Historic Delta Queen steamboat to be riverfront hotel in Tenn.

CINCINNATI -- An 82-year-old steamboat that's been designated as a National Historic Landmark is poised to make a final trip to its new position as a riverfront hotel.

The Delta Queen, which once ran up and down the Mississippi River but docked in Cincinnati, will leave its winter home in New Orleans on Wednesday for Chattanooga, Tenn. In October, the mostly wooden boat -- the last of its kind -- lost its exemption to operate overnight river cruises for up to 176 passengers.

Federal law prohibits such boats from carrying more than 50 overnight passengers.

The boat was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, but the exemption to continue operations requires annual renewal. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, a Cape Girardeau Republican, was among lawmakers from districts along the Mississippi River to support the extension, joining 195 members of Congress to vote for it April 24; 208 voted against the amendment.

Critics have objected to the exemption, saying the boat was a fire hazard and that its crew should be unionized.

Vicki Webster, a freelance writer who moved from St. Louis to Cincinnati to help the boat's preservation efforts, has fought since 1970 to keep the Delta Queen running.

"I can't imagine the river without her," said Webster. "When she's gone, so much will be lost."

Webster plans to continue lobbying lawmakers to renew its exemption through a grassroots campaign, "Save the Delta Queen Campaign."

The boat has been placed on the America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list.

Delta Queen's final visit to Cape Girardeau was Oct. 28, three days before it made its final stop in New Orleans, where it remains docked.

The riverboat's California-based owners, Ambassadors International, have not said whether they would continue the cruises or return the boat to Ohio even if the exemption is granted.