Guildford, CT based American Cruise Line (ACL) is really a fascinating line unlike no other.
American Cruise Lines was founded in 1972 by Charles A. Robertson, a visionary in the small-ship cruising industry, along with his wife, who played an integral role in the company’s early operations. The line stated as an affiliate of another company owned by the family, New England Steamboat Lines. This company offered day trips along the Connecticut river. ACL’s beginnings were humble yet ambitious. The Robertsons started with a tiny operation on the Connecticut River, where they offered hour-long sightseeing excursions. Charles ran the boat while his wife managed the ticket booth, setting the foundation for what would become a leading name in American cruising.
Starting operations in Haddam, CT the cruise line’s first foray into the overnight cruise market began with the very first American Eagle, being delivered in 1975 at the cost of $1.4m. She measured 80grt (note this is different than ‘gt’ that is used now-a-days). In order to be allowed to use non-unioned mariners, the vessel had to, by law, be smaller than 100grt. This is actually why we see all their ships around this size in terms of gross registered tons.
That was followed by the Independence in 1976, and then the America which was launched in 1982 from Chesapeake Shipbuilding. These original ships all utilized a similar design and layout. The America, for example, had 43 double, five single, and three triple staterooms. All cabins were located above the main deck, each with private amenities and a large, opening picture window. Just like their modern ships nowadays, there was the glass-enclosed Nantucket Lounge that gave passengers panoramic views and direct access to the forward sun deck at the ship’s bow. The America is even still sailing as the Safari Voyager for UnCruise.
As we approached the 1980’s we saw the line start to look at what the future would hold for them. This included new ships and new avenues of capitol. The line decided the first thing to do was a bit of a fleet refresh as their two oldest ships were around 10 years old now. The American Eagle and Independence were sold off in 1984 and 1985 respectively. This loss of berths and tonnage was quickly handled by the Savannah of 1983 and the Charleston, being delivered in 1987.
In July 1986, the cruise line decided to capitalize on the trend of cruise lines going public on the stock market. The line went public with an initial stock offering of 507,500 shares being offered. This raised them $4.4m to be put towards the construction of the M/V Charleston set to be delivered that next year.
Unfortunately, it was around this time that a slump in the domestic US smallship cruise market occurred as it just became too oversaturated. ACL had been posting losses during parts of 1985 and 1986. Part of it was redeemed and offset by the sale of the two oldest ships mentioned above, the Independence and the American Eagle, in 1985. However in November of 1987 the line filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and reorganized it’s operation and internal structure, however still posted a loss for the year 1988. The company took drastic cost cutting measures including laying up three of its ships during the winter months. In 1989, the line still struggled to pay off $18.6m of debt and declared chapter 7 bankruptcy with a full liquidation of their ships. The entire fleet was subsequently sold.
Throughout the early 1990’s there were no operations, however towards the late 90’s, Charles A. Robertson began to re-envision the line coming back and started drawing up plans for what a modern American Cruise Line would look like. This started with the with the construction and delivery of the second ship to be named American Eagle (II), launched in March of 2000 from the still Robertson owned Chesapeake Shipbuilding. After the new, modern vessel proved popular, they quickly built a second ship the American Glory (I), in 2002. Both ships came in at 143ft LOA, and at just over 85 pax. This officially marked the rebirth of the line and one of the greatest comebacks in the industry.
In 2004, the 40 person headquarters relocated from Haddam to Guilford, Connecticut. That next year they took delivery of the American Spirit. Currently the oldest ships still in service for the line, the Spirit is a slightly larger version of her two fleetmates at the time being able to carry 90pax and measuring 220ft LOA. Quickly thereafter they launched the 2007-built American Star, identical design, but adding one more cabin to deck 03, and the 2010-built Independence (II), which features a few more cabins on deck 01 and deck 02 featuring all cabins with private verandas.
When Majestic America Line was shut down in 2008, ACL was presented with an interesting opportunity and decided to take advantage of it. Several paddlewheel boats became available and ACL purchased the Queen of the West (later renamed to American West). This coincided with the building of their own paddlewheeler Queen of the Mississippi (Now called American Pride) launched in 2012.
An interesting sidebar here. ACL did in fact previously get into the Riverboat game with the launch of the 140-passenger New Orleans in 1985. Not much is known about the fate of this vessel or where she wound up.
In 2017 it was time to up the game even more and they decided to design a larger coastal cruise ship under the Constellation-class program. This saw the American Constellation and American Constitution delivered in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Also at this time was another first for the line in the design and delivery of a larger set of ships as part of the American Riverboat (a.k.a. Modern Riverboat) fleet. Drawing inspiration from the popular European-style modern riverboat, American Cruise Line debuted the first of it’s kind American Song in 2018 and quickly followed up by 4 other sisters in 2019, 2020, 2021, & 2022.
There was also another first after that fleet in Project Blue. You can check out our tour of the American Glory (II) for the full story on those Coastal Cat class of ships.
In 2024, American Queen Voyages (formerly American Queen Steamboat Company) ceased operations as their parent company Hornblower Group filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ACL wasted no time and quickly bought up all the assets they could. This includes the paddlewheel ships, American Queen, American Empress, American Countess, and American Duchess, as well as any and all trademarks they have. The total cost for this transaction was $6.3m. Interestingly enough ACL then decided to scrap the American Countess and American Duchess. Both ships were originally built as casino boats in 1995 and only retrofitted to be overnight vessel. The American Queen and American Empress remain in limbo.
At the end of 2024, they will have 29 ships total. Exponentially making them the largest American cruise line.
APPENDIX
American Cruise Line’s Original Fleet
| Name | Year Launched | Shipyard | Scantling Details | Passengers | Fate |
| American Eagle | 1975 | Harvey F. Gamage Shipyard, South Bristol, Maine | 80grt, 155ft LOA | 60 | Sold in 1984, renamed Island Clipper. Now sailing as Fantasía del Mar in Panama. |
| Independence | 1976 | Eastern (Marine) Shipbuilding, Boothbay Harbor, Maine | 94grt, 180ft LOA | 87 | Sold 1985 to Great Pacific Cruise Lines and renamed Columbia. Now sailing as now sailing as Wilderness Explorer |
| America | 1982 | Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Maryland | 99grt, 180ft LOA | 87 | Now sailing as Safari Voyager with UnCruise |
| Savannah | 1984 | Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Maryland | 77grt, 220ft LOA | 140 | Renamed Terra Australis, sank 2002 |
| New Orleans | 1985 | Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Maryland | 90grt, 220ft LOA | 140 | Fate unknown |
| Charleston | 1987 | Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Maryland | 77grt, 215ft LOA | 125 |
The first iteration of American Cruise Line
The second (and current) iteration of American Cruise Line
