Fact Sheet 30: Dredge Fleet

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
Published May 11, 2015
Updated: March 22, 2023
Dredge Goetz performs emergency dredging in Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River, July and August 2014.

Dredge Goetz performs emergency dredging in Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River, July and August 2014.

WABASHA, Minn. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District's Dredge Goetz conducts dredging operations in the Mississippi River near Wabasha, Minn., June 8, 2011.

WABASHA, Minn. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District's Dredge Goetz conducts dredging operations in the Mississippi River near Wabasha, Minn., June 8, 2011.

Dredge Goetz cutterhead

Dredge Goetz cutterhead

The Dredge Goetz, background, performs emergency dredging in Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River during the river's closure in July and August 2014.

The Dredge Goetz, background, performs emergency dredging in Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River during the river's closure in July and August 2014.

The St. Paul District’s dredge fleet is made up of three vessels to include the Dredge William L. Goetz, the Motor Vessel General Warren and the Quarters Boat Harold E. Taggatz. This fleet is used to assist in maintaining 850 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, 335 miles of the Illinois River and other inland rivers and typically is used to dredge 1 to 2 million cubic yards of sediment out of the 9-foot navigation channel each year. The fleet is based out of the district’s service base in Fountain City, Wisconsin.

Dredge William L. Goetz

The Corps of Engineers commissioned the building of the Goetz in 2001 and awarded the contract in September 2003. Rowan Electric, Inc., of Houston, which owns the design company Oilfield-Electric-Marine, also of Houston, and Le Tourneau Shipyard in Vicksburg, Mississippi, built the Goetz. After a 10-day maiden voyage up the Mississippi River, the Dredge Goetz arrived in Fountain City on May 15, 2005. This dredge replaced the 70-year old Dredge William A. Thompson and is the Corps only cutterhead style dredge. Its christening ceremony was held June 24, 2005, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The vessel cost $9.8 million. It is named after William L. Goetz, a Corps employee from 1957 until 1990. Goetz served as chief of the district’s construction-operations division from 1970 until his retirement in 1990 and spent his entire career championing a reliable and efficient 9-foot navigation channel system.

MV General Warren

The Corps commissioned the building of the MV General Warren in December 2001 and awarded the contract in September 2002 to Orange Ship Building of Orange, Texas. The vessel cost $6.7 million. After a 14-day maiden voyage up the Mississippi River, the MV Warren arrived in Fountain City April 4, 2007. The district christened the vessel May 14, 2007, in Fountain City.

It is named after Brevet Maj. Gen. Gouverneur Kemble Warren, the St. Paul District’s first district engineer. Warren, a West Point graduate, was tasked with opening the St. Paul District and conducting preliminary surveys of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Warren's arrival in St. Paul in August 1866 established the Corps as a permanent actor in managing and transforming the Upper Mississippi River. Warren is also known for his heroism at Gettysburg and the Battle of Little Round Top during the Civil War.

Quarters Boat Harold E. Taggatz

The Corps commissioned the building of the Quarters Boat Harold E. Taggatz in May 2006 and awarded the contract in August 2006 to Patti Shipyard of Pensacola, Florida. It cost approximately $13 million to build. It arrived in the St. Paul District July 25, 2008. Its christening ceremony was celebrated in St. Paul, Minnesota, May 14, 2009.

The vessel is named after Corps employee Harold E. Taggatz, who worked at the St. Paul District from 1962 to 1998. During his last 12 years with the district, Taggatz served as assistant chief of the construction-operations division. He was highly respected by both Corps employees and other federal and state agency personnel for his leadership, integrity and commitment to accomplishing the Corps’ objectives using a balanced, environmentally acceptable approach. Taggatz had a deep concern for the quality of life and work conditions of Corps employees at field site locations.