin and booked trips way out when we didn't even know for sure if the boat would run. Those prices went up with no forewarning or deadline to book by to keep the cheaper rates. As I've said many of us are not "affluent" as AI seems to think. We just love the boats! If we wanted the amenities of a Five Star Hotel, we would stay at a Five Star Hotel. But we don't. We are there for the history, the love of the river and the wonderful crew we have come to know and love.

Now here they come along next and are trying to eliminate the loyal crew. Yes, it has been pointed out that there is a pretty large turnover. Those crew leave of their own accord. I don't have a problem with that. But again there are also many that have stayed for years and years. I've never been able to understand how Corporate America can be so blind as to not reward their loyal employees (crew) but (excuse the term - I try to be a lady - but sometimes vulgar terms just fit) "screw" their loyal employees who have stayed with them through good times and bad. (I hope Franz doesn't have to edit my posting for this).

I have faith in Alan Bates and if he says my beloved DELTA QUEEN will be safe when she comes out next spring with all new engineers, fireman, oilers, etc., then I'll take his word for it. But it doesn't make it right what AI is doing. I have my trips booked for 2007. But with the new rate structure when looking at my vacation options for 2008 and beyond I will be taking into consideration who's pocket I am lining. We may be rabid about our love for the old DELTA QUEEN STEAMBOAT COMPANY boats, but we do take into consideration what we get for our money. And since Five Star Hotel amenities are not tops on our list - why pay the price when we don't want it.

I can only speak from having ridden the DELTA QUEEN. If anyone at AI/MAL is listening, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't mess with "my" boat, as many of us call her. Keep her neat and clean, but don't "upgrade" her. She is like going to Grandma's house and we don't want that changed.

Sorry for the epistle. I am passionate about my love for the DELTA QUEEN.

Jo Ann Schoen, 11 timer and counting