The Mississippi Queen makes its way downstream after departing Cincinnati on Wednesday. The riverboat, one of three operated by the Delta Queen Steamboat Co., is based in New Orleans. The others are the Delta Queen, formerly based in Cincinnati, and the American Queen. The Mississippi Queen, the second-largest riverboat in the world, is a true paddlewheeler with a 70-ton paddlewheel. Commissioned July 25, 1976, it is 382 feet long, has 207 staterooms, and can carry 420 passengers and 165 crew members. (Michael E. Keating photo)