The ''John Kendall'' was a steam-powered fireboat launched in 1929 by the

Toledo Shipbuilding Company The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard located on Toledo, Ohio. History The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1905 when a syndicate of investors purchased the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, Ohio. The group was composed of L ...

and operated by the Detroit Fire Department from 1930 to 1976. During her service as a fireboat she continued to be propelled by

steam engines A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

, requiring a crew of ten, five of whom were required to stoke her boiler. She was converted to a tugboat, and her steam engines were finally replaced by diesel engines. She served an additional 20 years as a tug, out of Alpena, Michigan. She was scrapped in 1994. According to Bob Dombrowski, the author of ''38 Years: a Detroit Firefighter's Story'', she was long. But in 1976, the year she was decommissioned, ''

The Scanner ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' reported she was long.

Namesake

The vessel's namesake had followed his father's footsteps, and joined the Fire Department as a volunteer, when he was just fourteen years old. He served the Department for 58 years. John Kendall was appointed Detroit's third Fire Department Chief in 1898. Detroit's first two fire chiefs, James Battle and James R. Elliott had previously been honoured by having the Department's second ('' James Battle'') and third fireboats named after them. Detroit's fifth and most recent fireboat, the ''Curtis Randolph'', was named after a firefighter who died in the line of duty.

See all

Fireboats of Detroit As an important river port, there has been six fireboats operated by the Detroit Fire Department. References External links

* {{Fleets of fireboats by city or body of water Fireboats of Detroit, Water transportation in Michigan History ...

References

Fireboats of Detroit 1929 ships Ships built in Toledo, Ohio Ships built by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company {{Ship-stub