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The Mississippi River System, also referred to as the Western Rivers, is a mostly riverine network of the United States which includes the Mississippi River and connecting waterways. The Mississippi River is the largest drainage basin in the United States. [3] In the United States, the Mississippi drains about 41% of the country's rivers. [4]
A Mississippi River System-type riverboat, from an 1850s daguerrotype. A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes , rivers , and artificial waterways . They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for ...
The Mississippi River [b] is the primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. [c] [15] [16] From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it flows generally south for 2,340 miles (3,766 km) [16] to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico.
After the development of railroads, passenger traffic gradually switched to this faster form of transportation, but steamboats continued to serve Mississippi River commerce into the early 20th century. A small number of steamboats are still used for tourist excursions in the 21st century.
While the majority of the discharge of the Mississippi River flows through these mouths, a portion of the river flows out of the Atchafalaya River mouth, and a small portion continues to seep out of the 200 miles (300 km) of the Delta shoreline. [3] During the American Civil War, Head of Passes was the site of several naval battles.
A tow may consist of four or six barges on smaller waterways and up to over 40 barges on the Mississippi River below its confluence with the Ohio River. A 15-barge tow is common on the larger rivers with locks , such as the Ohio, Upper Mississippi, Illinois and Tennessee rivers.
Larger boats can run this segment of the river with the maximum tow size of 42 barges southbound and 40+ northbound. A typical River tow might be 35 to 42 barges, each about 200 feet (61 m) long by 35 feet (11 m) wide, configured in a rectangular shape 6 to 7 barges long and 5 to 6 barges wide, depending on the number of barges in tow.
Port: the left side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "starboard"). [1] Starboard: the right side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "port"). [1] Stern: the rear of a ship (opposite of "bow"). [1] Topside: the top portion of the outer surface of a ship on each side above the waterline. [1] Underdeck: a lower deck of a ...