Army Corps in Memphis to name vessel in honor of engineer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers river vessel will be named in honor of 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 said in a news release Monday.
The vessel will be named after Darian S. Chasteen, who worked for 30 years on navigation, flood control and environmental stewardship in the expansive Memphis district.
Chasteen played a large role in the advancement of river engineering science “to help shape the Mississippi River into a safe, navigable waterway,” the Corps said.
The Chasteen is an enclosed cabin, 28-foot-long vessel with twin 300-horsepower engines. It is used for multibeam hydrographic surveys, velocity measurements and discharge measurements of the river, the Corps said.
Memphis District Commander Col. Brian D. Sawser will officiate the ceremony. Chasteen’s relatives are scheduled 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 navigation channels connected to the Mississippi and White rivers.
