S.S. Admiral
Encyclopedia
SS Admiral was an excursion steamboat
operating on
the Mississippi River
from the Port of St. Louis, Missouri
. The vessel had a 1930s streamlined, Art Deco
style, similar to the MV Kalakala and in contrast to the "gingerbread
" ornamentation of more traditional Mississippi passenger and pleasure steamers. At 374 feet (114 m) long and 92 feet (28 m) feet wide, the Admiral was longer than a city block, and the first all-steel inland steamer. At the time of its construction, the Admiral was the largest passenger vessel on U.S. inland waterways.
Currently, the boat is undergoing disposal of, as scrap metal.
from New Orleans to St. Paul, Minnesota. It brought exquisite service and fine musical entertainment to the area, introducing jazz
to St. Louis.
, and neither she nor Streckfus originally took the design seriously, but she would also design another vessel for Streckfus, the S.S. President, in 1934. The basis of the design of the Admiral was a ship built in 1907 for the Louisiana & Mississippi Valley Transfer Co. and operated at Vicksburg, MS. named ALBATROS. She was sold to Streckfus Steamers in 1937. From 1938-1940 Steamers Service Company built for more than $1,000,000 a ship with five decks, two of which were air-conditioned, an unheard-of luxury. Her steel hull was divided into 74 compartments, as many as 11 of which could be flooded with the boat still remaining afloat.
S.S. Admiral Partners bought the boat and completed a $30 million-plus renovation (The engines had been removed in 1979 and stripping the interior of much of its art deco trim and fittings). Since the early 1990's it has operated from moorings near Eads Bridge
as the President Casinos
. It boasts 1,230 slot machine
s, 59 gaming tables, 18 restrooms, and one restaurant. In the late 1980s, the boat was operated by Six Flags
, which decided to shut the venture down due to high costs.
s, which was traveling northbound on the Mississippi River through the St. Louis Harbor, struck the Missouri-side pier of the center span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away from the tow and drifted back through the Missouri span. Three of these barges drifted toward the Admiral. The drifting barges struck the Admiral, causing 8 of its 10 mooring lines to break. The Admiral then rotated clockwise downriver, away from the Missouri riverbank. The captain of the Anne Holly disengaged his vessel from the six remaining barges in the tow and placed the Anne Holly’s bow against the Admiral’s bow to hold it against the bank. About the time the Anne Holly began pushing against the Admiral, the Admiral’s next-to-last mooring line parted. The Anne Holly and the single mooring wire that remained attached to the Admiral’s stern anchor held the Admiral near the Missouri bank. No deaths resulted from the accident; 50 people were examined for minor injuries. Of those examined, 16 were sent to local hospitals for further treatment. Damages were estimated at $11 million. The quick response of the tow captain and emergency services prevented what may have been one of the most deadly marine disasters in history. The Mississippi River was over flood stage at the time of the accident and the ship would not have cleared the I-64 bridge just downstream. There were over 3000 people on board at the time. If the Admiral would have capsized when striking the bridge there would have been many people either trapped inside the flooding ship or in the frigid and turbulent river in the dark.
In August 2008, Pinnacle Entertainment, the owner, was considering moving the boat north to the area near the Chain of Rocks Bridge
. After the state refused to approve the deal, Pinnacle surrendered its gambling license and sold to St. Louis Marine in 2010. The top deck was removed. The complete dismantlement was delayed because the 2011 Mississippi River floods
made it impossible to transport it downstream under the Eads Bridge
. With the water dropping, St. Louis Marine announced plans on July 17, 2011 to move it to Columbia, Illinois
where the hull will be dismantled and sold for scrap.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
operating on
Steamboats of the Mississippi
Steamboats played a major role in the 19th Century development of the Mississippi River and its tributaries by allowing the practical large-scale transport of passengers and freight both up- and down-river. Using steam power, riverboats were developed during that time which could navigate in...
the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
from the Port of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The vessel had a 1930s streamlined, Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style, similar to the MV Kalakala and in contrast to the "gingerbread
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
" ornamentation of more traditional Mississippi passenger and pleasure steamers. At 374 feet (114 m) long and 92 feet (28 m) feet wide, the Admiral was longer than a city block, and the first all-steel inland steamer. At the time of its construction, the Admiral was the largest passenger vessel on U.S. inland waterways.
Currently, the boat is undergoing disposal of, as scrap metal.
Origin
Throughout the 1920s, Streckfus Steamers operated the J.S. Deluxe, a palatial boat which cruised the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
from New Orleans to St. Paul, Minnesota. It brought exquisite service and fine musical entertainment to the area, introducing jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
to St. Louis.
