‘America’s Fireboat’ returns to Greenport, welcomes visitors

Greenport is still weeks away from the arrival of an eclectic assortment of yachts, fishing boats and touring vessels tying up to the docks at Mitchell Marina, but a familiar profile has returned to its berth on the waterfront. “Fire Fighter,” a retired New York City fireboat, is once again giving tours and telling the stories of courageous feats from its 72-year career fighting fires on the sea. 

Welcoming visitors in Greenport

Fire Fighter spent the years 2013 to 2020 moored at the railroad dock at the other end of the Greenport waterfront. During those summers, a young boy from Shelter Island named Will Halloran would visit the fireboat as often as he could get a grownup to bring him over on the ferry, clambering down ladders to her engine room and up to the bridge.

The fireboat’s stay in Greenport was ended by the COVID pandemic, and Fire Fighter found a berth at Mystic Seaport Museum for the next few years, before returning to Greenport last summer.

By then 13, Will showed up to volunteer on the fireboat during his summer vacation, then traveled to Mystic a few times to help out while she was docked there over the winter. The interest in maritime pursuits sparked by visiting the fireboat in Greenport grew over the years, and this fall he will begin high school at the Harbor School on Governors Island off the tip of Manhattan.

Today, Will volunteers every weekend while the boat is here, assisting Charles Ritchie, who oversees the operation, with tours and maintenance, along with other volunteers. 

“We’ll be here past Memorial Day,” said Mr. Ritchie, and back in September for the Maritime Festival from Sept. 26 to 27. From time to time, the boat will motor out into the harbor for a dramatic demonstration of the powerful sprays that have been deployed to fight fires as well as take part in celebratory events. 

The rest of the summer plan has yet to be confirmed, he said, with plans for taking part in OpSail in Boston for the country’s 250th anniversary, now jeopardized by the steep rise in fuel costs. In the meantime, Will and other volunteers are keeping the historic vessel shipshape, giving tours and telling her story. 

Giving a tour of the engine room to a visitor the other day, Will startled her by having a loud gong sound next to her. “That’s how the pilot in the bridge signals to the engineer to operate the telegraph, like ‘full speed ahead,’” he laughed, explaining that Mr. Ritchie was returning a signal he’d just sent.

History

Launched in 1938, it was designed by noted naval architect William Francis Gibbs and may be the last of his vessels afloat, capable of pumping 20,000 gallons of water per minute to nine topside fire monitors and powered by one of the first diesel-electric powerplants ever fitted to a vessel of her size.

Over the next seven decades, Fire Fighter responded to scenes of immense catastrophes, such as the 1973 collision of SS Esso Brussels and SS SeaWitch, the largest fire she would ever fight single-handedly.

For her efforts and her crew’s part in the response of both firefighting and rescue of 31 surviving crewmen from the burning SS Sea Witch, Fire Fighter was named a “Gallant Ship” and her crew received the American Merchant Marine Seamanship Trophy, the only fireboat to ever receive this award.

Gallant indeed: on September 11, 2001, Fire Fighter along with the rest of the FDNY Marine Units, responded to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, taking up a station at the foot of Albany Street in Battery Park City and pumping at her maximum capacity to supply water to landside units fighting fires in the still-standing towers.

Following the collapse of both buildings and resultant failure of the majority of the water mains serving lower Manhattan, Fire Fighter and the rest of the FDNY Marine Units became the sole source of water for firefighting efforts at Ground Zero, a duty which Fire Fighter maintained for three weeks until sufficient repairs were completed on landside water mains to permit her release from what had become her longest emergency response call.

More recently, she responded to Captain “Sully” Sullenberger’s “Miracle on the Hudson” emergency landing in 2009, helping with the safe rescue of all passengers and crew when the plane ditched in the river.

Fundraising and Outreach

Now a floating museum, it operates as a nonprofit, welcoming donations to keep going. Visitors are welcome for free guided tours, given hourly on weekends, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and 11 on Sundays. Tours of Fire Fighter are free, but donations are welcome.

The donations and income from sales of Fire Fighter merchandise are being matched up to $10,000 by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, which has provided previous support for the historic vessel. In between his other duties, Mr. Ritchie applies for grants and hopes to secure support from fire suppression companies and foundations dedicated to protecting and preserving important pieces of history. 

To learn more about “Fire Fighter,” stop by and take a tour, or visit AmericasFireboat.org.