fireboat.org - Historic Fireboat John J. Harvey - Life Saver, National Treasure - My River Chronicles: Rediscovering America on the Hudson


	19 October 2002 Historic fireboat wins award for its help on Sept. 11 by Margaret Foster A 1931 fireboat came out of retirement to help on Sept. 11 and provided the only source of water to firefighters at the World Trade Center site. Yesterday, the National Trust praised the crew of the John J. Harvey and presented a National Preservation Honor Award to the 130-foot steel ship. "We know we have a great vessel," says Huntley Gill, who co-owns the boat, along with a dozen others. "We're very, very proud." The John J. Harvey was docked in Chelsea as a museum after 63 years of service with the New York Fire Department. When the towers collapsed, five volunteers rushed to the boat and ferried 150 survivors north to safety. Then the crew received word that no fire hydrants were working downtown, so they docked in lower Manhattan, turned on Harvey's powerful pumps-equivalent to 15 fire engines and for days pumped water to Ground Zero. "Today, preservationists across the nation thank the brave people who brought her back into service on that terrible day," said National Trust president Richard Moe. "It's not often that a historic site plays such a pivotal role in an emergency situation." In 1999, several historians bought and restored Harvey, which was decommissioned in 1994, and used it to give free harbor tours. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places last year. Read more articles...

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