Fire Island Ferries

Last updated
Fire Island Ferries, Inc.
Fire Island Ferries Logo.svg
Locale Fire Island, New York
Waterway Great South Bay
Transit type Passenger, Freight & Water Taxi
OperatorFire Island Ferries, Inc.
Began operation1948 [1]
No. of lines8
Hubs Bay Shore, New York
Website Fire Island Ferries

Fire Island Ferries is a passenger and freight ferry service, serving the Western communities of Fire Island, New York. [2]

Contents

History

Edward J. Mooney, who joined the company in 1948, acquired Fire Island Ferries in 1972. After Mooney's death in December 2020, his casket was taken around Great South Bay for a memorial aboard one of the company's ferry boats. [3]

Zee Line Ferry Acquisition

South Bay Water Taxi Acquisition

Fire aboard the Fire Island Belle

On September 20, 2009, at 10:10 eastern daylight time, the passenger ferry Fire Island Belle, with 100 passengers, the vessel master, and two deckhands on board, experienced an engine room fire in the Great South Bay between Long Island and Fire Island, New York. The vessel had departed Ocean Beach, Fire Island, 10 minutes earlier, and was approximately 300 yards (270 m) from the dock at Fair Harbor, Fire Island, when the fire broke out.

No passengers or crewmembers were injured, and no pollution resulted. The cost of repairing the vessel was $490,000. The U.S. Coast Guard was the lead investigative agency in the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provided assistance with fire investigation and metallurgical analysis.

Rescue aboard the Fireball

On July 26, 2020, while en route to Ocean Bay Park, the Fireball and her crew came to the rescue of a family of six whose boat had capsized in the Great South Bay. All six occupants onboard the boat survived with only minor injuries; The crew of the Fireball was later awarded Coast Guard Honors for their heroism. [4] [5]

Destinations

The Fire Islander -- a passenger ferry owned by Fire Island Ferries, Inc -- docking in Dunewood, NY. Fire Island Ferries - Fire Islander.jpg
The Fire Islander — a passenger ferry owned by Fire Island Ferries, Inc — docking in Dunewood, NY.
The Vagabond -- a freight ferry owned by Fire Island Ferries, Inc -- docked in Fair Harbor, NY. Fire Island Ferries - Vagabond 1.jpg
The Vagabond — a freight ferry owned by Fire Island Ferries, Inc — docked in Fair Harbor, NY.


Fire Island Ferry Fleet

As of May 2023, Fire Island Ferries, Inc. operates the following vessels:

Passenger Ferries:
Vessel NameYear Built
Fire Island Miss1976
Firebird1984
Stranger1985
Voyager1990
Explorer1991
Fire Island Flyer2001
Fire Island Belle2009
Fire Island Queen2011
Fire Islander2013
Isle of Fire2019

Fire Island Water Taxi

References

  1. ↑ "Fire Island Ferries (@FIFerries)".
  2. ↑ "FireIslandFerries.com".
  3. ↑ "Obituary: Captain Edwin J. Mooney Jr., owner of Fire Island Ferries", Greater Long Island, December 31, 2020. Accessed December 31, 2020. "Captain Edwin J. Mooney Jr., born in Teaneck, N.J., in 1929, started working for Fire Island Ferries as a deckhand after moving to Bay Shore in 1948. Twenty-four years later, in 1972, he would come to purchase the company, and proceed to grow it to Fire Island’s largest ferry provider."
  4. ↑ Fire Island News (August 26, 2020). "Recent OBP Ferry Rescue Heightens Watercraft Safety Concerns". Fire Island & Great South Bay News.
  5. ↑ "Coast Guard honors N.Y. ferry crew for July rescue". Workboat. August 25, 2020.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from Marine Accident Brief MAB-10-02 (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board.

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