Page 43: of Marine News Magazine (June 2005)

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there was a public interest, so we morphed into a not-for-profit."

The John J. Harvey has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and, like the Statue of Liberty itself, is a

National Landmark. The State of New

York's department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced a $320,000 matching grant for the fireboat's ongoing restoration, and the Harvey is soliciting cash contributions, materials, services, all being tax-deductible.

The catch is that the money must be spent and the work done before the State ponys-up the matching funds. Two brand new propellers were recently donated by the Kennedy Shops in Mobile, Alabama, while a large cache of engine parts arrived from Atlas Power Resources of

Portsmouth, Virginia. Enough altogether has been raised - about $80,000, including the matching grant to-date - to support the

Fireboat's visit to Derektor for drydock- ing. Continued funding is required, of course, and a public fund-raising party (with a $25 contribution) has been sched- uled for Saturday, June 18 on Pier 63. Fur- ther details are available at the Harvey's website, www.fireboat.org. "I got a call from Kent Barwick," Mr.

Gill recalls, "who asked, how is it that you pulled this whole thing off so smoothly, how did you plan such a thing? I said no, no, that's not how we do it around here.

You see, you get a whole lot of people together who are really fools, and we all hold hands together at the end of the dock and jump at once."

Harvey in Medialand

Throughout a long career, the Harvey was admired as outstanding equipment by mariners and firefighters. Beyond those populations, the boat was a handsome though anonymous decoration in the background, spraying the skies in festive celebration of greater things. The Harvey welcomed the first Queen Mary on her maiden call at New York, as well as the

Normandie, whose fatal fire she later fought. Back in the days when New York newspapers covered ship arrivals, many a famous liner was shown in salute, though the fireboat's own name made the captions only sometimes.

If the Harvey became a household word, it was through one of the few delib- erate, malicious events the boat has had to combat. Manhattan's twin towers had pan- caked into their blazes, and the street mains were broken. Every fireboat pump that could be mustered was called, to sup- ply water from the river. When the FDNY learned the Harvey was operational, it requested the retired vessel's assistance.

The assistance was granted, and ground- on for days.

Where most local communities outside the New York City (and even within) have volunteer fire engine companies, volun- teer fire boat companies are a rarity.

Becoming such had not been on the Har- vey's agenda before 9/11, nor has it been added since. It was a fluke that brought the vessel back to action, whereupon it did what everyone did, which was whatever $ 1600

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June, 2005 • MarineNews 43

HISTORY THE YEARBOOK

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