John D. McKean (fireboat)

Last updated
McKean fireboat jeh.jpg
History
Flag of New York City.svg New York City Fire Department
NameMarine 1 John D. McKean
Operator New York City Fire Department
BuilderJohn H. Mathis
Laid down1954
Out of service2010
HomeportFoot Of Bloomfield St., Manhattan
StatusUndergoing restoration
NotesPredecessor: George B. McClellan Successor: Three Forty Three
General characteristics
Tonnage334.75 gross tons
Length129 ft (39 m)
Beam31 ft (9.4 m)
Height47.5 ft (14.5 m)
Draft9.5 ft (2.9 m)
PropulsionTwin 1,000 HP Enterprise direct reversible diesel engines
Speed16 mph
Capacity19,000 gpm [1]
Crew7
Time to activate1.5 minutes [2]

John D. McKean is a fireboat that served the New York City Fire Department as Marine Company 1. [3] She is named after John D. Mckean, who died in a 1953 steam explosion while trying to save a predecessor fireboat, the George B. McClellan . [4]

Contents

Operational history

John D. McKean was one of the fire boats, along with Fire Fighter and the retired John J. Harvey, that responded to Manhattan during the September 11th attacks to supply firefighters with water after water mains broke following the collapses. The boat helped rescue passengers from US Airways Flight 1549, when she made an emergency landing on the Hudson River in 2009. [5]

Museum vessel

In 2010, John D. McKean was retired and put in reserve status, [6] after being replaced by a new vessel, the Three Forty Three, named for the FDNY members who lost their lives in the line of duty on September 11, 2001. [7]

On March 2, 2016, FDNY sold the John D. McKean at auction for $57,400. [8] [9] The vessel was purchased by Edward Taylor and Michael Kaphan, partners in several restaurants. The fireboat was turned over to the Fireboat preservation project which is a non for profit 501(c). The preservation project planned to turn the boat into a floating museum.

In the summer of 2019 the vessel underwent repairs to her hull that required her to be hauled out of the water. [10]

As of 2022 plans were that John D. McKean would moored at Pier 25 in Manhattan, and it was expected to open in spring 2022. [11]

In 2023 the ship was located at Grassy Point, Stony Point, New York at 41°13′32″N73°57′54″W / 41.22553°N 73.96491°W / 41.22553; -73.96491 . [12] As of March 2023, the museum had not yet opened. [13]

Namesake

The vessel was named after a FDNY sailor, an engineer on the fireboat George B. McClellan. [14] He died when he stayed at his post when his vessel was wrecked by an explosion. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Fire Department</span> Fire department in New York City

The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for fire suppression and fire prevention, and is a major provider of EMS services in New York City. Beyond fire suppression and EMS, the FDNY is responsible for a broad range of services, including technical rescue, CBRN defense, and structural collapse response and analysis. The FDNY is equipped with a wide variety of general-purpose and specialized Vehicles,Tools and Equipment to serve its varied missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fireboat</span> Firefighting vessel

A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment. Older designs derived from tugboats and modern fireboats more closely resembling seafaring ships can both be found in service today. Some departments would give their multi-purpose craft the title of "fireboat" also.

<i>John J. Harvey</i> Retired New York City fireboat

John J. Harvey is a fireboat formerly of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in New York City, famed for returning to service following the September 11, 2001 attacks. She is one of the most powerful fireboats ever built, capable of pumping up to 18,000 gallons of water a minute.

<i>Fire Fighter</i> (fireboat) New York City fireboat

Fire Fighter is a fireboat which served the New York City Fire Department from 1938 through 2010, serving with Marine Companies 1, 8 and 9 during her career. The most powerful diesel-electric fireboat in terms of pumping capacity when built in 1938, Fire Fighter fought more than 50 major fires during her career, including fires aboard the SS Normandie in 1942 and the SS El Estero in 1943, the 1973 collision of the Esso Brussels and SS Sea Witch, and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

<i>Three Forty Three</i> FDNY Fireboat

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 hours on September 11, 2010, exactly nine years after the 2001 terrorist attacks. It is one of the four New York fireboats currently active in service.

<i>Fire Fighter II</i> FDNY Fireboat

Fire Fighter II is a Robert Allan Ltd. Ranger 4200 class fireboat put in service with Marine Company 9 of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) on December 7, 2010. The boat replaces the original Fire Fighter, and is sister to the fireboat Three Forty Three which serves with Marine Company 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Pier A</span> Pier in Manhattan, New York

Pier A, also known as City Pier A, is a pier in the Hudson River at Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It was built from 1884 to 1886 as the headquarters of the New York City Board of Dock Commissioners and the New York City Police Department (NYPD)'s Harbor Department. Pier A, the only remaining masonry pier in New York City, contains a two- and three-story structure with a clock tower facing the Hudson River. The pier is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

<i>John H. Glenn Jr.</i> (fireboat)

The John H. Glenn Jr. is a fireboat stationed on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers in Washington, D.C. Her bow was reinforced in 1984, allowing her to also serve as an icebreaker during the winter.

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. 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.

<i>Abram S. Hewitt</i> (fireboat)

The Abram S. Hewitt was a coal-powered fireboat operated by the Fire Department of New York City from 1903 to 1958. She was the department's last coal-powered vessel and had a pumping capacity of 7,000 gallons per minute.

