TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – A paddle wheel boat built in Dubuque back in 1969 that was out of commission for about four-years, has returned to cruising the Alabama’s Black Warrior River. The popular “Bama Belle,” which was repaired under its new owner, Jasper, Alabama-area businessman Craig Dodson, has begun offering weekend cruises.

The 90-foot long, 54-ton Bama Belle, which can carry 149 passengers, has been part of Tuscaloosa’s river scene since 2001, but it stopped offering cruises in June 2012 after holes developed in the engine cooling systems’ coolers on the bottom of the boat, causing an engine to fail.

After it was built in Iowa, the Belle was christened as the “Captain Ann,” but later renamed “Emerald Queen,” and was based in Destin, Florida. In 2001, the boat was renamed the Bama Belle and brought to Tuscaloosa.

The “Bama Belle” and its owner Craig Dodson (A-P photo)