The
Fire Department of New York operated a
fireboat named ''William J. Gaynor'' from 1914 to 1961.
[
Construction began in March 1913.][ Her cost was projected to be $118,000. She was long, with a beam of . According to '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' her pumps would ''"normally"'' project 7,000 gallons per minute. However, ''"under high pressure"'', she could throw 13,000 gallons per minute.
The vessel was named after a former Mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
, William J. Gaynor
William Jay Gaynor (February 2, 1849 – September 10, 1913) was an American politician from New York City, associated with the Tammany Hall political machine. He served as the 94th mayor of the City of New York from 1910 to 1913, and previously ...
.[ Gaynor's daughter Marion launched the vessel, on June 26, 1913, at a ceremony in , attended by other senior officials.][
She was put up for sale in February, 1961.][ She was no longer in operational condition when she was put up for sale.
]
Operational history
On January 22, 1916, the Norwegian cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
''Sygna'' carrying railway supplies from the neutral United States to Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, returned to port when crew discovered a serious fire in one of her holds.[ ''William J. Gaynor'' was assigned to put out the freighter's fire. At the inquiry her officer's praised the freighter's pilot for preventing the vessels from coming to shore, and starting fires there. ''Sygna'' propeller cut a gash in ''William J. Gaynor''s hull. She had to call on a "wrecking tug" to open ''Sygna''s hatch before she could suppress the fire in the hold.
On June 21, 1921, ''William J. Gaynor'' was called to Barren Island in ]Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lower New York Bay to the west, ...
when a warehouse belonging to the United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...
was found to be ablaze.[ By the time the fireboat arrived land-based firefighters had been unable to prevent the fire from spreading to two of the shipping board's four derelict ships. The cargo ships ''Polar Bear'' and ''City of Omaha'' were also ablaze. ''William J. Gaynor'' with the aid of land-based firefighters, and the skeleton crews of two more shipping board vessels, was able to keep the two remaining vessels from burning.
On October 5, 1926, the crew of the ]ocean liner
An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships).
Ca ...
discovered a fire in one of her cargo holds. ''William J. Gaynor'' was the first fireboat on scene, and was joined by . The two fireboats pumped water into the burning hold, and ''Byron'' reached the quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
station under her own power.Popular Science magazine
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, inclu ...
'' published a former crew member's account of ''William J. Gaynor'' fight of a fire aboard a munitions barge, during World War One.[ The crew member described how, after the fire had been put out, the officer in command of Fort Hamilton, where the barge was being unloaded, praised how he and his colleagues stuck by their stations, and didn't withdraw, when the shells started to explode. He wrote that they took the praise and didn't inform him they had no choice, since they had run aground, and couldn't move until the next tide raised the river's level.
In July, 1958, Otto H. Winderl, ''Gaynor''s pilot, and Eugene E. Kenny, ''Gaynor''s Captain, were called to testify as a witness at a Coast Guard board of inquiry into the deadly collision of the cargo ship ''Nebraska'' and tanker ''Empress Bay''.][ The tanker burst into flame. ''Gaynor'' and other service vessels had difficulty rescuing survivors. ''Nebraska''s propeller ripped a large hole in ''Gaynor''s hull. Two crewmembers died, in the blaze, but 49 others were saved.][
]
References
External links
*
{{New York City Fire Department
Fireboats of New York City
Ships built in Elizabeth, New Jersey
1913 ships