Rock Island, Ill. -- (Aug 4, 2011) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, invites the public and media to join the Mayor of Rock Island and the Corps for a christening ceremony of its newest vessel, the Motor Vessel Rock Island, on August 9 at 1 p.m., at Locks and Dam 15 on Rock Island Arsenal.
The event will include tours of the vessel following the ceremony. Those who attend will need photo identification to access the Rock Island Arsenal and should plan to enter the Arsenal through the Davenport entrance just off of the Government Bridge. Parking for the event will be available at the Mississippi River Visitor Center adjacent to Locks and Dam 15. Overflow parking is available in the parking lot east of the Visitor Center.
The new vessel is dedicated to the city of Rock Island and joins the Mississippi River Structures and Maintenance fleet located at the Mississippi River Project Office in Pleasant Valley, Iowa. It serves as a Tender Vessel.
The M/V Rock Island was delivered to the Rock Island District in June by Patti Marine Enterprises, an award-winning shipyard in Pensacola, Fla. She is 65 by 24 feet and is powered by two 600 horsepower C-18 Caterpillar Engines. It was designed and contracted through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Marine Design Center in Philadelphia.
The vessel, which replaces the previously- named M/V Rock Island built in 1970, has two state rooms that can accommodate up to six crew members and a full galley on board. As a Tender Vessel, the M/V Rock Island will maneuver a variety of crane and service barges on short and long range tows to aid units engaged in maintenance and repair activities on the river throughout the Rock Island District.
The Mississippi River Project Office and its Mississippi River Structures and Maintenance Fleet maintain the infrastructure of the navigation system on 314 miles of the Upper Mississippi River from Guttenberg, Iowa, to Saverton, Mo. There are six vessels in the fleet.
For more information about the christening ceremony, please contact Allen Marshall at (309) 794-5204.
Release no. 11-08-31