The 93 Year Old Fireboat that’s New York’s Cruise Ships Ambassador

ByRené Allan Mack

The New Yorkers and out-of-town over-achievers are on the move this brilliant Saturday afternoon.  Running, jogging, walking at 3.5 miles an hour they observe everything and respond to nothing.  If they are not moving, they are taking in the sun, and socializing at the restaurants and parks that line the Hudson River.  And when they see the boat, they pause, actually smile, and in a rare moment of spontaneity, wave.

The restored 1931 fireboat John J. Harvey sails along the Manhattan waterfront, a living icon known for saluting cruise ships and welcoming vessels to New York Harbor. Credit: René Mack.
The restored 1931 fireboat John J. Harvey sails along the Manhattan waterfront, a living icon known for saluting cruise ships and welcoming vessels to New York Harbor. Credit: René Mack.

One of the only things New Yorkers are known to wave for are yellow cabs, and that is more of a skilled command than a polite gesture.  Cell phone cameras appear.  John J. Harvey, a 94-year old red, white and black retired New York City fireboat is reveling on the river with her water cannons spraying thousands of gallons of water into the air as if she were the Old Faithful of all of New York City.   New Yorkers love her.  When she was young, in 1931, the forward brass water cannon shot a stream of water over the roadway of the new George Washington Bridge, a mere 212 feet high.

Images courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
Credit: René Mack.
Credit: René A. Mack.

John J. Harvey brings joy to New York Harbor as her powerful water cannons sprays arc across the skyline and sweep past the Statue of Liberty.

This afternoon, however, the water cannons are just for fun, like kids jumping in a puddle or a sprinkler on the lawn in the suburbs.  The fireboat has just cruised around the harbor for about 90 minutes taking people of all ages on a free trip round the Battery, weaving in and out of the Staten Island Ferry and getting up close with the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge.

Welcoming Ships and Witnessing History

That’s when Huntley Gill, pilot of the boat, notices that MSC’s mega cruise ship is casting off and underway from Brooklyn presumably to The Bahamas and Caribbean.  When not putting out fires, historically, the Harvey excels in the traditional New York fireboat welcome or salute– making the waters of the Hudson River dance in the sky to the delight of passengers, landlubbers and the media. This afternoon, the guests on the cruise ship Meraviglia visibly rush to the rails to take in this free cultural gift-with purchase. 

On deck aboard John J. Harvey during a Hudson River run. Credit: René A. Mack.
On deck aboard John J. Harvey during a East River run. Credit: René A. Mack.

When the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) retired nearly all of the big fireboats, the age of free water displays and escorts into the harbor turned into a trickle.  Today, if you have a cruise ship and want a fireboat, “who you gunna call” as they say in the movies; you call the John J. Harvey.  A 501 (c)3 non-profit.  Harvey operates on donations and grants from New York State, the maritime community, organizations and individuals.  

Built for Power: Origins

“The cruise lines love to work with us for maiden arrivals, special events, sponsorships and alliances, like SAIL 250 coming up, for media and VIP events, broadcast and influencer platforms and even guest experiences,” said Huntley Gill, the ship’s pilot. “And we love to do it.”

Generational New Yorkers know this boat, maybe not by name.  They, like me, have seen her their entire lives, be it as the lead boat during Operation Sail in 1976, the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in 1986 or the centennial of the Brooklyn Bridge.  She has always been there due to her speed, classic nautical lines and power.  In a city where the past  literally vanishes from one day or year to the next (think the late, great Pennsylvania Station), somehow this 94-year-old bell boat made with rivets not only survives, but actually sails on a regular basis.  It’s one of New York’s best kept secrets, and a most beautiful visual.

John J. Harvey salutes Queen Mary 2 on her inaugural New York arrival. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.

Like the sacred “witness trees” at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, John J. Harvey has witnessed some of the greatest, and most tragic moments, in New York harbor and ocean/cruise line history.  She was there for the maiden arrivals of the Normandie, Queen Mary, United States, and France. Her water cannons welcomed Cunard’s QE2, Queen Mary 2 and the new Queen Elizabeth.  I was onboard her to welcome in Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas where the entire Today Show broadcast.  From NCL to MSC and Windstar to Carnival Harvey has always been there given she is a fast and beautiful boat for her size, cruising at around 15 to 18 knots and can shoot an amazing amount of water into the air.

  • Fireboats fill New York Harbor with soaring plumes of water as SS Normandie makes her inaugural arrival on June 3, 1935, following her record-breaking maiden voyage. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
  • Fireboats send towering plumes of water over New York Harbor as tall ships and hundreds of pleasure craft gather for Operation Sail, celebrating the United States Bicentennial on July 4, 1976, with the Twin Towers rising over Lower Manhattan. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
    Fireboats send towering plumes of water over New York Harbor as tall ships and hundreds of pleasure craft gather for Operation Sail, celebrating the United States Bicentennial on July 4, 1976, with the Twin Towers rising over Lower Manhattan. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
  • John J. Harvey stages a pre-dawn salute as Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas glides past the Statue of Liberty. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
  • John J. Harvey offers a signature New York Harbor welcome as Norwegian Joy approaches. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
  • John J. Harvey leads a classic New York Harbor welcome Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 makes her inaugural visit.
  • John J. Harvey salutes Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 on her inaugural call to New York. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.

