American Cruise Lines is scrapping the American Countess and American Duchess, two of the four U.S. river cruise ships acquired in the American Queen Voyages bankruptcy proceedings last month, Travel Weekly has confirmed.
As first reported by Seatrade Cruise News, the paddlewheelers Countess and Duchess "are in Louisiana and will be recycled, with some furniture, art and other works currently in the process of being removed."
Seatrade reported that American Cruise Lines is evaluating plans for the American Queen and American Empress, the two other paddlewheelers that ACL acquired out of bankruptcy.
In a statement, American Cruise Lines said, "American Cruise Lines remains focused on modernizing and elevating the domestic cruise industry with new ships, large staterooms, modern technology, and rigorous environmental standards. We have recycled the former AQV vessels Countess and Duchess. We continue to evaluate options for the Queen, including the possibility of donation to a municipal or nonprofit entity."
American Cruise Lines was the only qualified bidder on American Queen Voyages assets, paying a total of $6 million.
The company purchased the American Queen for $2.15 million, the American Countess and American Empress for $1.6 million apiece, the American Duchess for $200,000, and AQV's intellectual property for $750,000.
The 436-passenger American Queen was AQV's flagship and had been the largest -- and most prestigious -- paddlewheeler in the cruise business before AQV ceased operations in February. The 223-passenger American Empress operated cruises on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
The two paddlewheelers being scrapped, the American Duchess and American Countess, had old bones but were redone in recent years. American Duchess was built as a casino boat in 1995 and reconstructed as a river cruise vessel in 2017. American Countess also was built as a casino boat in 1995 and was converted to a cruise ship in 2021.