Reign of Lantern Queen Comes to End on Susquehanna

Becky and Carroll Fitzgerald, owners of the Lantern Queen riverboat, said Friday that the boat docked off Hutchins Park would be retiring.

In a letter to the public, the Fitzgeralds said that to stay in commission, the Lantern Queen would require costly repairs that exceeded her worth. During her reign along the Chesapeake, the riverboat hosted more than 52,000 guests, according to the letter, posted in full below:

“It is with great sadness that we announce the retirement of the Lantern Queen Riverboat.

“The Lantern Queen was pulled from service on July 7, 2014, for a regular 5-year out of water USCG inspection. Both the owners and U.S. Coast Guard personnel were shocked to find extensive electrolytic pitting (galvanic corrosion*) throughout the hull. Electrolytic pitting compromises the safety of the vessel by thinning the hull’s metal to an unsafe thickness. After intensive surveys and estimates, it was determined that the very expensive repairs would exceed the vessel’s worth.

“Owners Carroll & Becky Fitzgerald will miss sharing our region’s beauty and history with so many visitors to our area. During the Fitzgeralds’ management, the Lantern Queen hosted more than 52,000 people on over 1,000 cruises, and raised the bar for onboard cuisine throughout the Chesapeake region.

“During the next few weeks, all customers will be notified, and deposits and ticket purchases refunded.

“The Fitzgeralds would like to thank our family, crew and customers for helping to make the Lantern Queen Riverboat such a popular attraction.

*Galvanic corrosion is the corroding of metal under the influence of an electric current. Every type of metal has a difference in potential with respect to other metals. If components made of two different metals are dipped into a liquid conductor (electrolyte) and short-circuited, a (low) current will flow between them. This will result in corrosion of the metal with the lowest potential, eventually dissolving it completely. This means that any low-voltage current in the water could have caused this pitting.

NOTE: This kind of current does not pose a safety threat to swimmers or boaters—just two different metals.

Have you been on the Lantern Queen? Share your memories in the comments!