 Edward M. Cotter escortingUSS Little Rock (LCS-9). | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | William S. Grattan (Engine 20) |
| Operator | Buffalo Fire Department |
| Builder | Crescent Shipbuilding of Elizabeth City, New Jersey |
| Cost | $91,000 |
| Laid down | March 24, 1900 |
| Sponsored by | Virginia Pearson |
| Christened | September 1, 1900 by Lucia Virginia Malone |
| In service |
|
| Out of service | 1928-1930 |
| Renamed |
|
| Refit |
|
| Homeport | Buffalo, NY |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Fireboat |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Beam | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) |
| Ice class | 1.5 in (38.1 mm) thick belt line of Swedish steel around the icebreaking part of the hull |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Capacity | |
| Notes |
|
Edward M. Cotter | |
 | |
  | |
| Location | Buffalo, New York |
| Built | 1900 |
| Architect | Crescent Shipbuilding Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000968 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 28, 1996[1] |
| Designated NHL | June 28, 1996[2] |
Edward M. Cotter is afireboat in use by theBuffalo Fire Department atBuffalo, New York, United States. Originally namedWilliam S. Grattan, it was built in 1900 by theCrescent Shipyard ofElizabeth Port, New Jersey. Due to age, it was rebuilt in 1953 and renamedFirefighter upon its return to service. The following year it was renamedEdward M. Cotter.[3] Its namesake, Edward Cotter, was a Buffalo firefighter and leader of the local firefighters union who had recently died.[4]
Edward M. Cotter is considered to be the oldest active fireboat in the world and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996.[2][5][6] Along with its firefighting duties, during the winterEdward M. Cotter is used as anicebreaker on Buffalo's rivers.Edward M. Cotter mounts fivefire monitors that are capable of pumping 15,000 US gallons per minute (0.95 m3/s; 12,000 imp gal/min).[7][8] It can often be seen sailing out of its berth and south-west to Lake Erie, returning north through thebreakwall and firing its fire monitors.
The ship that was to becomeEdward M. Cotter was built in 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey. She was originally namedWilliam S. Grattan after the first paid fire commissioner for the city of Buffalo.[9][unreliable source?] Construction was started on March 24, 1900, and she waschristened on September 1, 1900, by Lucia Virginia Malone, the nine-year-old daughter of one of the city's fire commissioners.[10][11] The final construction cost for the ship was $91,000.
The completed ship was 118 ft (36 m) in length, had abeam of 24 ft (7.3 m), anddrew 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m). A 1.5 in (38.1 mm)-thick belt-line of Swedish steel was included around the hull for icebreaking duties.William S. Grattan was powered by twoBabcock & Wilcox coal-fired boilers with steam engines rated at 900 horsepower (670 kW).[12] A singlepropeller provided propulsion. The rated speed of the ship was 13knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).
The ship was also equipped with three double action steam pumps that supplied water at 9,000 US gallons per minute (0.57 m3/s; 7,500 imp gal/min) to the three fire monitors used for firefighting. Two of the fire monitors were mounted on the forward section of the ship and one was on thestern section.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Buffalo's waterfront was an extremely busy center of commerce.Grain elevators, warehouses and shipping traffic had overtaxed the two existing fireboats:John T. Hutchinson (Engine 23) andGeorge R. Potter (Engine 29). Also, the city of Buffalo had shoreline hookups to allow the fireboats to serve as floating pumping stations supplying high pressure water to afire hydrant system that covered the downtown area.[13] The decision was made by city officials to order a third boat that would also have icebreaking capability along with her normal firefighting duties.
Upon completion she traveled up the Atlantic coast, down theSt. Lawrence River, acrossLake Ontario, through theWelland Canal and finally acrossLake Erie in an uneventful trip that took 14 days. She was met 3 miles (4.8 km) out of the harbor by her sister fireboats and escorted in.[14]
On July 28, 1928William S. Grattan responded to the oil bargeJames F. Cahill, loaded with 5,000 barrels of crude oil, that was aflame in the Buffalo River at Elk Street while docked at the Atlas Refinery.[15][16][17] Thirty-five fire companies, theGrattan and another fireboat battled the blaze.[18] After burning 17 hours, the barge's mooring lines gave way and the barge began to drift following a series of four explosions.[19]William S. Grattan's crew attempted to attach tow lines to the drifting barge but it struck a dock at an oil company where the emptyoil tankerB.B. McColl was moored.[20] The fumes on theB.B. McColl ignited causing an explosion and fire that engulfedWilliam S. Grattan. Captain Thomas Hylant along with his crew abandoned ship and swam through the flames to shore. Chief Engineer Thomas Lynch ofWilliam S. Grattan lost his life after abandoning ship and seven other crew members were injured.[16] The unattended boilers onWilliam S. Grattan soon ran dry and exploded, leaving the ship burned out to the waterline and heavily damaged.[16][21]
William S. Grattan sat boarded-up for eighteen months while city and fire department officials decided whether to replace her at a cost of $225,000 or rebuild her for $99,000, which was $8,000 more than her original cost. The decision was made to rebuild and in 1930 she was rebuilt at the Buffalo Dry Dock Company of Buffalo, New York. During this refit some improvements were made toWilliam S. Grattan. One improvement was that herboilers were converted from burning coal to burning oil.[7] The engines were rebuilt and her firefighting system was updated and could now handlefoam fire retardant. Also, thepilot house was raised to the upper boat deck level and a fixed turret tower with a fire monitor was constructed on the stern of the ship. A fourth fire monitor was added to the top of the pilot house of the ship as well. As part of heracceptance ceremony she participated in a race against the harbor tugKentucky, which was considered to be one of the fastest tugs on theGreat Lakes.
