 FireboatJohn J. Harvey | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 New York City Fire Department | |
| Name | John J. Harvey |
| Namesake | John J. Harvey |
| Port of registry | New York City, United States |
| Ordered | 1928 |
| Builder | Todd Shipbuilding |
| Cost | $594,000 |
| Laid down | 1930 |
| Launched | October 6, 1931 |
| Commissioned | December 17, 1931 |
| In service | December 17, 1931 |
| Out of service | 1995 |
| Renamed |
|
| Reclassified | Museum ship |
| Refit | 1957 |
| Reinstated | Temporary return to service9/11/2001 |
| Homeport | North River Pier 66, New York City (As of 2019) |
| Nickname(s) | The "Harvey" |
| Honors & awards | National Preservation Award |
| Status | FDNY retired |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Fireboat |
| Displacement | 268 net tons |
| Length | 130 ft (40 m) |
| Beam | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Installed power | 5 Fairbanks - Morse opposed piston Model 38F5¼ which consist of 8 cylinders with 16 pistons. |
| Propulsion | Twin screws |
| Speed | 18 knots |
| Capacity | 18,000gpm |
| Armament | Eight deck monitors and 24 large connections for fire hose |
John J. Harvey | |
  Location in United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°45′0″N74°0′39″W / 40.75000°N 74.01083°W /40.75000; -74.01083 |
| Built | 1931 |
| Built by | Todd Shipyards |
| Architect | Henry J. Gielow |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000576[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 15, 2000 |
John J. Harvey is afireboat formerly of theNew York City Fire Department (FDNY). She is one of the most powerful fireboats ever built, capable of pumping up to 18,000 gallons of water a minute. The boat famously returned to service following theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks.[2][3]
Launched in 1931,John J. Harvey served in theFDNY until she was brought out of service in 1994. She was named for marine fireman John J. Harvey, killed when a ship exploded during a fire. Among the marine fires at which she assisted were theCunard Line pier fire in 1932, the burning ofNormandie in 1942, the ammunition shipEl Estero in 1943,[4] andthe collision of theoil tankersAlva Cape andTexaco Massachusetts in 1966. Her official designation at the end of her career wasMarine 2.
John J. Harvey was sold at auction in 1999 to a private consortium of marinepreservationists determined to prevent her from beingscrapped. She was restored and began hosting frequent public free trips on the river.[5] In June 2000 she was added to theNational Park Service'sNational Register of Historic Places.[6][7]
Shortly after the attacks on theWorld Trade Center onSeptember 11, 2001, the boat's owners asked FDNY officials for permission to assist inmaritime evacuations fromGround Zero.[8] Meanwhile, firefighters had determined that the vast scale of destruction had damaged many fire mains, depriving fire crews of water. Officials radioedJohn J. Harvey, asking if her pumps still worked. Responding that they did, she was told to drop off her passengers as soon as possible and return to the disaster site, reactivating her official designationMarine 2. Alongside two other FDNY fireboats,John D. McKean andFire Fighter, she pumped water at the site for 80 hours, until water mains were restored.[9]
TheNational Trust for Historic Preservation gaveJohn J. Harvey a special National Preservation Award to recognize this incident, and the ship's response became the subject of a 2002children's book.
In 2018, she was repainted in a red and white dazzle pattern as part of an art project byTauba Auerbach, in commemoration of thedazzle camouflage used on World War I ships.[10]
As of 2025, the fireboat is moored atNorth River Pier 66, on theHudson River at12th Avenue and26th Street, alongside theLightshipFrying Pan at the barge for Pier 66 Maritime inHudson River Park.
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Media related toJohn J. Harvey (ship, 1931) at Wikimedia Commons
