Mobile, Ala. -The Mobile District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers will christen its newest vessel on Mar. 30 at 1:30 p.m. at 180 Chewalla Dr. Eufaula, Alabama near the U. S. Coast Guard Station. The 58 foot long, 770 horsepower vessel will be named the Motor Vessel General Irwin in honor of William Irwin. Mr. Irwin was a businessman, landowner, and a commander of the Alabama militia during the Indian Wars of the early 1800’s. Mr. Irwin also developed the first river landing in Eufaula on the Chattahoochee which contributed to booming growth for Eufaula during that time period.
The General Irwin will house a crew of three and will be used in combination with the crane barge to maintain the waterway and other facilities on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Rivers Project. The General Irwin and barges will be used primarily for moving heavy equipment in support of maintenance work on locks and dams; digging silt and rock from boating channels; removing driftwood and debris from hydropower intakes; and driving piling.
The General Irwin will be open for tours immediately following the christening ceremony and throughout the weekend. The boat tour is included as one of the stops on the Eufaula Pilgrimage and will follow that schedule. Also open to tours at the same location will be the Coast Guard Vessel 64 Aids to Navigation Boat.
Release no. 12-004