Fireboats of New York City
For much of the late 19th and early 20th century, New York City maintained a fleet of ten fireboats. In recent decades technology has improved to where smaller boats can provide the pumping capacity that required a large boat in the past.[1] These smaller boats require smaller crews, and the crews themselves require less training. Like many other cities, the FDNY operates a fleet with a smaller number of large fireboats, supplemented by a number of unnamed boats in the 10 meter range.[2]
| image | name | commissioned | retired | dimensions (ft) | pumping capacity (gpm) | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg){kind=small} | William F. Havemeyer | 1875 | 1901 | 106 × 22 × 10 | 6,000 | |
 | Zophar Mills | 1882 | 1934 | 120 × 25 × 12 | 6,000 | |
 | Seth Low | 1885 | 1917 | 99 × 24 × 9 | 3,500 | Brooklyn Fire Department |
_pg545_FIRE-BOAT_'NEW-YORKER'_AT_CASTLE-GARDEN_BULKHEAD.jpg){kind=small} | The New Yorker | 1890 | 1931 | 125 × 26 × 12 | 13,000 | |
 | David A. Boody | 1892 | 1914 | 105 × 23 × 7 | 6,500 | |
 | William L. Strong | 1898 | 1948 | 100 × 24 × 12.6 | 6,500 | |
 | Robert A. van Wyck | 1898 | ||||
 | Abram S. Hewitt | 1903 | 1958 | 117 × 25 × 10.5 | 7,000 | |
 | George B. McClellan | 1904 | 1954 | 117 × 24 × 9.5 | 7,000 | |
 | James Duane | 1908 | 1959 | 132 × 28 × 10 | 9,000 | |
 | Thomas Willett | 1908 | 1959 | 132 × 28 × 10 | 9,000 | |
| Cornelius W. Lawrence | 1908 | 1955 | 104.5 × 23.5 × 9 | 7,000 | ||
| Velox | 1907 | 1922 | 68 × 11.5 × 7 | |||
 | William J. Gaynor | 1914 | 1961 | 118 × 25 × 13.4 | 7,000 | |
| John Purroy Mitchel | 1921 | 1966 | 132 × 27 × 10 | 9,000 | ||
| Captain Connell | 1922 | 1938 | 56.5 × 12 × 6.5 | |||
 | John J. Harvey | 1931 | 1999 | 130 × 28 × 9 | 18,000 | now a private excursion vessel |
 | Fire Fighter | 1938 | 1999 | 134 × 32 × 9 | 20,000 | Now a museum ship |
| Smoke | 1938 | 1955 | 53 × 7 × 3.5 | |||
 | John D. Mc Kean | 1954 | 2010 | 129 × 30 × 9 | 19,000 | held in retired status |
| H. Sylvia A. H. G. Wilks | 1958 | 1972 | 105.5 × 27 × 9 | 8,000 | ||
| Harry M. Archer M. D. | 1958 | 1994 | 105.5 × 27 × 9 | 8,000 | ||
| Smoke II | 1958 | 2008 | 52 × 14 × 4 | 2,000 | ||
| Senator Robert F. Wagner | 1959 | 1993 | 105.5 × 27 × 9 | 8,000 | ||
 | Governor Alfred E. Smith | 1961 | 2015 | 105.5 × 27 × 9 | 8,000 | |
 | John H. Glenn, Jr. | 1962 | 1977 | 70 × 21 × 5 | 5,000 | Now serving in Washington DC |
| John P. Devaney | 1992 | 1994 | 70 × 19 × 5'4" | 7,075 | named after John P. Devaney, a firefighter who died in the line of duty | |
| Alfred E. Ronaldson | 1992 | 1994 | 70 × 19 × 5'4" | 7,075 | named after Alfred E. Ronaldson, a firefighter who died in the line of duty | |
 | Kevin C. Kane | 1992 | 2013 | 52 × 16 × 4.5 | 6,500 | auctioned off after receiving damage during Hurricane Sandy.[4] |
 | Bravest | 2011 | - | 64 × 17 × 3'4" | 6,000 | fastest fireboat of its size[5] |
 | Fire Fighter II | 2010 | - | 140 × 36 × 9 | 50,000 | one of the largest fireboats in North America[5] |
 | Three Forty Three | 2010 | - | 140 × 36 × 9 | 50,000 | one of the largest fireboats in North America[5] |
 | William M. Feehan | 2015 | - | 66 × 18 × 3 | 8,000 | 40 knots (74 km/h)[6] |
References
- 1 2
Brian J. Cudahy (1997). "Around Manhattan Island and Other Maritime Tales of New York". Fordham University Press. pp. 83, 86, 249–250. ISBN 9780823217618. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link) - ↑ "FDNY Annual Report 2012" (PDF). FDNY. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
Additionally, FDNY expects to take delivery of the following 10 boats by January 2013: seven 33-foot boats, two 31-foot medical response boats and one 33-foot SCUBA boat.
- ↑ Clarence E. Meek (July 1954). "Fireboats Through The Years". Retrieved 2015-06-28.
- ↑
Jon Gast (2017-01-03). "NYC fireboat finds new home in Door Co". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
It was neither of those momentous events that led directly to why that vessel finds itself in Door County, but rather another. The Kane was damaged in Hurricane Sandy, the epic superstorm that ravaged the East Coast in October 2012. The boat was also in need of a mechanical upgrade, so the city opted for a replacement and auctioned it off.
- 1 2 3 Peter Marsh (February 2011). "SAFE Boats International Delivers One of the World's Fastest Fireboats to New York: The 64-foot Bravest Made Its Debut in Seattle" (PDF). NW Yachting magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
- ↑
Peter Kennedy (2015-08-06). "Kingston-built fireboat immortalizes 9/11 victim". Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
Just shy of 21 metres in length, the William M. Feehan is powered by a trio of Caterpillar C-18 engines, each capable of pushing out 1,150 horsepower, with twin fuel tanks splitting 4,500 litres. Running at a top speed of 40 knots (about 75 km/h), it can stop in two boat lengths.
External links
Media related to Fireboats in New York City at Wikimedia Commons