Louisville, Ky. -- The Army Corps of Engineers Motor Vessel Mississippi (MVM) will be available to tour Aug. 13 from 9 a.m.-noon in downtown Paducah at the mouth of the Tennessee River. The public may board the vessel at the Paducah city front, Broadway and Kentucky Ave.

The Motor Vessel Mississippi is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' flagship and the largest towboat in America. The 52-foot tall by 241-foot long vessel is primarily a working towboat. It weighs 2,600 tons and is powered by three Caterpillar 3,606 diesel engines and three generators.

The Motor Vessel Mississippi serves as a working towboat during the summer and fall – similar to a floating plant – assisting to place barge loads of articulated concrete mattress on the floor of the Mississippi River during revetment operations. The vessel also transports and houses the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) while the commission conducts a series of meetings aboard the boat at river communities or when they do inspections.

"We hope the public will come out and see this state-of-the-art tow boat.  It's a rare opportunity for the public to come aboard and learn about Ohio River navigation and our locks and dams," said Louisville District Commander Col. Luke Leonard.

The MRC, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. Three of the organization's members are officers of the Corps of Engineers; one member is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and three members are civilians, two of whom are civil engineers. The Commission recommends policy and work programs, studies and reports upon the necessity for modifications or additions to the flood control and navigation projects, recommends matters authorized by law, and makes semi-annual inspection trips. The duties of the Commission include the entire length of the Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minn., to Head of Passes, La., where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The Ohio River is a tributary of the Mississippi.