SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District officially welcomed three new hydrographic survey vessels to its fleet, during a dedication ceremony, June 12, 2025, at the District’s Engineers Depot in Savannah, Georgia.
Each vessel bears the name of a fallen U.S. Army Soldier from Georgia, serving as a lasting tribute to their sacrifice and service. The 30-foot Wright is named for Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, the 27-foot Chisholm for Sgt. Tyrone Lanard Chisholm, and the 23-foot Beale for Sgt. 1st Class John C. Beale.
More than 160 attendees joined the ceremony— in person and virtually—which was hosted by Savannah District Commander Col. Ron Sturgeon.
“We gather today with heavy hearts and profound gratitude to dedicate three extraordinary vessels in honor of three heroic Soldiers who gave their lives in service to our nation,” said Sturgeon. “It is a privilege to stand before you, their families, to honor their sacrifices and ensure their legacies endure through these vessels and the missions they will carry out.”
The new vessels will support a wide range of missions essential to the Corps’ operations, including hydrographic surveys to assess navigation channel conditions, monitoring dredging efforts, detecting underwater obstructions, and transporting personnel and equipment to project sites.
All three vessels will operate throughout the Savannah District’s area of responsibility, which includes key waterways such as the Savannah Harbor, the third busiest container port in the U.S., the Brunswick Harbor, the largest roll-on/roll-off port, and the 161-mile stretch of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway along Georgia’s coast.
“The Beale, the Chisholm, and the Wright represent the next generation of service for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District,” said Sturgeon.
The presentation of colors was provided by the Groves High School Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps Color Guard Team, which is Chisholm’s alma mater.
USACE Command Chaplain Col. J.R. Lorenzen provided the invocation and christening of each vessel. A ship christening is a centuries-old maritime tradition that asks for a new vessel’s blessing and protection before it’s officially placed into operation.
Christal Beale, wife of Sgt. 1st Class John Beale described the ceremony as beautiful, heartwarming and a fitting tribute to her husband’s legacy.
“It makes me feel very honored to be his wife,” said Beale. “Seeing the other families come together reminds us that life goes on, and we all do our best to make it through each day. But to have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers do something like this…It was beautiful.”
About the Honorees
Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, a native of Lyons, Georgia, was a Special Forces engineer, assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Airborne, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, when he lost his life Oct. 4, 2017, during a reconnaissance patrol while deployed to Niger, West Africa, in support of training and advising the Nigerien military.
Army Sergeant Tyrone Chisholm, a Savannah, Georgia, native was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado, when he lost his life Nov. 11, 2005, while conducting combat patrols through the streets of Tal Afar, Iraq, serving as a gunner on an M1A2 Abrams tank in support of the fight against terrorism.
Army Sergeant 1st Class John C. Beale, of Riverdale, Georgia, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, based in Calhoun, Georgia, when he lost his life June 4, 2009, during an attack while traveling through Kapisa Province in northeastern Afghanistan, in support of preparing Afghan security and police forces to establish a sustainable defense for Afghanistan.
Captions to the photos here: https://www.sas.usace.army.mil/media/news-stories/article/4215586/a-legacy-that-floats-savannah-district-dedicates-new-survey-vessels-honoring-fa/
250612-A-YC428 -002 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District Commander Col. Ron Sturgeon provides remarks during a vessel dedication ceremony, June 12, 2025, welcoming three new hydrographic survey vessels to the District’s fleet. The vessels are named in honor of three fallen Soldiers from Georgia, Sgt. 1st Class John Beale, Sgt. Tyrone Chisholm, and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright.
250612-A-YC428-001: Groves High School Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps Color Guard Team presented the colors during a vessel dedication ceremony with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, June 12, 2025. Groves High School is Sgt. Tyrone Chisholm’s alma mater. A native of Savannah, Georgia, Chisholm was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado, when he lost his life Nov. 11, 2005, while conducting combat patrols through the streets of Tal Afar, Iraq, serving as a gunner on an M1A2 Abrams tank in support of the fight against terrorism.
250612-A-YC428-003: Family members of Sgt. Tyrone Chisholm douse water across the bow of the S/V Chisholm during a dedication ceremony, June 12, 2025, at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District’s Engineers Depot in Savannah, Georgia.
250612-A-YC428-004: USACE Command Chaplain J.R. Lorenzen and Savannah District Commander Col. Ron Sturgeon and the family of Sgt. 1st Class John Beale participate in a blessing for the S/V Beale during a dedication ceremony, June 12, 2025, at the Savannah District’s Engineers Depot in Savannah, Georgia.
250612-A-YC428-005: The family of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright shown in front of the newly dedicated S/V Wright. Wright was one of three U.S. Army Soldiers from Georgia who was honored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District with a survey vessel dedicated in his name June 12, 2025, at the Savannah District’s Engineers Depot in Savannah, Georgia.