Tour
Port of Memphis & USACE - Ensley Engineer Yard
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Tour the International Port of Memphis, the second largest inland port on the shallow draft portion of the Mississippi River, and the 4th largest inland Port in the United States. The International Port of Memphis covers the Tennessee and Arkansas sides of the Mississippi River from river Mile 725 to mile 740. Within this 15 mile reach, there are 68 water fronted facilities, 37 of which are terminal facilities moving products such as: petroleum, tar, asphalt, cement, steel, coal, salt, fertilizers, rock & gravel, and of course grains. The International Port of Memphis is 400 river miles from St. Louis and 600 River miles from New Orleans and is ice free year round.
Ensley Engineer Yard, which covers 157 acres on the McKeller Lake, is primarily a shipyard, but also functions as a service area with repair shops, warehouses, storage yard and serves an area of approximately 25,000 square miles including portions of six states. District missions are directly related to navigation and flood control along 355 miles of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Construction of Ensley Engineer Yard began in 1949. Marine repairs began in 1954. All major structures were complete and the yard was in full operation in 1962. A main feature of the yard is the mooring facilities, usually referred to as the ""string out"." The string out is approximately 1.2 miles long and includes two floating dry-docks. The larger dry-dock is capable of holding a 2000-ton motor vessel. It is one of the largest floating dry-docks on the Mississippi River north of New Orleans.
During the "off season", usually January through May, the District's waterborne fleet is anchored at the yard for regularly scheduled maintenance and repairs. Between June and December, the fleet is normally engaged in routine channel maintenance and flood control projects.
The fleet consists of the Motor Vessel Mississippi, a 217 foot twin-diesel powered towboat which doubles as the flagship of the Mississippi River Commission, the dustpan dredge Burgess, towboats Strong and Goodwin, and four other floating units that make-up a revetment operation plant. The plant includes a quarter boat complex for housing and feeding workers, an articulated concrete mattress sinking unit, a mattress lading unit and a bank-grading unit. There are a number of other vessels both large and small supporting a variety of mission-oriented operations.
Landside operations at Ensley Engineer Yard include modern shops and facilities. Machine, pipe and plate shops support the District, along with electrical, carpentry and electronic-telecommunications shops and operations. A heavy equipment shop is available for maintenance and repair on trucks, tractors, cranes, graders, and similar heavy duty equipment. Warehouse facilities store a variety of items that range from construction materials to household supplies for shipboard use.
The replacement value of Ensley Engineer Yard is estimated at $200,000,000. There are 70 full time employees who work there year round and another 100 people employed during the "off season" for maintenance and repair work.
Ensley Engineer Yard is a complex operation that keeps a varied of equipment, supplies and people ready to go on a moment's notice, whether for routine work or an unexpected emergency.
Cost for tour: Early-bird - $25 until 10/13
Onsite - $40 after 10/13