Chicago's Little Lady Debuts

Mercury Skyline Sightseeing Boats has christened and placed into service its newest vessel, Chicago's Little Lady. Built by Freeport Shipbuilding of Freeport, Fla., the 149-passenger craft is classically styled, inspired by the perpendicular stem, graceful sheer and round stern of vessels such as former presidential yacht Sequioa. With a 17-ft. draft, the vessel can slip under the downtown bridges on the Chicago River, while the 120 passengers on the open upper deck have an unobstructed view of the city's architecture. Little Lady will be used extensively for narrated architectural cruises, beginning at Mercury Skyline's landing at Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue on the Chicago River. The vessel's hull measures 68 x 23 x 8.5 ft., and is constructed of steel to ABS specifications. The two Cummins 6CTA8.3-M1 engines are fitted with Twin Disc MG-507 gearboxes. The engines are resilient mounted and the engine room is acoustically insulated for a quiet, smooth ride. Two Cummins 40-kW diesel generators provide electric power for the air conditioning, lighting and all hotel facilities.