<i>The New Yorker</i> (fireboat) Fireboat of the Fire Department of New York City

The New Yorker was a fireboat operated by the Fire Department of New York City from 1890 to 1931. She was launched on April 5, 1890 in the presence of Fire Commissioner S. Howland Robbins.

<i>William M. Feehan</i> (fireboat) Fireboat operated by the FDNY

William M. Feehan is a fireboat built for and operated by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). Her namesake, William M. Feehan, was the oldest and most senior FDNY firefighter to perish in the line of duty on September 11, 2001. Her nameplate is carved from a steel plate salvaged from the collapse of the World Trade Center. The vessel's $4.7 million cost was largely covered by a FEMA Port Security Grant Program.

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

<i>Kevin C. Kane</i>

The Kevin C. Kane was formerly an FDNY fireboat and is currently being refitted as a long-haul tugboat. She was built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Massachusetts, and delivered on December 8, 1992. She participated in two high-profile events: responding to al Qaeda's attack on the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001; and the rescue of passengers from US Airways Flight 1549, the airliner that landed on the Hudson River in January 2009. She was auctioned off after she incurred damage during Hurricane Sandy. The vessel was named after a firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty.

<i>George B. McClellan</i> (fireboat) Fireboat

The George B. McClellan was a fireboat operated by the FDNY from 1904 to 1954. She was designed by Harry deBerkley Parsons, as were other FDNY fireboats built at the time.

<i>Thomas Willett</i> (fireboat)


Thomas Willett was a New York City Fire Department fireboat. She was launched in 1908 and retired in 1959. She was built as a steam-engine powered vessel with coal-fired boilers. She was converted to oil-fired boilers in 1926.

<i>William Frederick Havemeyer</i> (fireboat)

William Frederick Havemeyer was New York City's first fireboat. The vessel entered service in 1875, and retired in 1901. She was named in honor of a recent mayor, William Frederick Havemeyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime response following the September 11 attacks</span> Boats evacuated victims, pumped water to firefighters

Following the September 11 attacks in New York City, many people were unable to leave Lower Manhattan due to the closure of bridges and tunnels and mass transportation. Within minutes of the first plane hitting the first tower, multiple fireboats from the New York City Fire Department rushed to the scene. The United States Coast Guard coordinated a large convoy of merchant ships, tugboats, and ferries to evacuate the stranded and injured victims.

The Alfred E. Ronaldson was a fireboat operated briefly by the Fire Department of New York City in 1994. The boat was named after a firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty.

<i>Governor Alfred E. Smith</i> (fireboat)

Governor Alfred E. Smith was a fireboat first operated by the Fire Department of New York in 1961. She was the last of four sister ships. In 1970 the Department planned to retire her, but, instead, she was placed in reserve. She was finally retired on October 21, 2016. Governor Alfred E Smith was built by John H. Mathis & Company at Camden, New Jersey, yard number 216 in August 1961.

References

  1. ↑ Jack Lerch (2001). "Apparatus update". Archived from the original on 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2016-10-24. The Fire Fighter is assigned to Marine Company 9 in Staten Island, with the John D. McKean at Marine Company I in Manhattan. The only other active marine company, Marine 6, operates with the Kevin C. Kane, built in 1992.
  2. ↑ "Our boats". Marine 1 FDNY. Archived from the original on 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
  3. ↑ "Marine 1 FDNY". Marine 1 FDNY. Archived from the original on 2016-10-08. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  4. ↑ "History of Engineer John D. McKean". Marine 1 FDNY. Archived from the original on 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  5. ↑ Parolisi, Mark (2023-08-03). "Historic Fireboat Seeks to Visit the Shores of Yonkers". The Yonkers Ledger. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  6. ↑ "FDNY Annual Report 2012" (PDF). City of New York. 2012. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  7. ↑ "New York City Fireboats for the FDNY". Archived from the original on 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  8. ↑ Nathan Tempey (2016-02-20). "Buy This Sweet Fireboat For Less Than A Month's Rent". Gothamist. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-03-05. According to a plaque on the boat, it was named for Marine Engineer John McKean, who was burned by steam in a 1953 explosion on the George B. McClellan. "Although fatally injured, McKean heroically remained at his post, vainly trying to keep the vessel under control," the plaque reads.
  9. ↑ "Auction #1524690 - Boat, Fire, John Mathis 129', QTY:1". www.publicsurplus.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  10. ↑ "Retired FDNY Fireboat, the John D. Mckean, in Service During 9/11 and Miracle on the Hudson Undergoes Restoration". River Journal . 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2019-07-31. The retired fireboat was purchased at auction in 2016 and has been beautifully restored, with one final major project to be completed, the repair of its hull which is urgently needed to ensure the boat stays afloat and can welcome visitors.
  11. ↑ "NYC Fireboat John D. McKean". Fireboat McKean Restoration Project. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Google Satellite view, accessed 14 March 2023
  13. ↑ "Preserving the Retired FDNY Fireboat John D. McKean". Fireboat McKean Preservation Project. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  14. 1 2 Noah Remnick (2016-04-03). "A Workhorse on the Hudson River, Now Retired From Fighting Fires, Chugs Toward a Second Act". New York Times . p. A14. Retrieved 2017-03-20. Even the ship's name bears the weight of the New York Fire Department's past: John D. McKean, a marine engineer, was burned to death in 1953 when he stayed at his post on the fireboat George B. McClellan, trying to steady the vessel after a steam explosion. Mr. McKean's son and grandson both followed him into the department.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.