On August 22, NYS Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Damrath responded to reports of a 30-foot yacht nearly submerged in front of a gas dock in the Black Rock Canal in Buffalo, NY. Officer Damrath responded to the location, observed the nearly sunken vessel leaking gasoline, and immediately contacted the U.S. Coast Guard. [Read more…] about 30-Foot Yacht Sinks in Buffalo’s Black Rock Canal
Coast Guard
Mechanicville’s WWII & Korean War Veterans Photo Collection
The National WW II Museum in New Orleans is home to about 250,000 artifacts, including more than 100,000 photographs ranging from battlefield pictures captured by military and press photographers to individual albums full of wartime snapshots donated by veterans and their families. [Read more…] about Mechanicville’s WWII & Korean War Veterans Photo Collection
Canadian Angler Arrested by US Authorities Issues Warning
A Quebec angler in a rowboat powered by a five-horsepower motor is shaken and outraged after the U.S. Coast Guard accused him of fishing in U.S. waters and then arrested him, holding him in jail for nearly two hours.
Edouard Lallemand, 60, told CTV News that he nearly drowned on Sunday, July 20th, at about 5:30 pm after a Coast Guard patrol boat “pushed” his boat, capsizing it, and he was injured. “I’m never going to be the same,” he said. [Read more…] about Canadian Angler Arrested by US Authorities Issues Warning
New York’s Tugboats: A Short History
The tugboat, as a distinct vessel type, dates back to Scotland with the construction of the Charlotte Dundas (1801) for towing barges on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
The Staten Island ferry Nautilus inaugurated the modern towing and tugboat industries in the United States on January 26, 1818, when she towed the sailing ship Corsair through the ice-choked lower harbor of New York from one mile below the Narrows to the quarantine dock. [Read more…] about New York’s Tugboats: A Short History
New York Harbor History: Furs, Flour, Slaves, Sugar and Shipwrecks
Europe’s first exposure to the New York Bay was during the voyages of Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485–1528). An Italian from Florence sailing for Francois I, the king of France, he left European waters in January 1524 to find a route to China. [Read more…] about New York Harbor History: Furs, Flour, Slaves, Sugar and Shipwrecks
Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Named to Most Endangered Historic Places List
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, in the Hudson River between Athens in Greene County and Hudson in Columbia County, has been named to The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of Most Endangered Historic Places in the United States.
Opened in 1874, the lighthouse was then one of several “middle-of-the-river” lighthouses on the Hudson River. Now, it’s one of only two left standing. However, due to erosion and other preservation challenges, engineering reports indicate the building is at risk of collapse within three years if no action is taken. [Read more…] about Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Named to Most Endangered Historic Places List
New York City During World War Two
As Nazi Germany began its domination of Europe, America was woefully unprepared for fighting. Our military was small, poorly supplied and without the prospect of a robust manufacturing sector that might have provided the arms, planes, ships, tanks and other equipment it would have needed.
And then, on December 7, 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. [Read more…] about New York City During World War Two
Steam-Powered Lighthouse Tender Lilac in Dry Dock
Lilac, America’s only surviving steam-powered lighthouse tender, is turning 90 this year. Its birthday celebration is being launched with a dry docking. [Read more…] about Steam-Powered Lighthouse Tender Lilac in Dry Dock
Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s Once-in-a Century Renovation
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS) has announced the award of a $500,000 grant by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The grant will support work to restore and protect the infrastructure of the 147-year-old Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s primary building.
Work includes replacing its flat roof, mansard slate side roofs, gutters, and downspouts, all designed to eliminate damaging, ongoing water intrusion. In addition, a new staircase from the dock up to the building’s deck will increase and expand access and safety. Installation of an upgraded marine toilet and cistern repairs are also part of plan. [Read more…] about Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s Once-in-a Century Renovation
Saved at the Seawall: New Book Highlights 9/11 Stories
The new book Saved at the Seawall: Stories from the September 11 Boat Lift (Cornell University Press, 2021) by Jessica DuLong is the definitive history of the largest ever waterborne evacuation. [Read more…] about Saved at the Seawall: New Book Highlights 9/11 Stories