RUSSELLVILLE -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District christened the new survey vessel "Peevy" on Monday afternoon in honor of one of the many dedicated workers who help ensure the functionality of the 50-year-old McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.
The Army Corps of Engineers, other system partners, top Arkansas-elected officials' staff members, and nearly 30 members of Robert Uyless Peevy's family gathered by the Arkansas River next to Dardanelle Lock and Dam, which became the first hydropower plant on the system in 1967.
Just before the christening, the Corps held a 50th anniversary media event to highlight the impact of the system that connects the U.S. heartland with the rest of the world.
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MKARNS 50th Anniversary and Ship Christening
The 50th anniversary of McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and the christening ceremony of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers new survey vessel "Peevy" on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at the Dardanelle Lock and Dam. The Peevy was named after Robert Peevy, who was a long-time boat captain for the Corps of Engineers.
"It's very fitting that we have this event simultaneously. We roughly christen a vessel once every 30 years, so this is an unique opportunity to recognize one of our own," said Col. Eric Noe, district engineer and commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District. "He was one of the unseen but unmistakably vital parts of the team that quietly works the river day in and day out, in good weather and bad, every day of our lives. This river runs every single day of the year.
"Robert Peevy is one of the guarantees of the hope that the [McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System] represents, and his legacy is going to live in this system for years and decades to come."
Peevy died Aug. 23, 2011, at the age of 60 after serving in the Navy and some 25 years with the Corps of Engineers as a boat operator on similar vessels to the one that now carries his name. Keynote speaker, coworker and close friend Zane Snider spoke of Peevy's knowledge of the river and safety as well as the dedication, loyalty, honesty and love he showed.
"He always kept an eye out for dangers," Snider said. "Whenever I got hired on he told me, 'If you'll watch my back, I'll watch yours,' and I believed him. Peevy was one of my best friends, and I miss him. It makes me proud to look back at this boat to see his name on it."
Thomas Peevy, one of Robert Peevy's five children, christened the vessel with a bottle of champagne. He said he didn't really know the details of what his father did growing up, but he learned the importance of getting up each day and going to work.
"He was a dedicated man to his work," daughter Terry Peevy said.
Currently, 200 employees work for the Little Rock District on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System to operate and maintain 13 locks and dams, two federal hydro-power plants, two pumping stations and 308 miles of navigation.
In all, the 445-mile navigation system that runs through Oklahoma and Arkansas provides more than 55,000 jobs and brings in $8.5 billion in annual sales and $289 million in taxes, said Stan Hastings, a member of the Little Rock Port Authority board of directors and the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System 50th Anniversary Celebration chairman for the Arkansas Oklahoma Port Operators Association.
On average, more than 12 million tons of goods are shipped on the navigation system each year, providing access to the global market at a competitive rate, said Cassandra Caldwell, director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission. Transportation along the waterway is also more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly than alternatives, she said.
The system also provides hydropower, recreation, water supply and fish and wildlife benefits that are critical to the economic and environmental welfare of the region.
"The system supports not only the economy in Oklahoma and Arkansas, but also many of the surrounding states as well, said Brigadier General Christopher Beck, commander and division engineer of the Southwestern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "It's a complex system that provides substantial value to the nation."