A US Army Corps of Engineers river vessel will be named after a civil engineer who worked in the Memphis Division before he died of cancer last year, officials said.
Corps officials plan to christen the Survey Vessel Chasteen in a ceremony Tuesday on the Mississippi River, the Corps announced in a news release Monday.
The ship will be named after Darian S. Chasteen, who worked for 30 years in navigation, flood control and environmental stewardship in the vast district of Memphis.
Chasteen played an important role in advancing the science of river engineering “to help shape the Mississippi River into a safe and navigable waterway,” the Corps said.
The Chasteen is a 28 foot long enclosed cabin vessel with two 300 horsepower engines. It is used for multibeam hydrographic surveys, velocity measurements and river flow measurements, the Corps said.
Memphis District Commander Col. Brian D. Sawser will preside over the ceremony. Chasteen’s loved ones are to attend.
The district covers an area of 25,000 square miles (64,749 square kilometers) in parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky. The district manages levees, tributaries, harbors, and shipping channels connected to the Mississippi and White Rivers.
