Dorothy Day (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American journalist, social activist, and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic Christian without abandoning her social and anarchist activism. She was perhaps the best-known political radical in the American Catholic Church. Day’s conversion is described in her 1952 autobiography, The Long Loneliness. Day was also an active journalist and described her social activism in her writings. In 1917 she was imprisoned as a member of suffragist Alice Paul’s nonviolent Silent Sentinels. In the 1930s, Day worked closely with fellow activist Peter Maurin to establish the Catholic Worker Movement, a pacifist movement that combines direct aid for the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf. She practiced civil disobedience, which led to additional arrests in 1955, 1957, and in 1973 at the age of seventy-five. As part of the Catholic Worker Movement, Day co-founded the Catholic Worker newspaper in 1933, and served as its editor from 1933 until her death in 1980. In this newspaper, Day advocated the Catholic economic theory of distributism, which she considered a third way between capitalism and socialism. Pope Benedict XVI used her conversion story as an example of how to “journey towards faith … in a secularized environment.” In an address before the United States Congress, Pope Francis included her in a list of four exemplary Americans who “built a better future”. The Church has opened the cause for Day’s possible canonization, which was accepted by the Holy See for investigation. For that reason, the Church refers to her with the title of Servant of God.
Sandy Ground
Commission Date
2021
Gross Tonnage
4570 Estimated
Passengers / Cars
4500 / 0
Builder
Eastern Shipbuilding
Design
Elliott Bay Design Group
Engines
EMD 12V-710 (X4)
Propulsion
Voith Schneider Propeller
Horsepower
10,000
10,000
320' / 70'
After slavery in New York was abolished in 1827, freed men settled in the area known since colonial times as Sandy Ground, which was located in the area around what is now the intersection of Bloomingdale and Woodrow Roads in Rossville. These early settlers were skilled in the oyster trade, and brought this knowledge with them to Staten Island. Oyster harvesting on Staten Island was mainly conducted on the island’s south shore. The area of Prince’s Bay was the main hub and was within walking distance from Sandy Ground. Sandy Ground also served as an important stop on the Underground Railroad, and is the oldest continuously settled free black community in the United States.
Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis
Commission Date
2021
Gross Tonnage
4570 Estimated
Passengers / Cars
4500 / 0
Builder
Eastern Shipbuilding
Design
Elliott Bay Design Group
Engines
EMD 12V-710 (X4)
Propulsion
Voith Schneider Propeller
Horsepower
10,000
10,000
320' / 70'
Staff Sergeant Ollis served one tour of duty in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan. He left for his third deployment in January 2013 and was due home in October of that same year. That, however, was not meant to be. On August 28, the forward operating base in Ghazni, Afghanistan, where Mr. Ollis was stationed, was attacked by insurgent forces. In the course of meeting the enemy, Staff Sergeant Ollis stepped in front of a wounded Polish officer in order to protect him from an insurgent wearing a suicide vest. Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis was killed. He was 24 years old.Mr. Ollis’ heroism has been honored by the Polish government with their highest military award, the Polish Gold Star Medal of Honor, as well as the Afghani Star. Among the many awards received posthumously by the United States, Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis has been honored with the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Silver Star and the Audie Murphy Medallion.
Spirit of America
Commission Date
12/18/2004
Gross Tonnage
3200
Passengers / Cars
4400 / 30
Builder
Marinette Marine. Wisconsin
Engines
GM-EMD 710GB16 (X3)
Propulsion
Diesel Electric 4160 volts AC
Horsepower
10,000 SHP
10,000
310' / 70'
First trip Tuesday April 4, 2006 at 10:00 AM out of St. George. Keel built with steel from The World Trade Center Towers. Named to Honor the Spirit and Unity of America after the attacks. Never forget those who were killed and the Civil Servants who died trying to save them.
Senator John J. Marchi
Commission Date
05/08/2004
Gross Tonnage
3200
Passengers / Cars
4400 / 30
Builder
Marinette Marine. Wisconsin
Engines
GM-EMD 710GB16 (X3)
Propulsion
Diesel Electric 4160 volts AC
Horsepower
10,000 SHP
10,000
310' / 70'
Arrived in NY Harbor on 3/20/2005. First trip May /20 /2005 @ 13:30 out of St. George. John J. Marchi (May 0, 1921 – April 5, 2009) was a New York State Senator who represented Staten Island for a record 50 years. Marchi, a Republican, retired on December 31, 2006, from the seat that he had held since January 1, 1957. Marchi was first elected on November 6, 1956, after having served as a Senate aide. An attorney, Marchi has been active in conservative issues, particularly of a fiscal nature, during his long Senate tenure. He has also been a strong advocate for Staten Island issues. Marchi wrote the state laws to help New York City recover from its fiscal crisis and near bankruptcy in the 1970s. Marchi has been a long advocate for the secession of Staten Island from the rest of New York City. He wrote a law which backed a secession referendum in 1993. While the referendum passed, the legislature has not allowed Staten Island to become its own city. As a part of his Staten Island secession work, Marchi drafted a model city charter for a new City of Staten Island. Marchi also drafted the law to close the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island. Marchi ran twice for Mayor of New York City. He won a surprise upset over Mayor John V. Lindsay in the 1969 Republican primary. He ran in the general election against Lindsay, who was still the Liberal Party nominee, and Democratic Comptroller Mario Procaccino. Marchi and Procaccino lost to Lindsay. Marchi was the Republican nominee again in 1973, but he lost to Comptroller Abraham D. Beame, the Democrat that Lindsay had defeated in 1965. In 1961 he lost a race for Borough President of Staten Island. Marchi was the only Republican member of the State Senate who opposed the death penalty. Marchi was a member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors of the Council of State Governments. He was appointed by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon to the National Advisory Committee on Drug Abuse Prevention.
