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{|{{Infobox ship begin |display title=ital}}
|+''Delta King''
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Delta King.JPG
|size=300px
|alt=
|Ship caption=''Delta King'' moored in Sacramento
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship name=
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|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=1924
|Ship builder=*[[William Denny and Brothers|William Denny & Brothers]]
*California Transportation Company
|Ship original cost=$875,000
|Ship yard number=
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|Ship completed=
|Ship christened=20 May 1927
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=
|Ship type=
|Ship tonnage=1837 (gross)
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length={{convert|285|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|58|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|11|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
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|Ship deck clearance=
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|Ship power={{convert|2000|hp|abbr=on}} Compound steam
|Ship propulsion=[[paddle wheel|Sternwheel]]
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{{Infobox NRHP
| embed        = yes
| name         = ''Delta King''
| nrhp_type    =
| image        =
| caption      =
| nearest_city = [[Sacramento, California]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|38|34|58|N|121|30|25|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = California
| map_width    = 300
| built        = 1923
| architect    = California Transportation Co.
| architecture =
| added        = 31 March 1978
| area         = less than one acre
| refnum       = 78000797<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}
|}
'''''Delta King''''' is a {{convert|285|ft|m|adj=mid|-long [[paddle steamer|sternwheel steamboat]]}} and the sister ship of ''[[Delta Queen]]'', built in Glasgow, Scotland and Stockton, California for the California Transportation Company's service between [[Sacramento]] and [[San Francisco]], [[California]]. She entered service in 1927 and continued until 1940.  After wartime service with the United States Navy, ''Delta King'' served as an accommodation ship at [[Kitimat]], [[British Columbia]] in the 1950s and then returned to California for static use at Old Sacramento where she remains as a hotel, restaurant and venue.

==Design and construction==
The steel hull, up to the underside of number 2 deck and steam engines was ordered in April 1924 as Yard No.1168 from the [[William Denny and Brothers|William Denny & Brothers]] shipyard on the [[River Leven, Dunbartonshire|River Leven]] adjoining the [[River Clyde]] at [[Dumbarton]], [[Scotland]], and shipped on 8 November that year.<ref name="Denny">{{cite book|last1=Lyon|first1=David John|title=The Denny List, Part III|date=1975|publisher=National Maritime Museum|location=Greenwich, London|page=1168}}</ref> The paddle wheel shaft and cranks were supplied by [[Krupp|Krupp Stahlwerke AG]], Germany. Denny persuaded the owners to adopt the builder's own structure for steel girders, allowing traditional [[hog chains]] to be dispensed with.<ref name="Denny" /> ''Delta King'' was shipped in pieces to [[Stockton, California]] in November 1924 for assembly and completion by California Transportation at their yard at Banner Island, Stockton.<ref name="Denny" />

As designed, the hull of ''Delta King'' measured 1,150 [[Gross register tonnage|GRT]], and [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] 1,700 tons. She was {{convert|250|ft}} long, {{convert|77.1|ft}} wide, {{convert|11.8|ft}} and drew {{convert|7.0|ft}}, though this would have changed when the additional wooden decks and stern-wheel were added.<ref name="Denny" /> A pair of two-cylinder compound horizontal engines (Denny's Special Order 1090-1091) were designed to produce 1,500[[Horsepower#Indicated horsepower|ihp]], and steering was by four rudders; the stern wheel was constructed of [[fir]], with 28 arms and paddles.<ref name="Denny" /><ref name="NRHP" /> At Stockton the upper decks were completed and the ship fitted out. Above a main deck of [[Thailand|Siamese]] [[ironwood]] were two further decks constructed from [[oak]], [[teak]], [[mahogany]] and [[Cedar wood|cedar]]. Cabins were opulent and equipped with [[air conditioning]] and heating. The lower decks also carried freight and cars.<ref name="NRHP" />

==History==
When they entered service in 1927 on California Transportation Company's regular 10-hour [[Sacramento River]] service between San Francisco and Sacramento, and on excursions to Stockton on the [[San Joaquin River]], ''Delta King'' and ''Delta Queen'' were the most lavishly appointed and expensive sternwheel passenger boats ever commissioned. In the 1930s ownership passed to River Lines Inc.<ref name="NRHP" /> Driven out of service by a new [[highway]] linking Sacramento with San Francisco in 1940, the two vessels were laid up and then purchased by [[American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines|Isbrandtsen Steamship Lines]] for service out of [[New Orleans]], though this plan was abandoned when the [[United States Navy]] requisitioned the ships.<ref name="DANFS">{{cite web|title=Delta King|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/delta-king.html|website=DANFS|publisher=US Navy, Naval History and Heritage Command|access-date=24 April 2018}}</ref><ref name="DANFS2">{{cite web|title=Delta Queen|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/delta-queen.html|website=DANFS|publisher=US Navy, Naval History and Heritage Command|access-date=24 April 2018}}</ref>

