The newest cruise ship for American Cruise Lines was launched Saturday at Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md., ACL announced Tuesday.
The 170-passenger American Constellation was launched into the Wicomico River before being assisted by tugboats to Chesapeake’s 76'x300' East Outfitting Basin where the upper decks will be added and outfitting will be completed.
“The launching of American Constellation could not have gone any better,” said Timothy Beebe, vice president of ACL. “The team at Chesapeake Shipbuilding has done a fantastic job realizing our vision for this new cruise ship. We are thrilled that the construction of American Constellation continues to be well ahead of schedule.”
ACL said the ship was launched just a few weeks after the two major hull sections were joined. Upon the addition of the upper decks and outfitting, the completed vessel will become the ninth ship in the ACL fleet.
The American Constellation is scheduled to begin cruises in the spring of 2017, offering a variety of East Coast itineraries including the Maine coast and harbors, Chesapeake Bay, New England islands, Hudson River, and others.
In March, Chesapeake delivered ACL’s eighth ship, the 296’ riverboat America. It's powered by two Caterpillar 3512 main engines with stern mounted Z-drive units from ZF Marine and three Cat C18 generators producing a combined 1275 Kw. The America offers paddlewheel cruises on the Mississippi River.
