Deluge (fireboat, 1911)

Last updated
Baltimore's fireboat Deluge Postcard of the Deluge, a fireboat in Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1900-1910.jpg
Baltimore's fireboat Deluge

The Deluge was a fireboat operated, for decades, in Baltimore, Maryland. [1] [2] When built, in 1911, her capacity to pump 12,000 gallons per minute made her one of the most powerful fireboats. [3] [note 1]

In 1917 the Deluge played a key role in fighting a fire at Baltimore's historic Pier 9, that spread to the British freighter Kerry Range [3] She helped fight another fire, in 1917, near a munition plant. [4]

Notes

  1. Some 21st Century fireboats can pump around 50,000 gallons per minute, four times as much water.

Related Research Articles

Los Angeles Fire Department

The Los Angeles Fire Department provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and rescue services to the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The LAFD is responsible for approximately 4 million people who live in the agency's 471 square miles (1,220 km2) jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Fire Department was founded in 1886 and is one of the largest municipal fire departments in the United States, after the New York City Fire Department and the Chicago Fire Department. The department may be unofficially referred to as the Los Angeles City Fire Department or "LA City Fire" to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department which serves the county and whose name may directly confuse people, as the county seat is the city. Another possible reason is that the city and the unincorporated County are often bordering each other and thus the two appear to be serving the same area. The department is currently under the command of chief Ralph Terrazas.

<i>Duwamish</i> (fireboat)

Duwamish was one of the most powerful fireboats in the United States several times over her 75-year working life. She is the second oldest vessel designed to fight fires in the US, after Edward M. Cotter, in Buffalo, New York.

<i>Edward M. Cotter</i> (fireboat) Fireboat for the Buffalo Fire Department

Edward M. Cotter is a fireboat in use by the Buffalo Fire Department at Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally named William S. Grattan, it was built in 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey. Due to age, it was rebuilt in 1953 and renamed Firefighter upon its return to service. The following year it was renamed Edward M. Cotter. its namesake, Edward Cotter, was a Buffalo firefighter and leader of the local firefighters union who had recently died.

<i>Ralph J. Scott</i> (fireboat)

Ralph J. Scott, also formerly known as Fireboat #2, is a 100-foot (30 m) fireboat that was attached to the Los Angeles Fire Department serving the Port of Los Angeles. She was retired in 2003 after 78 years and replaced by Warner L. Lawrence. Ralph J. Scott is on display near the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro. On 30 June 1989, she was listed as a National Historic Landmark. She is currently located at the Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Station 112, at 444 South Harbor Blvd, Berth 86, San Pedro, California, 90731

Merryweather & Sons

Merryweather & Sons of Clapham, later Greenwich, London, were builders of steam fire engines and steam tram engines.

<i>Three Forty Three</i>

Three Forty Three is a Ranger 4200 class fireboat that serves the New York City Fire Department as Marine Company 1. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built to replace the 1954 John D. McKean, it was commissioned at 0900 on September 11, 2010, exactly nine years after the 2001 terrorist attacks. It is one of four New York fireboats currently in active service.

Fire-float Pyronaut

Pyronaut is a specialised form of fireboat known as a fire-float. It was built in 1934 by Charles Hill & Sons Ltd., Albion Dock Bristol, Yard No. 208. Registered number 333833. She is owned by Bristol Museums and based at M Shed in Bristol's Floating Harbour.

San Francisco Fire Department Auxiliary Water Supply System

The Auxiliary Water Supply System is a high pressure water supply network built for the city of San Francisco in response to the failure of the existing emergency water system during the 1906 earthquake. It was originally proposed by San Francisco Fire Department chief engineer Dennis T. Sullivan in 1903, with construction beginning in 1909 and finishing in 1913. The system is made up of a collection of water reservoirs, pump stations, cisterns, suction connections and fireboats. While the system can use both fresh or salt water, it is preferential to not use salt water, as it commonly causes galvanic corrosion in fire equipment.

Baltimore City Fire Department Fire department in the United States

The Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1797 and established in 1859, the Baltimore City Fire Department covers an area of 81 square miles (210 km2) of land and 11 square miles (28 km2) of water, with a resident population of over 640,000 and a daytime population of over 1,000,000. The BCFD responds to approximately 235,000 emergency calls annually. There are two International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) locals; IAFF 734 for firefighters and IAFF 964 for officers.

