On January 22, 2026, Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) and partners, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Royal IHC, held a keel laying ceremony for the ongoing construction of the Dredge DONNELLY
On January 22, 2026, Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) and partners, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Royal IHC, held a keel laying ceremony for the ongoing construction of the Dredge DONNELLY at Eastern’s Allanton Facility.
The DONNELLY is a Medium Class Hopper Dredge that has been under construction since April 2025. The vessel will replace the Dredge McFARLAND and will play a critical role in enabling USACE to continue to deliver its navigation mission.
The keel laying represents the ceremonial start of a ship’s life by commemorating the assembly of the initial modular construction units. Historically, shipbuilders would carve their initial into the keel to validate that the keel was properly laid and of excellent quality. This was memorialized by welding the ship’s sponsor’s initials into the keel authentication plate, by Trace Taylor, welder with ESG. Overseeing the weld was Russ Donnelly, representing the family of Ray Donnelly, the ship sponsor and vessel namesake.
In April 2025, construction of the DONNELLY commenced with a steel cutting ceremony, also at ESG’s Allanton Shipyard. Since then, modular construction has been progressing steadily, with unit builds and fabrication and assembly of various key components underway. Work is being carried out in close
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