American Cruise Lines has purchased all four of the paddlewheelers that had been part of the American Queen Voyages fleet.
AQV ceased operations on Feb. 20, and a Chapter 11 filing by the U.S. river cruise line and its parent, Hornblower Holdings, shortly followed. ACL purchased the ships out of bankruptcy.
ACL purchased the American Queen -- the largest and flagship vessel in the former AQV fleet -- along with the American Empress, American Countess and American Duchess. The U.S.-flagged ships sailed on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, and the Colombia and Snake rivers.
The American Empress sailed the Columbia and Snake rivers for American Queen Voyages. Photo Credit: American Queen Voyages
"American Cruise Lines is pleased to be the successful bidder for AQV's river vessels," American Cruise Lines said in a statement. "We look forward to announcing additional details after this portion of the Hornblower Holdings bankruptcy process concludes."
The American Queen netted the highest price at $2.15 million, while the American Empress and American Countess were purchased for $1.6 million apiece. The American Duchess was purchased for $200,000.
The American Queen debuted in 1995 and was extensively refurbished in 2013. The American Empress debuted in 2003 and underwent a major refurbishment in 2014.
The American Duchess was built as a casino boat in 1995 and was reconstructed as a river cruise vessel in 2017. The American Countess also was built as a casino boat in 1995 and converted to an overnight ship in 2021.
The American Countess paddlewheeler. Photo Credit: American Queen Voyages
Guilford, Connecticut-based ACL also purchased the intellectual property of American Queen Voyages -- including all associated trademarks, website domain names and certain business records -- for $750,000.
American Cruise Lines paid a total of $6.3 million in cash for AQV's assets, according to court documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston.
A hearing date to finalize the sale has been set for April 4 in Houston.
AQV's former Great Lakes vessels, the Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager, went to auction on April 1.
ACL's paddlewheeler fleet will rise to eight, as the company already had four of them.