VESSEL REVIEW | Miss Agnes – US Army Corps of Engineers acquires compact survey boat

Alabama-based Silver Ships recently delivered a new custom-built aluminium workboat to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Named Miss Agnes, the newbuild honours the late Agnes Goodman Zaiontz, who was a member of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority since its opening in 1985. Zaiontz began her time with the authority as a local volunteer to help coordinate the waterway's inauguration in June 1985. She later became a full-time employee and ultimately served 34 years with the authority.

The 28.5- by 8.5-foot (8.6- by 2.5-metre) boat will be used primarily for hydrographic surveys of some portions of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway that passes through Mississippi and Alabama. The vessel is custom designed for the USACE Mobile District to perform surveys of inland waterways and other related activities in shallow draught conditions in the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. This mission-specific vessel provides a stable work platform that will allow the Mobile District to efficiently collect and document accurate data when conducting hydrographic surveys of the waterway.

The vessel is powered by two Mercury SeaPro 200hp (149kW) outboards and also features a double-jack plate that can control both engines simultaneously when they are raised or lowered into the water. Also fitted are multi-beam and single beam echosounders and a survey station with three monitors.

The pilothouse has an AC unit powered by a separate generator.

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