Six months after leaving Chattanooga, owners of the Delta Queen steamboat announced Thursday afternoon that the boat has a new home port in Kimmswick, Mo., just outside St. Louis.
Kimmswick will also be home of the Delta Queen Steam Boat Company’s headquarters.
The Delta Queen is expected to create around 170 jobs in the greater-St. Louis area and bring in more than $36 million.
The boat is expected to make river cruises, stopping in more than 80 U.S. ports.
The Delta Queen was moored near Coolidge Park in Chattanooga for seven years, after arriving in 2008 with the announcement that it would live on as a hotel and bar.
The boat suffered extensive damage in the winter of 2014 and remained closed to the public until its departure from the city.
The Delta Queen’s new owners hope to have the vessel restored, a Congressional exemption for overnight travel in hand and passengers booked by next year.