Guy V. Molinari
Commission Date
09/20/2003
Gross Tonnage
3200
Passengers / Cars
4400 / 30
Builder
Marinette Marine. Wisconsin
Engines
GM-EMD 710GB16 (X3)
Propulsion
Diesel Electric 4160 volts AC
Horsepower
10,000 SHP
10,000
310' / 70'
First Trip on January 26, 2005 MOLINARI, Guy Victor, a Representative from New York; born in New York City, November 3, 1928; attended private schools; graduated, New Dorp High School, Staten Island, 1945; B.A., Wagner College, Staten Island, 1949; LL.B., New York Law School, New York City, 1951; served in the United States Marine Corps, sergeant, 1951-1953; admitted to the New York bar in 1953 and commenced practice in Staten Island; member, New York State assembly, 1974-1980; delegate, New York State Republican conventions, 1979-1980; delegate, Republican National Convention, 1980 and 1984; elected as a Republican to the Ninety-seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1981, until his resignation January 1, 1990, to become borough president of Staten Island for the four-year term beginning the same day; is a resident of Staten Island, N.Y.
Samuel I. Newhouse
Commission Date
1981
Gross Tonnage
3335 Estimated
Passengers / Cars
6000 / 0
Builder
Equitable Shipyards
Design
Elliott Bay Design Group
Engines
GM-EMD 645E16 (X4)
Propulsion
Voith Schneider Propeller
Horsepower
8.000
10,000
300' / 70'
Samuel Irving Newhouse, Sr. (May 4, 1895 – August 9, 1979) was a Jewish-American broadcasting businessman, magazine and newspaper publisher. Born in 1895, his original name was Solomon Neuhaus. Newhouse is the namesake of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and the founder of Advance Publications, eventually taken over by his son, Samuel Irving Newhouse, Jr. Advance Publications, Inc., is an American media company. It is named after the Staten Island Advance, the first newspaper owned by the Newhouse family. As of 2009, it is ranked as the 46th largest private company in the United States according to Forbes. The Newhouse and Barberi are the highest passenger capacity vessels in the world at 6000 passengers each.
John Noble
Commission Date
1986
Gross Tonnage
500
Passengers / Cars
1280 / 0
Builder
Derektor Shipyards
Engines
Caterpillar 3516 (X2)
Propulsion
Voith Schnieder
Horsepower
4,000 SHP
10,000
196' / 40'
A renowned maritime artist. Born in Paris in 1913, John A. Noble was the son of the noted American painter, John (“Wichita Bill”) Noble. He spent his early years in the studios of his father and his father’s contemporaries, innovative artists and writers of the early part of the 20TH century. He moved with his family to this country in 1919, a year which had great significance to him and foreshadowed his life’s work.
Alice Austen
Commission Date
1986
Gross Tonnage
500
Passengers / Cars
1280 / 0
Builder
Derektor Shipyards
Engines
Caterpillar 3516 (X2)
Propulsion
Voith Schnieder
Horsepower
4,000 SHP
Length / Width
196' / 40'
American photographer. She was introduced to photography by a friend, Oswall Muller, sometime around 1876, and quickly learnd the complexities of working with a variety of cumbersome cameras, dry-plate negatives and contact printing. As an avid amateur photographer, she documented a social history of a bygone era. Her work, dating between the 1880s and 1930s, recorded a charming portrait of the genteel activities of upper middle-class society on Staten Island. Although her photographs primarily documented the everyday life of the wealthy inhabitants and friends of her home, Comfort House, which overlooked New York’s Upper Bay, she also produced a challenging series of images of New York’s Lower East Side. These street types were published as a portfolio by the Albertype Company in 1896.
Micheal Cosgrove
Commission Date
--
Gross Tonnage
--
Passengers / Cars
--
Builder
--
Engines
--
Propulsion
--
Horsepower
--
Length / Width
--
Some Interesting Facts
The 5 cents fare was established in 1897. On October 10, 1972, the fare was raised to 10 cents. In 1975 the fare was increased to 25 cents. On August 1, 1990, the fare went up to 50 cents. Finally, on July 4, 1997 the fare for foot passengers on the ferry was eliminated.
In 1926 the city’s original white color scheme was eliminated in favor of a reddish maroon. This was changed to municipal orange later so that they could be seen in heavy fog and snow.
In 1817 the cost to cross the harbor was 25 cents and half price for children. This was the cost to ride the Nautilus, the first steam ferry to make the famous trip. The Nautilus was commanded by Captain John De Forest
Three of the ferries that were built to make the trip across the harbor were bought by the U.S. Navy to fight in the civil war. The Southfield I, Westfield I, and the Clifton I. None of these ferries ever returned to New York.
On May 16, 1981, the American Legion was rammed in the fog by a Norwegian freighter.
Steam was used on the Staten Island ferries up until the 1980’s.
The Pvt. Joseph Merrill and Cornelius G. Kolff ferries were converted to prison dormitories for Riker’s Island.
In 1960, a bomb was set off on the Knickerbocker. There were no injuries.
On February 8, 1958, The Dongan Hills was hit by the Norwegian tanker Tynefield. 15 passengers were injured.
In the 1700s, ferry service was provided by private individuals with small twin mast sailboats called per augers.
In 1978, the American Legion crashed into the concrete seawall near the Statue of Liberty ferry port during a dense fog. 173 were injured.