Motor Vessel Mississippi Fact Sheet

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Motor Vessel Mississippi LARGEST DIESEL TOWBOAT EVER BUILT IN THE UNITED STATES

Vessel Specifications: Built – 1993 Halter Marine Length: 241 ft.

Beam (width): 58 ft.

Design Draft: 8 ft.

Hull Depth: 12 ft.

Displacement: 2135 tons Height of vessel from water line to top of pilot house (fully loaded with fuel & water): 52 feet 1.5 inches Main Engines: Main Generators: Emergency Generator: Propellers: Propeller shaft: Fuel: Lube oil tanks: Potable water tanks: Filtered water tanks: Fuel consumption (with 16 barge tow): Design speed:

3 3 1 5 10 59,884 20,352 4,882 5,955 34,124 12,336

Caterpillar 3606 Diesels (6276 hp. total) Caterpillar 3408 diesels @ 350 K.W. Caterpillar 3306 diesel @ 180 K.W. Blade 93” dia. X 97.5” pitch Center 99.5” pitch starboard & port Inch diameter (nominal) Gallons — Forward tanks Gallons — Aft tanks Gallons — Day tank Gallons Gallons Gallons

6,270 Gallons per day 15 MPH (slack water, light boat) 8 MPH (with tow) Crew: 35 MRC Hearing Room capacity: 150

http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/

Corps Facts Mississippi River Commission and Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI Mississippi River Commission Following several decades of constitutional squabbles, engineering disputes and regional bickering dating back to the early 1800’s, Congress recognized the need to harmonize river improvements through a central organization. On June 28, 1879, the federal legislature, assisted by the efforts of a congressional coalition of navigation and flood-control interests, established the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) as an executive body.

The President of the United States appoints the MRC, which is mandated to have three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ officers, one member from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and three civilians, two of whom must be civil engineers. The work of the MRC is directed by its president, commander of the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division, and carried out by the six Army Engineer districts at St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.: St. Louis, Mo; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New Orleans, La. The general duties of the MRC include the recommendation of policy and civil works programs along the river, the study of and reporting upon the necessity for modifications or additions to the inspection trips and holding public hearings. Each year, the commission takes a high– and low–water inspection trip on board the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI. During each inspection trip, the commission hosts several public hearings in different river towns along the way.

Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI Today’s Motor Vessel (MV) MISSISSIPPI, built in 1993 by Halter Marine, is the fifth Corps of Engineers’ towboat to bear the name. It is the biggest diesel towboat in the United States at 241 feet long and 58 feet wide with nearly 6,300 horsepower.

The MV MISSISSIPPI has 22 staterooms and can accommodate 44 overnight passengers. The conference room seats 150 people and is used for public meetings, commission and Congressional meetings. The vessel’s dining room seats 90.

The MV MISSISSIPPI spends more than 90 percent of its time as a working towboat for the Memphis District, moving barges, equipment, and supplies on the Mississippi River. However, it also stands ready to serve as a floating command post as it did during the Hurricane Katrina emergency response effort.