Built in 1931, the 'John J. Harvey' Fireboat (named after a pilot killed fighting a fire in 1930), at 130 feet and 268 net tons, is among the most powerful fireboats ever in service. Built in Gowanus Bay, Brooklyn, the boat has five 600 HP diesel engines, and the capacity to pump 18,000 gallons of water a minute. The pumps are powerful — enough so that when this boat and the George Washington Bridge were both brand new, water was shot from the boat over the bridge's roadway. In 1942, the fireboat was used at the fire that destroyed the grand French liner 'Normandie.' She was retired by the New York City Fire Department in 1994 after spending her entire working life on the west side of Manhattan in the Hudson River. Now she is privately owned and preserved. She is a historic, welcome and hopefully permanent addition to the waterfront.
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