The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, invites the public and media to attend a christening ceremony for the Motor Vessel Quincy at the Clat Adams Bicentennial Park in Quincy, Illinois, Friday, April 30, at noon. Following the ceremony, public tours of the vessel will be available until 4 p.m.
In addition to the tours being offered after the ceremony, park rangers will be onsite from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, April 29, to answer questions about the vessel and provide public tours. Closed-toe, flat-surface shoes are required for anyone wishing to tour the vessel and a facial cover is required for those attending the ceremony or participating in tours.
The new vessel is dedicated to the city of Quincy and joins the Mississippi River Structures Maintenance fleet located at the Mississippi River Project Office in Pleasant Valley, Iowa. It serves as the primary towing vessel for the fleet’s new Quad Cities Crane barge.
The M/V Quincy was built in 2008 by Orange Shipbuilding, of Orange, Texas, at a price just under $5 million. It was designed and contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Marine Design Center and previously owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District. It was originally named the M/V Gordon M. Stevens and served as part of the construction fleet for the Olmstead Lock and Dam.
The vessel is 124 feet long by 34 feet wide and is powered by two 1500 horsepower engines. Onboard accommodations include seven state rooms, which can accommodate up to 10 crew members, and a full galley.
The Mississippi River Project Office and its Mississippi River Structures Maintenance Fleet, which includes six vessels, maintains the infrastructure of the navigation system on 314 miles of the Upper Mississippi River from Guttenberg, Iowa, to Saverton, Missouri.
For more information about the christening ceremony, please contact the Rock Island District Corporate Communications office at (309) 794-5729.