Special Feature
Photos by Britton W Crosby
CapeCodFD.com
Special Feature
Photos by Britton W Crosby
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Original Feature Posted April 26, 2004 - Re-launched January 28, 2012
Page Reorganized December 9, 2015
Updated May 3, 2019
FDNY OLD MARINE CO.9
"Fire Fighter"
"FIRE FIGHTER"
FDNY Fireboat - Old Marine Company 9
Built in 1938
at a ship yard on Staten Island, NY
134' LOA, 32' Beam, and 9' draft
Diesel electric motors provide propulsion, pump drives, and vessel power.
Rated at 20,000 gpm through a large number of manually operated monitors
and discharges.
Marine 9 was assigned to Staten Island.
It was retired in 2011 and replaced by the new "Fire Fighter II"
NEW YORK CITY FIRE BOATS
There is perhaps no other city that comes to mind first when thinking
about fire boats.
The Fire Department of New York City has a very long and historic history of
fighting fires
on land and the sea. The city has 560 miles of waterfront and has long been one
of the busiest
ports in the world.
Over the years many major historic incidents have occurred on the waters of New
York
city and every one involved the response of fire boats. While many of the
wharfs, warehouses,
and ships of the waterfront are no longer, the FDNY continues to respond to a
wide variety
of emergencies. The September 11, 2001 World Trade Center collapse and the jet
landing
in the Hudson River are but two of the more recent.
The first fire boat in the city dates back to 1875. At its height, in the early
1900's, the FDNY
Marine Division had 10 fireboat stations within the city. Budget cuts in the
late 1960's and 1970's
reduced the fleet to 4 Marine Companies. Marine 1, 2, 6 and 9.
In 1992 that dropped to 3 Marine Companies with the closing of Marine 2.
The current Marine Companies 1, 6, and 9 continue to provide service.
Always some of the most powerful fireboats in the world, the fleet of the FDNY
was
capable of pumping in excess of between 10,000 and 20,000 gpms.
The "Firefighter" of Marine 9 is possibly one of the most powerful and famous of
all
recent boats, although each holds a special place in history.
Following 9/11, the department recognized the continued value of a fire boat
fleet
and developed plans for upgrading the fleet to meet the needs of the future.
In the late 2000's, three new and powerful boats entered service.
Older boats have gone into reserve status or retirement.
Today, the FDNY operates the most modern and powerful boats in the world,
capable of pumping 50,000 gpms. In addition, they have developed boats
that are capable of higher speeds and specialized operations.
RELATED SITES
FIRE DEPARTMENT
CITY OF NEW YORK
UNOFFICIAL FDNY SITE
FIREBOAT.ORG
THE BRAVEST.COM
FIREBOAT FIRE
FIGHTER MUSEUM
Dedicated to preserving the historic old FDNY fire boat "Fire Fighter"
2013
The Fire Fighter has retired
and a group is trying to preserve the vessel as a historical museum.
FIREBOATFIREFIGHTER.ORG
BECOMING A MUSEUM GREENPORT, LI
THE CITY OF NEW YORK WON'T HAVE HER
YOU TUBE VIDEO OF
FDNY
MARINE CO. 9 "FIRE FIGHTER"
Added March 29, 2008
FDNY MARINE COMPANY 9
Marine 9 in located on Staten Island.
Home to the "Fire Fighter"
"FIRE FIGHTER"
FDNY Fireboat - Marine Company 9
At its pier on Staten Island
"Fire Fighter"
Photos April 2005
Photos April 2005
FOR MORE ON THE HARVEY AND FDNY FIREBOATS
WWW.FIREBOAT.ORG
Find out how you can support the preservation of this great vessel
and maybe take a ride on her!.
FDNY Fireboat "Firefighter" in action with water tower. John Landers - Beth Klein
Collection
"Firefighter"
(1938-2011 )
134' x 32' x 9'. 20,000 gpm.
First Diesel fireboat
Retired Marine Company 9
Retired Fireboat "Fire Fighter"
Once the most powerful fire boat in the world.
Photos July 2011 at the Marine Division in Brooklyn
"Fire Fighter" along side the "McKean" at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The brass wheel of the "Fire Fighter"
Communicating with the engine room was done with this equipment.
Radio system on Fire Fighter
Below deck in the engine room. From here engineers could
receive commands and
take actions to engage pump, change pressures, control motors, etc...
The Fire Fighter has very large, powerful motors.
The motors power these huge generators which actually drive the propulsion and fire pumps.
One of the actual fire pumps
Simple diagram of Fire Fighter's piping and nozzles located below decks in the engine room.
Fittings room
The small hoses attached to the nozzle tips are where the "coloring"
that is sometimes added to a water display is added to provide
for the "Red, white, and blue" display.
July 2011
"Fire Fighter"
The Fire Fighter and McKean
Reserve and retired FDNY Fireboats.
Kevin Kane (Marine 6), Fire Fighter (Marine 9), and John D. McKean (Marine 1)
July 2011
After Retirement
Upon retirement from the FDNY in 2010, the "Fire Fighter" was
decommissioned
and disposed of. The private 501c Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum took ownership
of the vessel in 2012 to save it from the scrap yard. In 2013 it was located at
the
eastern end of Long Island in Greenport where work began to restore it.
In 2016 the Fire Fighter was brought to a shipyard in southern Rhode Island
where
its paint was stripped and repairs were made to the hull.
(photos from
Americasfireboat.org page)
Updated May 3, 2019
RETURN TO
FIREBOATS
FROM
Copyright
Britt Crosby
CapeCodFD