Avondale, Louisiana -- On April 8, 1995, Avondale's Boat division held Christening and Launching ceremonies for the Bally's BELLE OF NEW ORLEANS Casino Riverboat. Barry Heaps, Vice President and General Manager of the Boat Division, acted as Master of Ceremonies. After remarks by local dignitaries including Norbert Simmons, President of Bally's Lakeshore Casino Resort, the keynote speech was given by the Honorable Marc H. Morial, Mayor of the City of New Orleans. After the traditional champagne christening by sponsors Mrs. Ora Brooks and Mrs. Lucy Marsch the BELLE slid majestically into the waters of the Mississippi River. The BELLE OF ORLEANS will make its home at Southshore Harbor of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. Scheduled opening is summer 1995. The 350-foot long by 83-foot wide paddlewheeler will accommodate 2,450 passengers and 300 crew. Avondale's Boat Division's Engineering staff are the vessel's designers. The interior design is by Yates and Silverman and features an 1890s theme. The boat will feature 30,000 square feet of gaming space, and will have approximately 1,300 gaming positions. Total public area on the vessel is 48,000 square feet. The BELLE OF ORLEANS will also utilize a combination of paddlewheel and propellers for propulsion. Two 96-inch propellers will turn inside two 97" nozzles. The propeller drive engines are two Caterpillar 3508 DITA rates at 960 hp turning through Reintjes 7.47:1 Reverse Reduction Gears. The paddlewheel is powered by two 425 hp EPD DC electric drive systems. Three Caterpillar 3516 DITA 1500 kw generator sets will supply the main power. Emergency power is provided by one Caterpillar 3406 400 kw generator set. The vessel also features two bow thrusters and one stern thruster. All units are Schottel model STT-170 and each is driven by a 300 hp DC electric motor. Avondale currently has in-house designs for turn-of-the-century paddlewheel gaming vessels 210', 250', 280', 350', and 368'. At the current time, design work is being done on a 400' vessel. 200' to 400' modern ultra-yacht gaming and excursion designs are also available. Avondale has the facilities to design, construct, and drydock boats and barges up to 1100' in length. Gaming areas on current designs range from approximately 22,000 square feet to over 80,000 square feet. Avondale Industries, Inc., headquartered in New Orleans, is one of the nation's leading marine fabricators. In addition to its shipbuilding operations, the Company specializes in boat construction and is a major repair contractor for commercial and Navy ships. It is also involved in the modular construction of plants and components for a variety of land-based industries.