Fireboat McKean Preservation Project

The mission of the Fireboat McKean Preservation Project is to preserve the historic, retired John D. McKean Fireboat and open it as a traveling museum ship to be enjoyed by all. The John D. McKean is a fireboat that served the New York City Fire Department as Marine Co. 1 for 58 years. It is named in memory of Marine Engineer John D. McKean, who was burned by live steam on September 17, 1953 in an explosion on the fireboat George B. McCellan. Although fatally injured, McKean heroically remained at his post valiantly trying to keep the vessel under control. The John D. McKean has a noble history of service to both New York City and the Nation. Docked on the lower west side of Manhattan throughout its tenure, the McKean served as New York City’s primary ceremonial marine vessel, welcoming runners to the New York City Marathon every year with a water display, supervising the annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks display every year, and hosting dignitaries from all around the world for cruises around the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan. On 9/11 and in the weeks following, the McKean played a crucial role. From the immediate rescue efforts that morning as people sought to escape the World Trade Center collapse, jumping from the lower Manhattan seawall onto the boat in a desperate escape and the boat ferrying them to safety in New Jersey, to pumping water aggressively and tirelessly to maximum capacity to subdue the thousands of fires burning under the pile in the days and weeks thereafter. In January 2009, the McKean lead the rescue of passengers and crew following Captain Sully Sullenberger’s Hudson River landing of US Airways Flight 1549 during the Miracle on the Hudson. In 2021, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the events of 9/11, the McKean spent three months at Hudson River Park's Pier 25 in Tribeca. The boat is presently moored at Panco Fuel in Stony Point, NY, and we are planning several months at Pier 25 in Tribeca. Future locations also likely include Yonkers, Tarrytown, Peekskill and potential other temporary moorings throughout the Hudson Valley.