Fate of the Admiral

According To Capt. Don Summers !

Greetings From New Orleans !
To answer your question concerning the fate of the Steamer Admiral , according to Capt. Don Summers , whom I had the pleasure of having dinner with last month , her earthly remains are literally sitting on the bank and there are no immediate plans for her future !
Hopfully , what does remain of her will eventually find their way to a museum but as far as any type of re-construction goes , I would seriously doubt that anything does happen !
Time will tell and I wish I had better news !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson

Chris Purdom;23295 wrote: Internet has been broke the last 8 days so I apologize if this has already been answered and I somehow missed it. Just wondered if there was any knowledge as to what was going to become of it.

*RE: 'Fate of Str. ADMIRAL [?].'*
Hi, Ted & steamboating colleagues:
I know I've missed tons on this site but am confused. I remember reading/seeing photos of the Str. PRESIDENT chopped up in pieces scattered hither and yon. I'm shocked to hear the ADMIRAL may possibly have faced the same. Am I wrong?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

I Stand Corrected !

Greetings From New Orleans !
Dale , I apologize and I stand corrected ! Your right ! It is the President that is " chopped up " and not the Admiral , but I hear that her fated is in jeapodary as well !!
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson

R. Dale Flick;23301 wrote: *RE: 'Fate of Str. ADMIRAL [?].'*
Hi, Ted & steamboating colleagues:
I know I've missed tons on this site but am confused. I remember reading/seeing photos of the Str. PRESIDENT chopped up in pieces scattered hither and yon. I'm shocked to hear the ADMIRAL may possibly have faced the same. Am I wrong?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

As of today's St Louis Post Dispatch (Sunday 03 Oct 10) there is NO published report of the Admiral's fate. Bids for disposition closed 18 August 2010. No public announcement has been made if any bids were received or acceptable to current owner. Likewise there is no public announcement of who, if anyone, made a bid of the "theater barge". Both were still sitting in place as of mid last week.

Interestingly enough no signage has been removed from the land side "car port" entry area.

Yes, the remains of the "President" are looking mighty sad.

Admiral

I took a lock and dam cruise yesterday on the Tom Sawyer Gateway Riverboat and saw the Admiral. I took a few nice pictures of her if anyone wants me to post some. She looked ok, definetly not perfect. The Capt. of the Tom Sawyer while doing his narration of the Admiral said it had been sold for scrap. I was sad to hear that, don't know if it's true, but I would guess the pilots of those riverboats would be "in the know" on what is going on with boats that share the riverfront with them. She is such a cool art deco piece of history.

pics of Admiral

Here she is, right after a cold rain shower blew through town. It was blue skies and sunny when we came back towards the riverfront

Maybe he had the Admiral confused with the Mississippi Queen when he said it was sold for scrap. Then again, considering an earlier conversation on here concerning the condition of her hull and what is really left of her, maybe he was right about it being sold for scrap.

Still it is History

It's sad to see historic boats chopped up just for the price of the metal in them rather than saved for future generations to enjoy and help visualize what the past was like. Yes we still have the BOL, and the W.P. Snyder and a few others and the funds just aren't there to save them all, but....

My information is that an existing St. Louis riverfront business will dismantle the ADMIRAL in place. I am hesitant to name the company for fear of it getting a deluge of telephone calls. Bids were due August 18 for the "removal" of the boat; possibly there are some behind the scene negotiations underway prior to the actual scrapping. Don't forget that the ADMIRAL was owned by a casino gambling enterprise, possibly with Nevada connections, who has no idea whatsoever about any historical ramifications of the boat. It was just a piece of property to them, and ceased to be a profitable operation, so.........

yea I know, the almighty dollar is more important than history

There are certain realities we unfortunately face in life. The Admiral situation is one of them. 1-The original problem has never been completely addressed. 2-probably close to 40-50 million dollars was put into (a) making an entertainment center-(which operated less than one year by the original operator (b) another operator ceased, leaving tables set for dinner, in less than a year. (c) virtually everything done to make an entertainment center was ripped out to make it a gambling casino (d) there is virtually NOTHING left as when she was the most fantastic excursion boat ever built [my opinion--as I have a great love for the REAL Admiral.]

I have been there when there were 4000 people on the boat, people yet standing . on the wharf. An experience beyond mortal words.

While it pains me greatly to contemplate her possible---and probable scrapping--who has the money and location to repair and where to place the boat? What can be done with it? Reality can be a very harsh opponent with which to wrestle.

While I am no fan of casinos, land based or "cruising" there are certain realities we have to face. At the

ADMIRAL vs. PRESIDENT as casinos

Yes, Jim, the thing that is on the riverfront with the name ADMIRAL bears no resemblance to the real excursion boat. The PRESIDENT was able to maintain her dignity and 'bones' when she was converted rather gracefully. She was in recognizable excursion boat condition when she met the cutting torches, unlike what the ADMIRAL is today. As you pointed out, the original problem ie. the hull, was never fixed and to repair that and to return the rest of the boat to operating condition would be prohibitive, not to mention where would you find 4000 passengers? The same goes for the MQ vs. the DQ or AQ, she has been gutted and left to mold away so that only a king's ransom could restore her. Meanwhile the AQ's asking price is only $15 million, and who knows what for the DQ. And let us not forget the JULIA BELLE SWAIN, the steamboat in LaCrosse which is not for sale, but for which the current owners would listen to good offers. And last of all on the Mississippi system, the two boats which are the easiest for us to contribute to their continued success by riding them and telling friends and acquaintances about them, the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE and the NATCHEZ.