In the early 1950s, it was noticed thatWilliam S. Grattan was showing signs of age. Her boilers were only able to operate at 40 percent capacity and an engine room steam leak in 1951 injured part of her crew. During November 1952,William S. Grattan was sent to theSturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for a refit.
During this refit her boilers andsteam engines were replaced by diesel engines, the pumps for the firefighting system were replaced, the single propeller was replaced with twin propellers, the fixed firefighting platform was replaced with ahydraulically operated platform and the twinfunnels were replaced with lower dummy funnels. Upon her return in 1954, she was renamedFirefighter. In 1955 she was renamed again in honor of Edward M. Cotter, a respected Buffalo firefighter and the leader of the local firefighters union, who had recently died.[3] After the refitEdward M. Cotter mounted five fire monitors capable of pumping 15,000 US gallons per minute (0.95 m3/s; 12,000 imp gal/min).[7][8]
On October 7, 1960Edward M. Cotter came to the aid of firefighting authorities inPort Colborne,Ontario, Canada.[22] Two days previously, on October 5, 1960, a set of grain elevators caught fire at the eight-story Maple Leaf Milling Company. The Port Colborne Fire Department did not have its own fireboat and they were unable to bring the fire under control. The Buffalo Fire Department was asked to sendEdward M. Cotter to lend assistance. Escorted by aUnited States Coast Guardcutter, because she had never needed navigational equipment of her own,Edward M. Cotter proceeded across the international border. The voyage to Port Colborne took two hours with an additional four hours needed to bring the fire under control. This mission is said to have been the first instance that a United States fire boat had crossed an international border to help authorities in another country.[22]
In 1978USS Little Rock, a retired United States Navalguided missile cruiser on display at theBuffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, began taking on water and listing.Edward M. Cotter and several Buffalo Fire Department fire engines pumped water out ofLittle Rock for five days keeping the ship afloat and level while repairs were made.[14]Edward M. Cotter also assisted the disabled United States Coast Guard cutterOjibwa during the winter of 1983.Ojibwa, while onLake Erie, had lost her steering and was taking on water.Edward M. Cotter towedOjibwa to her base in Buffalo and helped keep her afloat while repairs were made.[14] Another rescue occurred on July 31, 1984, whenEdward M. Cotter towed the Polishtall shipZawisza Czarny off a sand bar during the ship's visit to Buffalo.
As commerce declined on Buffalo's waterfront,Edward M. Cotter was transferred from the Buffalo Fire Department to the Public Works Department in 1992 for icebreaking duties. In 1996Edward M. Cotter was designated aNational Historic Landmark.[2][6] and was transferred back to the Buffalo Fire Department in 1997.
A non-profit group named "Friends of theCotter", founded in 2005, has been running fund-raising events to overhaulEdward M. Cotter.[8] Along with her normal dutiesEdward M. Cotter has been sent to various festivals and boat shows around the Great Lakes.[14]
On March 24, 2023, a proclamation was issued by Buffalo mayor Byron Brown and the City of Buffalo Common Council declaring March 24 to be recognized as "Edward M. Cotter Day" in recognition of the fireboat's 123 years of service. A fund raising campaign with a goal of six million dollars was announced by Fireboat E.M. Cotter Conservancy President Larry Cobado to restore theCotter to full operational condition.[23]
Edward Cotter is one of a few fireboats to ply the Great Lakes:
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help) andAccompanying 11 photos, exterior and interior, from 1920 to 1989. (585 KiB)
Media related toEdward M. Cotter (ship, 1900) at Wikimedia CommonsThe American Electric Supply Company was awarded a contract for a dynamo and other electrical apparatus required by the new fire boat.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1928 | |
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