Other NYC Ferries 3

Other NYC Ferries

The main fleet of ferryboats that run between St. George and South Ferry are referred to as Category A vessels. The City of New York also had the smaller vessels that operated from various points borough to borough.This is detailed in the Category B section of vessels. The Department of Plant and Structures, which was responsible for the operation of all city ferry service for more than 50 years also had Category C vessels. There were two types of Category C vessel. The first ones were very old “walking stick” ferryboats obtained secondhand when the city outlawed private ferry operation after the Mauch Chunk/Northfield disaster of 1901. A walking stick ferry has a diamond shape steel structure on its roof that moves up and down like a piston in see-saw fashion generating movement of the paddlewheel. These vessels had previously operated privately and ran mostly between Brooklyn and Manhattan with some service between Brooklyn and Staten Island and Staten Island and New Jersey. Over the years there were 15 of these older Category C vessels:

Atlantic

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Pierrepont

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Montauk

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Union

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Shinnecock

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Mineola

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Brooklyn

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Columbia

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Steinway

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Wyoming

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Florida

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Greenpoint

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Bowery Bay

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Whitehall

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Harlem

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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.