Proud History

	BERTHS   (  1908 - 1962 - 1976 - 1990 - 1992  ) Marine Co. 1 Pier G, Brooklyn Navy Yard, East River. Marine Co. 2 Pier 53, Bloomfield St., North River. Marine Co. 6 FDNY Academy, Randall's Island, East River. Marine Co. 9 Saint George, Staten Island, Upper Bay.

Fireboat Locations
(1990s proposal)

By 1990 plans were underway to construct two very fast, shallow draft fireboats. These would be of Surface Effect Ship (SES) design, where a protected space between two rigid sidehulls could be pressurized with air, lifting the craft and reducing resistance.



Fireboat John P. Devaney
Photo Courtesy Al Trojanowicz
With the high-speed SES boats, it was intended that the two new boats be assigned to berths in the outlying reaches of the harbor with the other two large conventional boats more centrally located.

The City had long looked at landmark Pier A at the Battery as a desirable piece of real estate, and frequent proposals were considered to turn it over for private development. A suitable location would first have to be found for the units quartered there.

FDNY management came up with a plan where Marine 1 would vacate Pier A and move to new quarters on the East River at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This would leave Marine 2 at Pier 53 alone on the North River. It was also intended to move Marine 6 up the East River since their Grand Street berth was directly opposite the Navy Yard. Marine 6 would move to new quarters being prepared at the FDNY Training Academy on Randall's Island, just beyond the Hell Gate Bridge.

The two fast new boats would then be assigned to Marine Companies 6 and 9 where their high speed capabilities would allow them quick access to the furthest parts of the Port. The central harbor would be covered by the "battleships" assigned to Marine 1 and 2.

Two 70 foot boats of this design John P. Devaney and Alfred E. Ronaldson were delivered in 1992. Testing and training began. It was soon determined that these high-tech boats were plagued with technical problems. FDNY and the builders worked at trying to improve their reliability, and in mid-1994 both boats were briefly placed in service. It was soon decided that they were unsuitable, and both were removed from the roster pending disposition.

As a result, these planned berth changes never came about. The new berth and quarters at Randall's Island was never used.