Construction
In 1933 they decided to construct a new flagship. The boat was designed by Maizie Krebs for Captain Joe Streckfus. The young Krebs was a fashion illustrator for the St. Louis department store Famous-BarrFamous-Barr
The Famous-Barr Co. , St. Louis, Missouri, was a division of Macy's, Inc. . It was formerly the hometown division of The May Department Stores Company, which was acquired by Federated on August 30, 2005. On February 1, 2006, it was subsumed into the newly created Macy's Midwest division.The...
, and neither she nor Streckfus originally took the design seriously, but she would also design another vessel for Streckfus, the S.S. President, in 1934. The basis of the design of the Admiral was a ship built in 1907 for the Louisiana & Mississippi Valley Transfer Co. and operated at Vicksburg, MS. named ALBATROS. She was sold to Streckfus Steamers in 1937. From 1938-1940 Steamers Service Company built for more than $1,000,000 a ship with five decks, two of which were air-conditioned, an unheard-of luxury. Her steel hull was divided into 74 compartments, as many as 11 of which could be flooded with the boat still remaining afloat.
Later history
She had a capacity of 4400 passengers, and departed on her first excursion cruise from the St. Louis waterfront in June of 1940. For decades she was a familiar sight on the river. In the winter of 1973 - 1974 she was converted to diesel-props, with a total of 2700 hp (three engines, one in each paddle box and one at the stern).S.S. Admiral Partners bought the boat and completed a $30 million-plus renovation (The engines had been removed in 1979 and stripping the interior of much of its art deco trim and fittings). Since the early 1990's it has operated from moorings near Eads Bridge
Eads Bridge
The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois....
as the President Casinos
President Casinos
President Casinos is a gaming company and casino operator based in St. Louis, Missouri that was active in the 1990s. In the 2000s it went into bankruptcy and is liquidating by the end of the decade.-History:...
. It boasts 1,230 slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s, 59 gaming tables, 18 restrooms, and one restaurant. In the late 1980s, the boat was operated by Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, which decided to shut the venture down due to high costs.
Accident
About 7:50 pm on 4 April 1998, a tow of the M/V Anne Holly, comprising 12 loaded and 2 empty bargeBarge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s, which was traveling northbound on the Mississippi River through the St. Louis Harbor, struck the Missouri-side pier of the center span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away from the tow and drifted back through the Missouri span. Three of these barges drifted toward the Admiral. The drifting barges struck the Admiral, causing 8 of its 10 mooring lines to break. The Admiral then rotated clockwise downriver, away from the Missouri riverbank. The captain of the Anne Holly disengaged his vessel from the six remaining barges in the tow and placed the Anne Holly’s bow against the Admiral’s bow to hold it against the bank. About the time the Anne Holly began pushing against the Admiral, the Admiral’s next-to-last mooring line parted. The Anne Holly and the single mooring wire that remained attached to the Admiral’s stern anchor held the Admiral near the Missouri bank. No deaths resulted from the accident; 50 people were examined for minor injuries. Of those examined, 16 were sent to local hospitals for further treatment. Damages were estimated at $11 million. The quick response of the tow captain and emergency services prevented what may have been one of the most deadly marine disasters in history. The Mississippi River was over flood stage at the time of the accident and the ship would not have cleared the I-64 bridge just downstream. There were over 3000 people on board at the time. If the Admiral would have capsized when striking the bridge there would have been many people either trapped inside the flooding ship or in the frigid and turbulent river in the dark.
21st century history
In June 2005, it was reported that Columbia Sussex Corp. wanted to buy the President Casino on the Admiral and replace it with a new vessel.In August 2008, Pinnacle Entertainment, the owner, was considering moving the boat north to the area near the Chain of Rocks Bridge
Chain of Rocks Bridge
The Chain of Rocks Bridge spans the Mississippi River on the north edge of St. Louis, Missouri. The eastern end of the bridge is on Chouteau Island, , while the western end is on the Missouri shoreline....
. After the state refused to approve the deal, Pinnacle surrendered its gambling license and sold to St. Louis Marine in 2010. The top deck was removed. The complete dismantlement was delayed because the 2011 Mississippi River floods
2011 Mississippi River floods
The Mississippi River floods in April and May 2011 were among the largest and most damaging recorded along the U.S. waterway in the past century, comparable in extent to the major floods of 1927 and 1993. In April 2011, two major storm systems deposited record levels of rainfall on the Mississippi...
made it impossible to transport it downstream under the Eads Bridge
Eads Bridge
The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois....
. With the water dropping, St. Louis Marine announced plans on July 17, 2011 to move it to Columbia, Illinois
Columbia, Illinois
Columbia is a city in Monroe and St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Illinois, about south of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 7,922 at the 2000 census.-History:...
where the hull will be dismantled and sold for scrap.
External links
- Look Back: The Admiral's Heyday, photos by St. Louis Post-Dispatach staff photographers