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.

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

Passenger Ferries

Vessel NameYear BuiltShipbuilderClass
Fire Island Miss (alternates as freight)1976Blount Boats [4] Captain Patterson
Firebird (Engine swapped from Detroit v12 two strokes to John Deere inline 6, 4 strokes)1983Blount Boats [4] Firebird
Stranger1985Gulf Craft [5]
Voyager1990Gulf Craft [5] Firebird
Explorer (engine Swap from DD V12 to JD engine)1991Gulf Craft [5] Firebird
Fire Island Flyer2001Blount Boats [4] Firebird
Fire Island Belle (Engine Swap from series 60 to JD Engines)2009Blount Boats [4] Firebird
Fire Island Queen2011Gladding Hearn [6] Firebird
Fire Islander2013Blount Boats [4] Firebird
Isle of Fire2019Blount Boats [4] Firebird

Freight Ferries

Vessel NameYear BuiltShipbuilder
Vagabond1978Blount Boats [7]
America2002 Derecktor Shipyards [7]

Fire Island Water Taxi

Fire Island Marine Services

Fleet

Vessel NameCategoryYear BuiltShipbuilder
Eagle Pushboat Miller Marine
CormorantPushboat
TurtleMulti-purpose vehicle ferry (Ro-Pax)2016Miller Marine

[8]

Fire Island MaidMulti-purpose vehicle ferry (Ro-Pax)2023Metal Shark [9]

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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Boats, Blount (2019-06-10). "Blount Boats Delivers New Fire Island Ferry - Blount Boats - Warren RI" . Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  5. 1 2 3 "Gulf Craft ~ Shipbuilding History" . Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  6. "Passenger Vessels: Mono-Hull Ferries". Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  7. 1 2 "Ferries Over 100 GT Built in the U.S." shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  8. "Miller Marine to deliver New York ferry to Fire Island Ferries". www.workboat.com. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  9. Maritime, Baird (2023-05-18). "VESSEL REVIEW | Fire Island Maid – Compact vehicle ferry delivered to New York operator". Baird Maritime / Work Boat World. Retrieved 2025-08-01.

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