Memphis District adds third dry dock to river maintenance fleet

The dry dock was named after Billy Manley, who worked as the yards and docks chief for the district until his passing in 2020. (Credit: USACE/Vance Harris)

The  Memphis Engineer District gathered at Ensley Engineer Yard earlier this month to christen its newest floating dry dock, named Manly, in honor of Billy Manley, a former employee who served as yards and docks chief for five years until his passing in 2020.

The floating dry dock was constructed at Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La., 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 1,000 tons.

Ensley Engineer Yard professionals use dry dock structures approximately 310 days a year to repair and maintain marine vessels belonging to the Memphis District, its sister districts, and partner agencies.

Before joining the Memphis District in 2014, Billy 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 Ensley Engineer Yard 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 has many fond memories of Manley and could talk all day about the number of vessels they docked together.

She also remembers all the fun they had working together, saying, “… 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.” 

Williams learned of Manley’s passing while deployed in Afghanistan and remembers thinking about how his family, the Corps of Engineers, and the Ensley Engineer Yard team had all suffered a significant loss that day.

“So, when I returned to Ensley and the opportunity to name our newest dry dock presented itself, we all agreed unanimously that it should be the called dry dock Manley, in honor of our friend and co-worker, 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, first conducted the christening, which was followed by District Commander Col. Brian Sawser directing the dry dock into service to  Dennis Lewis, the current chief of yards and docks.