In  November 1940 the two vessels were commissioned by the Navy for duty as a receiving ships for naval reservists in [[San Francisco Bay]] as USS ''Delta King'' (YHB-6) and USS ''Delta Queen'' (YHB-7) respectively.<ref name="DANFS" /><ref name="DANFS2" /> On 5 July 1944 she was redesignated YFB 55 as a naval ferry in the San Francisco area and on 17 April 1946 struck from naval service.<ref name="DANFS" /> <!--In the fall of 1941 ''Delta King'' returned to Stockton, but instead of returning to its regular passenger service she was sold to the [[Isbrandtsen Steamship Company]] of New York. ''Delta King'' was to be towed to the East Coast through the [[Panama Canal]] for use as an excursion boat on the Hudson River..... How does Delta King go from New York to British Columbia? When?  Did she ever get to New York? -->

[[File:Delta King Hotel, Sacramento, CA.jpg|thumb|The Delta King Hotel at dusk.]]

In the 1950s ''Delta King'' was towed to  serve as home to hundreds of men who were employees of the being constructed [[Rio Tinto Alcan|ALCAN]] Aluminum plant and the [[Kemano Dam]] power project in the early 1950s in Kitimat on the northern coast of British Columbia. The ship was used as a bunkhouse for the single men as the townsite was literally carved from the wilderness.   After changing hands several times, and while owned by Gus Skarakis et al. and berthed near [[Rio Vista, California]], ''Delta King'' was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978. By then the engines and paddle wheel had been scrapped and much of the interior stripped.<ref name="NRHP">{{cite web|title=Delta King|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/e1ebe321-aa1f-4708-93e5-79e6bfa4c903?branding=NRHP|website=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=United States National Park Service|access-date=24 April 2018}}</ref>

In 1981 she sank for unknown reasons while laid up in [[Richmond, California]] in the San Francisco Bay area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dowd |first=Katie |date=2022-08-07 |title=Bay Area river cruise with stops in Stockton, Sac starts at $6,000 |url=https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Bay-Area-river-cruise-costs-6000-17357489.php |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref> When raised a year later, it was later found the damage was minor, and she was [[Marine salvage|raised]] and began a five-year restoration costing $9 million.  Returned to Sacramento, she was re-opened on 20 May 1989.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Masullo|first1=Robert A.|title=Bee history: The ‘King’ returns to its original splendor|url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/history/article153083174.html|access-date=24 April 2018|work=The Sacramento Bee|date=3 June 2017}}</ref>

==Current uses==
Today, ''Delta King'' is permanently moored in Sacramento, California, and is home to a 44-room hotel, award-winning<ref name="dkw">{{cite web|title=Sacramento Restaurants Downtown Old Sacramento Fine Dining Romantic - Pilothouse Restaurant Getaway Delta King |publisher=Delta King |url=http://deltaking.com/index.php/component/content/article/126 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130813233042/http://deltaking.com/index.php/component/content/article/126 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 13, 2013 |year=2012 |access-date=August 13, 2013 }}</ref> restaurant and Capital Stage, a resident professional theater company. "Delta Kings" and "Delta Queens" are the mascots of [[Stagg High School (Stockton, California)|Stagg High School]] in Stockton, California.

==See also==
*[[List of ships built by William Denny and Brothers]]

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==References==

* {{cite web |url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/CA/Solano/state.html |title=California - Solano County |work=State listings |publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]] |access-date=2012-10-08}}
*{{cite web
|url={{NRHP url|id=78000797}}
|title=National Register of Historic Places—Nomination Form / Delta King
|format=pdf
|last=Cereghino
|first=Edward J.
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|date=30 June 1977
|access-date=2012-10-08
}}
**{{cite web
|url={{NRHP url|id=78000797|photos=y}}
|title=Accompanying Photo
|format=pdf
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|access-date=2012-10-08
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Garvey|first1=Stan|title=King & Queen of the river : the legendary paddle-wheel steamboats Delta King and Delta Queen|date=1995|publisher=River Heritage Press|location=Menlo Park, CA|isbn=0964251337|edition=1st|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/kingqueenofriver00garv}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Delta King (ship, 1927)}}
* {{cite web |url=http://deltaking.com |title=Delta King Hotel}}
* {{cite web |url=http://maritimematters.com/2010/06/the-delta-king-california%E2%80%99s-monarch-by-shawn-j-dake/ |title=The DELTA KING California's Monarch |publisher=Maritime Matters|first=Shawn |last=Dake |date=27 June 2010}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.steamboats.org/steamboat-pictures/delta-king.html |title=Delta King Sacramento, CA |publisher=steamboats.org}}

{{NRHP in Sacramento County, California}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{California Steamboats}}

[[Category:Paddle steamers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Steamboats of California]]
[[Category:1927 ships]]
[[Category:Ships of American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Sacramento, California]]