Archive for the ‘Manhattan’ Category
goaded into
The floating fuzz.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Harbor Launch No. 451 was christened with the name PO Edward Byrne when it was launched in 2010, and just the other night, it was literally running circles around the Working Harbor Committee. We were onboard the Zephyr, an excursion vessel, and the cops came roaring up alongside and began to circle us. Doesn’t matter what you’re driving, when a bunch of cops pull up next to you, you stiffen up and try to present overt signs of wholesomeness in an effort to avoid their attentions.
from nyc.gov
“This new launch will enable us to be even more vigilant in keeping the city safe from crime and terrorism,” Commissioner Kelly said. “It is a tangible symbol of Eddie Byrne’s legacy. All who see it will be reminded of his courage and his sacrifice.”
The new boat will be used for various police emergencies and operations in New York Harbor , including search and rescue and recovery and proactive counterterrorism patrol. The 45-foot vessel is custom equipped with a thermal camera and advanced navigation system, enabling police officers to better conduct search and rescue operations in low-visibility conditions. It can travel up to 48 knots, or 53 m.p.h.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The vessel in today’s shots is a SAFE Boat, which is a pretty sophisticated little craft that can take on a variety of utility and security functions depending on who its customized for. There’s a Coast Guard variant, and an FDNY one, and every agency that has any jurisdiction on the water seems to have at least one of these increasingly ubiquitous vessels bobbing around NY Harbor.
from wikipedia
Commanding Officer of Harbor Unit – Deputy Inspector David Driscoll
On March 15, 1858, five members of the New York City Police Department rowed out into New York Harbor to combat piracy aboard merchant ships lying at anchor. The NYPD Harbor Unit has existed ever since, protecting life and property. With hundreds of miles of inland waterways to cover, the unit operates 27 boats from three bases.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Harbor Patrol actually predates the Civil War, but in the beginning, they were all about fighting River Pirates. Back in the heyday of NY Harbor, pirates would launch from shore in rowboats with felt wrapped oars. They would sneak onboard anchored ships in the maritime equivalent of a modern “home invasion” and grab whatever they could carry. The problem was so rampant that the Harbor Patrol was formed. Today, the piracy problem is under control, and the unit largely works the Homeland Security beat instead.
from policeny.com
The Metropolitan Police’s Harbor Police were established on Feb. 15, 1858 as the 24th Precinct. When established the command consisted of 2 sergeants and 25 patrolmen. Harbor’s first station house was located at 21 State Street, near the corner of Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
Glittering Realms– Saturday, August 3rd, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
Kill Van Kull– Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
facets glisten
From the Kill Van Kull.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A singlet today, lords and ladies, acting as a placeholder in lieu of a real posting. Your humble narrator is behind on several schedules, not the least of which is the one guiding this- your Newtown Pentacle. Nixon said it best with “never complain, never explain” so I’ll leave it at that.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
Kill Van Kull– Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
Project Firebox 79
An ongoing catalog of New York’s endangered Fireboxes.
– phot0 by Mitch Waxman
This sooty sentinel in scarlet sits at the edge of Manhattan’s Chinatown. An ancient example, does no one care for this scratched and weather beaten soldier of the realm?
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
Modern Corridor– TODAY, Saturday, July 13, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
Kill Van Kull– Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
seldom alone
Its tugboat Morgan Reinauer in today’s Maritime Sunday post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Weighing in at 184 tons, Morgan Reinauer was built in Louisiana in 1981, and is enjoying its third incarnation. It was built and launched as “Elise M” for its original owner, was the “Exxon Garden State” for an interval, and became jacketed in the Reinauer color way during the early 1990’s. She’s towing the RTC 101, a hundred thousand bbl double hulled fuel barge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Local boy status notwithstanding, Reinauer is based on Staten Island, the company which operates this boat was founded in 1923 and enjoys a service area which stretches from Maine to the Caribbean Sea. Their roster of tugs is fairly enormous, and these shots are the first time that your humble narrator has encountered this particular vessel.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The “articulated” tug and barge combo, a term which indicates that there is an electronic interface tethering the two together, was headed for the Kill Van Kull. Presumptively, since the barge was riding high in the water and was likely empty, they were headed toward one of the distribution facilities on the waterway’s New Jersey side which is referred to as the “chemical coast.”
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, June 29, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
Modern Corridor- Saturday, July 13, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
Project Firebox 76
An ongoing catalog of New York’s endangered Fireboxes.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Where this Manhattan firebox is stationed was once the heart of a most wicked slum. In fact, its station was the Baxter Street side of an alley known as Bandits Roost. When Riis and the rest of the silk stocking swells got the place razed, and the Old Bailey and the House of Industry had court houses land on top of them, the Gangs of New York lost their old haunts here in the Bloody Sixth Ward. This crimson B’hoy came in with the officially sanctioned gangs- NYPD, the State Bulls, Bailiffs, and all the other badges, who dominate the spot to this day.
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, June 29, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
Modern Corridor- Saturday, July 13, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
The Newtown Pentacle 