Posted on April 15, 2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Memphis District team gathered at Ensley Engineer Yard (EEY), April 2 to christen its newly constructed dry dock in honor of Billy Manley, a former employee who served as yards and docks chief for five years until his passing in 2020.
Ensley Engineer Yard skilled tradesmen use dry docks approximately 310 days a year to repair and maintain marine vessels belonging to the Memphis District, several sister districts, and Memphis District partner agencies.
Before joining the Memphis District in 2014, Manley served in the United States Army for over 25 years and the U.S. Army Reserves for another 27. He started as a supervisor at EEY before his promotion to yards and docks chief in 2015. Manley would serve in the chief role until his passing in 2020.
“It was an honor to have known Billy for the few years we spent at Ensley together,” Operations Division Chief Andrea Williams said. “I selected Billy as chief of yards and docks in 2014 because of his technical and supervisory acumen. In doing so, I gained a great work partner and friend.”
Williams said she could talk all day about the number of vessels they docked together, “Or about how he made me buy a truckable towboat that we unofficially named the SS Manley because he would tool around in it while also supervising dry dock operations and using it to push a single barge from one end of the stringout to the other.”
She also remembers when news of his passing came while she was deployed in Afghanistan. She knew his family had suffered a great loss with his passing, and said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Memphis District, and Ensley Engineer Yard did as well.
“So, when I returned to Ensley and the opportunity to name our newest dry dock, we all agreed unanimously that it should be the called Dry Dock Manley, in honor of our friend and co-worker, Mr. Billy Eugene Manley,” Williams said.
More than 80 people attended the christening, including several members of Manley’s family, his friends, and district employees. In keeping with USACE tradition, Manley’s wife, Teresa Manley, conducted the christening, and District Commander Col. Brian Sawser directed the dry dock into service to current Chief of Yards and Docks Dennis Lewis.
The Dry Dock Manley was constructed at Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, Louisiana, and arrived at Ensley Engineer Yard on December 15, 2023. It is 168 feet long, has a 77-foot beam, a draft of 4.5 feet, and a lifting capacity of 1000 tons.
The Manley began its service in March 2024 the St. Paul District’s Motor Vessel General Warren.
About the Memphis District
The Memphis District covers an area of 25,000 square miles. It serves several communities within Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky.
The district is responsible for maintaining and improving 355 miles of the Mississippi River main channel, starting at Cairo, Illinois, to the mouth of the White River. We also maintain over 640 miles of mainline levees along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, eight inland harbors, and 255 miles of navigation channel on the White River in Arkansas.
The Memphis District is one of 45 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts. Our district and sister districts, Vicksburg, New Orleans, St. Paul, Rock Island, and St. Louis, fall under the Mississippi Valley Division’s jurisdiction, with division Headquarters in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
For news, photos, and much more, please visit the Memphis District website at https://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/
