Information AboutDiscovery I |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DISCOVERY I | |
| fairbanks, alaska | |
| paddle steamers | |
The ''Discovery I'' is the smallest of three stern-wheel riverboats operated by the Riverboat Discovery in Fairbanks, Alaska . Built in 1955 , the ''Discovery I'' is a tour vessel on the Chena and Tanana rivers. HISTORY ''Discovery I'' was built by Captain Charles M. ("Jim") Binkley Jr., who had started a tour business on the rivers near Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1950. For the first five years of operation, Binkley used a converted missionary boat, the ''Godspeed'', to conduct the tours. By 1954, Binkley was in need of a larger boat due to increased passenger volume, and made plans to build a stern-wheel riverboat similar to ones he had piloted earlier in his career as a riverboat captain. Madonna, James. 1999. ''Alaska Gold Trails: The Pioneers''. A.P. Publishing, Fairbanks, Alaska. ISBN 1-891733-08-7, p. 31 After drawing up plans with a local architect, Binkley began construction of ''Discovery I'' in his back yard during the winter of 1955. The boat was complete early the next summer, and Captain Binkley put the newly christened ''Discovery I'' into immediate use in his tour business. The initial passenger capacity of ''Discovery I'' was 49, but within a few years Binkley had expanded the boat's capacity twice. These expansions raised the number of passengers the vessel could carry to 80, and then to 150. The ''Discovery I'' served as the Riverboat Discovery's main tour boat for 16 years, from its construction in 1955 to the construction of ''Discovery II'' in 1971. After ''Discovery II'' took over as the primary sternwheeler for the company, ''Discovery I'' was kept on in a standby status until the construction of ''Discovery III'' in 1987. After the construction of ''Discovery III'', ''Discovery I'' 's license was surrendered, and for the next fourteen years, ''Discovery I'' was dry-docked. During the tenure of ''Discovery I'' 's dry-docking, periodic repairs and maintenance were performed, and in 2000, the Riverboat Discovery company brought her back into the fleet for the company's 50th anniversary. Since 2000, ''Discovery I'' has been maintained by the Riverboat Discovery as a periodic tour vessel. Due to the relatively small capacity of ''Discovery I'', she is no longer used for the company's regular tours, but takes on passengers on a semi-regular basis for special tours and charters. TRIVIA -The wheelhouse on the ''Discovery I'' was originally from the freighting sternwheeler ''Idler'', a freighting sternwheeler built in Fairbanks in 1910. The ''Discovery I'' was constructed with a design and dimensions similar to the ''Idler''. -Captain Jim Binkley originally built two smokestacks for the ''Discovery I'', but converted the boat to a single smokestack because he felt that it would be more historically accurate. -Binkley planned to expand the capacity of ''Discovery I'' beyond 150 through further remodeling, but the Coast Guard hesitated to certify the vessel for more passengers. The decision by the Coast Guard that ''Discovery I'' had reached its maximum passenger capacity precipitated the construction of ''Discovery II''. NOTES |
|
|