<i>Phoenix</i> (fireboat)

Phoenix is a fireboat owned by State of California and operated by the city of San Francisco in the San Francisco Bay since 1955. Phoenix is known for helping to save Marina District buildings from further destruction by fire following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Her worthy assistance resulted in a second vintage fireboat obtained for the city. Both Guardian and Phoenix are based at Firehouse No. 35 at Pier 22½ of the Port of San Francisco. Phoenix often leads parades of ships, and takes part in welcoming ceremonies.

Because water transport is an important industry on the rivers of the Mississippi River system, there are a number of fireboats on the Mississippi River system.

Fireboats of San Diego

Fireboats in San Diego have been operated on San Diego Bay by the city of San Diego, California since the early 20th century, as well as by the Port of San Diego since its creation as a quasi-governmental agency serving the entire Bay in 1962.

The Deanna Jo is a small fireboat operated by the Alameda Fire Department. The city was able to acquire the vessel with the help of matching grants from the United States Department of Homeland Security, which required the city to only pay one quarter of the vessels capital cost. The Department has been providing Port Security grants since 2002, to provide vessels that, in addition to fighting fires, and rescuing boaters and swimmers, are equipped to counter biological and chemical weapons.

The Fire Department of New York operated the fireboat Smoke II from 1958 to 2008.

SS <i>Kerry Range</i>

The steamship Kerry Range was a 5,800-ton general cargo freighter, armed with 4.7-inch (119 mm) guns, that had been built by the Northumberland Shipbuilding Company and launched on 27 November 1915. While serving as a Royal Navy armed transport she was damaged in a fire, with loss of life, in Baltimore, Maryland, in October 1917. Investigating officials, after the fire, were convinced the vessel was the target of arson, and that the arsonists were German agents—an enemy of the United Kingdom and the United States, during World War I. Several suspects were arrested. However, it was later determined that the fire on Pier 9, that triggered the fire on board Kerry Range, was due to an electrical malfunction that triggered oakum, a flammable product once used to pack seams on ships. Three crew members lost their lives. Firefighting officials towed the blazing vessel away from the pier, to help prevent it igniting nearby Pier 8, and scuttled her. It took over a day to completely put out the fires on the hulk. Some press reports at the time wrote she was a complete write-off. However, the damaged vessel was salvaged and sold to the Steam Navigation Company of Canada in 1918.

In December 16, 2016, Pittsburgh officials announced that half a million dollars had been budgeted to a acquire a fireboat that was eventually named the Sophie Masloff. The new vessel was built by Lake Assault Boats, a Wisconsin firm with experience building fireboats. She was named in honor of Pittsburgh's first female mayor.

The Harry Newell is a highspeed fireboat operated out of Ketchikan, Alaska, since August, 1986. She is built of aluminum, is 45 feet (14 m) long, is propelled by a pair of 410 brake horsepower (310 kW) diesel engines, at up to 30 knots (56 km/h). Her pumps can throw 5,000 gallons per minute through four water cannons.

James Duane (fireboat)

The James Duane was a fireboat operated by the Fire Department of New York from 1908 to 1959.

Fireboat Thomas Alessandro Jr

The Thomas A'lessandro Jr. was Baltimore, Maryland's first diesel fireboat. She operated from 1956 to 2007. She was able to pump 12,000 gallons per minute.

References

  1. Baltimore fireboat nears completion. Baltimore, Maryland: Municipal Journal and Engineer. 1911. Finishing touches are now being put on the new fireboat Deluge at the yards of the ...
  2. Baltimore Fireboat Deluge. International Marine Engineering. August 1911. The fireboat Deluge has been completed by the Skinner Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, of Baltimore, tor the Fire Department of that city from designs of Mr. W. I. Babcock, engineer and naval architect...
  3. 1 2 "SS Kerry Range". 2015-05-13. Retrieved 2016-09-02. At that time, Deluge was the largest fireboat in the world, with a capacity of 12,000 gallons per minute at 200 lbs pressure.
  4. Fireboats fight difficult blaze. Baltimore, Maryland: Municipal Journal and Engineer. 1911. On reaching the scene chief Kahl sent for the fireboat Cataract, and later for the Deluge. Fourteen lines of hose were run from the two boats to help feed the land companies with water.