In the early 20th century the Port of New York was one of the largest and busiest in the world. But all those steamboats, ocean liners, tugboats, barges, cargo vessels, and ferries meant sometimes accidents happened, and accidents on boats often meant fires.
The New York Fire Department had a marine unit as early as the 1860s, using sidewheel steamboats to assist with waterfront fires and fires on ships. But some of the longest-serving fireboats were the John J. Harvey (1931-1999) and Fire Fighter (1938-2011), both of which are featured in this historic 1953 documentary (you can see the Harvey briefly in the beginning and most of the action takes place on the Fire Fighter), and both of which are preserved as museum ships today.
'Smoke Eaters" is slang for firefighters, and watching this historic film you can see why: no face masks or oxygen were being used in those days!
The New York Fire Department still maintains a marine unit, as New York City is still one of the biggest ports in the world, albeit less busy today than a century ago.
To learn more about the Fire Fighter, visit their website, or see her in Mystic, CT!
To learn more about the John J. Harvey, visit their website, or see her this fall at HRMM!
To learn more about "Sea Going Smoke Eaters" in World War II, check out this this article from the May, 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics!
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This blog is written by Hudson River Maritime Museum staff, volunteers and guest contributors.
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