ROCK ISLAND, ILL. -- The Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, is inviting the public to join them for an open house 
to tour the Motor Vessel (M/V) Mississippi and learn more about the 
Corps of Engineers' role on the river.  The open house is scheduled 
for Monday, Aug. 4, 2008, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Muscatine 
City Front Dock in Muscatine, Iowa.  The public is encouraged to 
visit the open house at any time between the designated hours. 

The open house will be aboard the largest towboat ever built in the 
United States, the M/V Mississippi, and will feature displays 
focusing on the Corps' mission to apply engineering expertise to 
provide for navigation, flood protection, environmental restoration, 
emergency response, and to operate facilities and lands for the 
public good.  For those who are curious about the M/V Mississippi, 
the crew of the 52-foot tall vessel will provide brief presentations 
about their daily duties. The M/V Mississippi is primarily a working 
towboat that weights 2,600 tons and is powered by three Caterpillar 
3,606 diesel engines and three generators. The vessel is 241 feet 
long and holds 80,235 gallons of fuel. It visits the Upper 
Mississippi River once a year.  Its homeport is Memphis, Tenn.

For more information about the M/V Mississippi Open House, contact 
Justine Barati at 309-794-5204.

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