    • Legendary Fires to A Close Call

    John J. Harvey is also legendary for fighting fires — appropriate for a boat named after a firefighter who died when a ship exploded during a fire.  It was this boat that was in the entourage that welcomed the legendary ocean liner Normandie into New York in 1935; only to be one of the fireboats that poured uncounted gallons of water into her during a massive fire in 1942 that rolled her over at the West Side Pier 88 during conversion into a WWII troop ship.   Harvey was there when the top-secret ammunition ship El Estero caught fire and literally was the single greatest threat to New York during WWII.  She was on the scene during the catastrophic collision of two oil tankers in 1966.  But it was on 9/11 that the boat’s reputation and name entered into the pantheon of New York maritime lore. 

  • SS Normandie, renamed USS Lafayette, burns alongside Pier 88 in Manhattan on February 9, 1942, a catastrophic harbor fire battled by New York’s fireboats, including John J. Harvey. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
  • A dramatic painting of the 1943 El Estero fire in New York Harbor, where fireboats, including John J. Harvey, joined a desperate battle to stop an ammunition-ship blaze that threatened the entire port. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
  • Fireboat John J. Harvey pours water onto a raging pier fire on the New York waterfront. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.
  • The fireboat bears the name of FDNY Firefighter John J. Harvey.

    • New York, although 400 years old, has always been forward looking, and the past tends to get in the way – be it a cast iron streetlight, subway kiosk, or one of the greatest railroad stations in the world

    So, it was in 1994 the New York City Fire Department decommissioned the Harvey.  Long time pilot Bob Lenney retired with the boat.  Harvey was going to the scrapyards of Staten Island, the breakers.

    But then the improbable happened, a group of private marine enthusiasts bought the boat out of the scrapyard for ten dollars more than the prior bid.  Lenney was back as a pilot. Harvey was restored with private funds and donations, and began hosting free public trips on the river for donations.  A media and PR darling, word got around.  “I know a guy who has this boat…”. In June 2000 she was added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.  Berthed along an old railroad transfer barge with the lighthouse ship Frying Pan (an epic bar) at Pier 66 (26th Street and 12 Avenue for non-New Yorkers), the “pier” with a restaurant, bars, ferries and historic ships is a maritime (and railroader’s) dream come true. There is a caboose on it — how do you beat that?  Next to a lighthouse ship.

    John J. Harvey rests at her longtime home at Pier 66 alongside the historic lightship Frying Pan. Images courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.


    Recalled to Duty

    Under a glorious day of blue on September 11, 2001, New York and the world changed.  In an unprecedented action, the US Coast Guard authorized any boat to assist with evacuating the millions of people stranded on Manhattan to the shores of New Jersey, Brooklyn and Queens.  Harvey cast off its lines and swung into action joining a flotilla that would evacuate more people than Dunkirk in WWII.

    The vast scale of destruction in Lower Manhattan had damaged or rendered inoperable many of the water lines and hydrants to fight fires.  The FDNY asked if the old boat on the river could still pump water.  “Yes” was the answer. For the next 80 hours Harvey, the old boat along with two of her sister-ships pumped water to the firetrucks at World Trade Center, with the FDNY re-activating her as Marine 2 until the water mains were restored.  Along with numerous accolades, the boat received the National Trust for Historic Preservation Award, recognition in the Congressional Record and became legendary.

    After that she went back to offering free trips and chugging around the Harbor.

    Inside the wheelhouse, John J. Harvey’s vintage helm and brass engine telegraphs stand ready. Image courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.

    Inside John J. Harvey’s wheelhouse, original brass engine telegraphs and her well-worn ship’s wheel reveal the fireboat’s 1931 craftsmanship. Images courtesy of Save Our Ships New York.

    In 2018, back on the waters of New York, she was painted in a WWI “dazzle pattern” by Tauba Auerbach to honor the ships of WWI.

    Future of an Icon

    “Pure and simple happiness.  That is the experience on the boat, and from the shore,” says Gill.  “People just light up when they see the fireboat.  Guests embrace getting wet under the water cannons, bringing friends and families along and introducing them to the city’s best kept secret. Seeing the Statue of Liberty, The Battery, the bridges and all of Manhattan from the Lower Bay never gets old.”

    As of 2025 John J. Harvey is getting ready for Sail 250, that is sure to be a stunning event of tall and naval ships in New York Harbor celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.   If history repeats itself, the John J. Harvey will be front and center with proud lines, a reassuring profile and sending waters towards the sun for all to celebrate.

    “We are looking for sponsors or marketing alliances that celebrate the 250th, and help us match New York State grants to keep the boat afloat.  Then there is Harvey’s centennial that will be in 2031 and that will be off the proverbial (nautical) charts,” mused Gill.

    For more information, go to: www.fireboat.org or contact: dwgrill@fireboat.org.

    René is a native New Yorker and esteemed former public relations professional that has worked during his career with Royal Viking Line, Cunard, Silversea Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Windstar Cruises.

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