John J. Harvey (fireboat)

The "John J. Harvey" is a fireboat formerly of the New York City Fire Department in New York City, famed for returning to service on 9/11.ref|fireboatorg

Description

At 130 feet and 268 net tons, she is among the most powerful fireboats ever in service, capable of pumping up to 18,000 gallons of water a minute.

History

She had a distinguished career in the FDNY, from her launch in 1931 to her retirement in 1994. Among the marine fires at which she assisted were the Cunard Line pier fire in 1932, the burning of the "Normandie" in 1942, the ammunition ship "El Estero" during World War II, and the collision of the "Alva Cape" and "Texaco Massachusetts" oil tankers in 1966. She was named for marine fireman John J. Harvey, who lost his life when a ship exploded during a fire. Her official designation at the end of her career was "Marine 2".

She was sold, at auction, in 1999, to a private consortium of marine preservationists determined to prevent her from scrapping. In June 2000 she was added to the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places. Her current owners have thoroughly restored her, and host frequent free trips on the river.

eptember 11, 2001

The "John J. Harvey" had an unexpected encore. During the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the boat's owners asked FDNY officials for permission to assist in evacuations from Ground Zero.ref|Nps Meanwhile, firefighters had determined that the vast scale of destruction had damaged many fire mains, depriving fire crews of water. Officials radioed the "Harvey" to drop off her passengers as soon as possible and return to the disaster site to pump water, reactivating her official designation "Marine 2". Alongside two other FDNY fireboats, she pumped water at the site for 80 hours, until water mains were restored. The National Trust for Historic Preservation gave the "Harvey" a special National Preservation Award to recognize this incident. The "Harvey"'s story was the subject of a 2002 children's book.

Books

* "FIREBOAT: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey", by Maira Kalman, 2002. ISBN 0-399-23953-7

References

# [http://www.fireboat.org/ official site]
# [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/fireboat.htm Historic Fireboat Aids in New York City Response and Recovery at the World Trade Center]
# [http://powerandmotoryacht.com/features/0202bornagain/index1.html Born-Again Hero]
# [http://www.harborheroes.org The Maritime Evacuation of Manhattan on September 11, 2001]

External links

* [http://www.fireboat.org/ Official Site]