Sacramento calls on cruise to bring historic ship to town

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) ― The city of Sacramento is calling for a river cruise company to bring a historic vessel to the Sacramento River.

The Sacramento Bee reports that during the recession city officials helped keep Hornblower Cruises & Events afloat. Now, officials are asking the company to keep its end of the bargain and bring a paddleboat or steam-driven vessel to town.

Sacramento Director of Convention and Cultural Services says they want the historic vessel to be in the water by April 1 and doing commercial business by May 1.

City documents show Sacramento issued Hornblower a notice of default last year for failure to operate a historic vessel. The cruise company now operates a modern boat called Capitol Hornblower in Old Sacramento.

Hornblower officials did not return requests for comment.