Showboat Branson Belle on Table Rock Lake in 2012
History
Owner	Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
Launched	August 12, 1994 (29 years ago) (1994-08-12)
Christened	April 13, 1995 (28 years ago) (1995-04-13)
General characteristics
Type	Riverboat/showboat
Tonnage	1250 tons
Length	278 ft (85 m)
Beam	78 ft (24 m)
Height	112 ft (34 m) (to top of stacks)
Draught	7 ft (2.1 m)
Installed power	2 Detroit Diesel 16V92 (original)[2] 3 Caterpillar C32 (repower)[3]
Propulsion	2 twin electric driven rear paddle wheels, 16 ft (4.9 m) wide, 24 ft (7.3 m) in diameter[1]
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Capacity	700 passengers

Showboat Branson Belle is a riverboat—more specifically, a showboat—on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. The lake is landlocked by the Table Rock Dam on one side and the Beaver Lake Dam on the other side. Being a showboat, it hosts lunch and dinner shows throughout the year.

Construction and launch

The boat was constructed at its port at White River Landing and was launched on August 12, 1994. The boat was launched into Table Rock Lake at a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on launching rails lubricated with two tons of bananas. The bananas were used for lubrication because they were biodegradable and would not have polluted Table Rock Lake as grease would have. The boat is claimed by its owner to be the largest ship on a landlocked lake in the United States.^[4]

Incidents

On December 11, 2010, due to high winds that had come up suddenly, the Showboat Branson Belle ran aground while cruising on Table Rock Lake. The incident stranded 567 passengers and 76 crew members overnight.^[5]