- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
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Main article: Tourism in New York City
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises 
Locale Manhattan, New York Waterway East River, Harlem River, Harlem River Ship Canal, Hudson River, New York Harbor, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, Upper New York Bay Transit type Water Tours Operator Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises Began operation 1945 No. of lines 5 No. of vessels 9 No. of terminals 1 Daily ridership Approximately 2,740 Owner Karl Andren 
The Circle Line XVII touring the Harlem River
The Circle Line is the collective name given to two sightseeing ferry operations in Manhattan:
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises at 42nd Street which circles Manhattan from its base at Pier 83 in Manhattan
- Circle Line Downtown operates out of Pier 16, South Street Seaport. The company name is Circle Line Harbor Cruises, LLC. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Circle Line Statue of Liberty.
The two companies split in 1981 from the parent Circle Line company and now have different officers and directors.
Circumnavigation of Manhattan became possible in 1905 with the construction of the Harlem Ship Canal, the first regularly scheduled trip being the Tourist captained by John Roberts in 1908.
On June 15, 1945 Frank Barry, Joe Moran and other partners merged several sightseeing boats to form the Circle Line operating out of Battery Park.
In 1955 it began operating at its current Pier 83 location. In 1962 it bought the Hudson River Day Line.[1]
In 1981 the two companies split.
In 1988 the 42nd Street company bought World Yachts operating upscale dining cruises from Chelsea Piers. In 1998 the 42nd Street company also launched The Beast, a speedboat ride which takes tourists around the Statue of Liberty and goes 45 mph.
In 2007, the United States National Park Service said it was going to terminate Circle Line Liberty franchise and give a 10-year contract to Hornblower Cruises which provides service to Alcatraz.[2] It was noted in the announcement that since 1953 Circle Line has transported 70 million people to Liberty Island. Among the items cited in the transfer was a newer fleet (although Hornblower will have to buy the Circle Line boats) and the possibility of new service to Gateway National Recreation Area. The New York Times reported on December 8, 2007 that the price of the circle line boats to be sold to Hornblower was in arbitration, forcing Hornblower to bring in new boats.[3]
In 2009, Circle Line took delivery of the third of three new vessels constructed at Gladding-Hearn in Somerset, Massachusetts.
References
- ^ George, Horne (October 6, 1962). "Hudson Day Line Bought By Circle". The New York Times: p. 50. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C11F7345C137A93C4A9178BD95F468685F9. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ Ramirez, Anthony (June 29, 2007). "Circle Line Loses Pact for Ferries to Liberty Island". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/nyregion/29ferry.html. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ McGeehan, Patrick (December 8, 2007). "Crossing a Continent by Water to Another City by the Bay". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/nyregion/08ferry.html. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
External links
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises Official web site
- history on official web sitePDF
- Circle Line Downtown Official Web site
- Pictures of the Circle Line Tour around Manhattan
- Article on new boat Circle Line Manhattan in Professional Mariner magazine
- Photos and information regarding vessels delivered in 2008 and 2009.
- "In a circular line, it all comes back" by Vivian Reiss
Categories:- Companies established in 1945
- Ferries of New York City
- Ferry companies of New York City
- Tourism in New York City
- Tourist activities
- Port of New York and New Jersey
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