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ALTON - Area residents were fascinated Saturday afternoon with the open house tour of the nation's largest diesel towboat, the Motor Vessel MV Mississippi, at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton.
The towboat tour was from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 7, 2021, and a large group gathered for the event. Those who visited inside were fascinated by the space and contents.
John Baccuzzi, Captain of the MV Mississippi, said: "The Motorboat Mississippi was built in 1993, and this is the largest towboat ever built in the country. It is 241 feet long and 58 feet wide. The vessel is used to conduct inspection trips of river commission, and the other time we are a working towboat. Today was a good chance for people to come aboard and learn exactly what we do."
The Corps of Engineers said for safety and COVID-19 concerns, groups were limited to 10, on a first-come-first-serve basis, with a maximum limit of 80 visitors allowed on board at any time, and all were required to wear a mask.
The MV MISSISSIPPI is a 6,300 horsepower vessel serves as a working towboat 90 percent of the time. The vessel houses 22 staterooms, a dining room that seats 85, and a conference room that seats 115 people. The Mississippi River Commission flagship can accommodate 150 passengers.
"The vessel’s primary mission is to move barges in support of bank stabilization work on the lower Mississippi River," the Corps of Engineers said. "Each spring and late summer, the MRC conducts a series of public meetings aboard the vessel."
The MRC, established in 1879, uses the MV MISSISSIPPI to host public hearings, a process unique to the MRC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The hearings allow the public a greater voice in shaping federal policy by discussing their concerns with those individuals responsible for improving the condition of the river, fostering navigation, promoting commerce, and reducing flood risk along the watershed.
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