note.gif "Because"

Around N. Y. Harbor
Ship Photos Taken As A Kid



This page should surely follow this one which shows me at the age when I began exploring more of N.Y. Harbor other than the Brooklyn piers, though it starts out with photos taken from the Brooklyn 69th Street Ferry, and along Shore Parkway.
There aren't many photos, but enough to re-kindle fond memories of mine, and others of the Harbor in the forties, and early fifties.


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69th Street Pier with Liberty Ship tied up


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A Norwegian freighter named "Hav"

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N.Y.P.D. Police Boat

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American Export Line's S.S. Excalibur

Collision American steam passenger vessel SS EXCALIBUR and Danish freight vessel Columbia, in New York Harbor on 27 June, 1950. This photo taken from the 69th Street Ferry. The Excalibur laid out there sunk, down by the head for weeks.
Speaking of collisions...in 1948 my father, and I went into Manhattan to see the new Swedish American Line ship S.S. Stockholm...on her maiden voyage. We took the offered tour of the ship before she sailed...they did things like that in those days. After getting the photos developed, my father remarked: "With a bow like that, if she ever hit anything, she'd go right through it!" Eight years later she struck, and sunk the Itialian line S.S. Andrea Doria.


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The liner Stockholm undocking

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An Olsen tug at the bow

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An Olsen tug at the stern

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Stockholm being turned

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Ole Olsen tug

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Unknown liner framed


Stanley, the childhood friend who's uncle was a Scow Captain, wrote a letter to Moran Towing asking for a ride on one of their new tugs when they docked the Queen Elizabeth, and got a positive reply telling us to be at Pier One North River on a certain date, and to join the Peter Moran...an older tug.
Stanley, and I took the subway for a nickle to Manhattan, and Pier One, where we joined the Peter Moran, and as soon as we boarded it left for Hoboken. There we transferred to the Barbara Moran, one of the five new tugs Moran just took delivery on.
Built by Levingston Shipbuilding Company in Orange, Texas
Hull # 441 Grace Moran Moran Towing Tug GRT 238 Delivered 1949 Now "Towell Power"
442 Doris Moran Moran Towing Tug 272 1949 Now "Piar"
443 Barbara Moran Moran Towing Tug 238 1949 Scrapped
444 Carol Moran Moran Towing Tug 238 1949 Scrapped
445 Moira Moran Moran Towing Tug 238 1949 Now "Cedar Point"
As soon as boarding the Barbara, we were treated to breakfast as she left to rendezvous with other tugs to dock the Queen Elizabeth, which was acomin'.

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The Barbara Moran - 1000 HP Diesel

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The Queen Elizabeth - 83,672 GT.

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Approaching to join the Thomas Moran

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With Thomas Moran on Stbd Bow Position

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The Thomas

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Double Gross Tonnage - build a box.


The popular Barrack type cruise ship of today achieves its humongous size, stated in "Measurement Tons" - the "ton" of 100 cubic feet being the unit in recording the volume of the enclosed space, because of its shape. If you replaced the upper decks of the Queen Elizabeth with a slab-sided super-structure, or box...it would, in Net Registered ( gross ) tons, become again the largest passenger vessel...if it were around...it isn't.

On another trip into Manhattan, to see the world's most advanced freighter - the Norwegian Johnson Line ship - Seattle - they built several, Stan, and I wandered the immediate docks, and caught some photos of the Cunard Liners - Caronia, painted its famous pastel green; Queen Mary; and Queen Of Bermuda.

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Bow of Seattle; Caronia; and Queen Mary's stacks

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The rest of the Seattle...note no masts, and booms...just derricks

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The Queen Mary

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The Queen Of Bermuda


We present here, photos of the Essayons, the world's largest self-propelled suction dredge. Built for the Army Corps Of Engineers, she joined a fleet of these ships called "Hoppers". Beautiful ships in their own right, and wonderfully maintained by the Corps. They could make fast work of dredging a harbor the size of New York, on their own, considering their size, meandering in, an out of slips, manuevering like a small boat using their powerful twin propellors, and rudders.

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Just built - '50, the "Hopper" - self-propelled suction dredge - Essayons

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Side view of the Essayons



These last two photos were taken randomely, I forget where; one of an old steam RailRoad tug, looks like B&O, and the other, I think, of an old steam ferry...perhaps a side wheeler, that did run between Brooklyn, and Staten Island before the Diesel-electrics ( Electric Ferries ) took over.
I remember the scene at 69th Street pier of one of these side-wheel ferries capsized after the hurricane of '38. They were fascinating to see when steaming...their "walking beam" on top, transferring the power from the steam engine to the side wheels/paddles, frothing up the water like soap bubbles on each side. My mother said I called the wake just that - soap bubbles...I was five, or six at the time. I can still smell the old pier timbers, and taste the Dixie Cups of that era.

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Railroad Steam Tug

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Old Steam Ferry


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GALLERIES