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Duwamish (fireboat)
Encyclopedia
Fireboat
A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
several times over her 75-year working life.
She is the second oldest vessel designed to fight fires in the USA, after the Edward M Cotter, in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
.
Career
She was built in 1909 in Seattle for the Seattle Fire DepartmentSeattle Fire Department
The Seattle Fire Department is the medical, rescue, and fire protection force of Seattle, Washington and it is the largest metropolitan fire department in the Pacific Northwest. It is also a part of Medic One.-History of the department:...
in Richmond Beach, Washington.
She was powered by "double vertical (compound) marine steam engines" capable of driving her at 10.5 knots (20.6 km/h).
She was equipped with three American LaFrance
American LaFrance
American LaFrance is an emergency and vocational vehicle manufacturer, currently based in Summerville, South Carolina. Focusing primarily on emergency apparatus fire engines and fire aerial including ambulance and rescue vehicles.-History:...
steam piston pump
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s rated at a capacity of 3000 USgal/min each.
She was originally designed to ram and sink burning wooden vessels, as a last resort, and was equipped with a ram bow for doing so.
On July 30, 1914, Duwamish was involved in fighting the fire on the Grand Trunk Pacific dock. In the 1930s, as a cost saving measure, the Seattle City Council directed that Duwamish be used as a tug to push the city's garbage scow.
After an upgrade in 1949, the pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
s delivered a total of 22800 USgal/min.
This capacity was only exceeded in 2003 by the Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
’s Warner Lawrence
Warner Lawrence
The Warner Lawrence is an innovative fireboat owned and operated by the Los Angeles Fire Department in Los Angeles.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. in the early 2000s, the Warner Lawrence was built in Washington and delivered to San Pedro on May 21, 2003. It was dedicated on April 12 of that year...
, which delivers 38000 USgal/min.
Duwamish is 120 feet (36.6 m) long with a 28 feet (8.5 m) beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
and a 9.6 feet (2.9 m) draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
.
Her registered gross tonnage is 322 short tons (292.1 t).
Current status
Retired in 1985, Duwamish was purchased by the Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation, which is maintaining and restoring the vessel.The Duwamish is active in the local Sea Scouts organization, a program of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
.
The vessel is moored at South Lake Union Park
South Lake Union Park
Lake Union Park is a park located at the south end of Lake Union in Seattle, Washington in the South Lake Union neighborhood. The park is owned by the City of Seattle and operated by Seattle Parks and Recreation. The park property was gradually acquired by the City, and the final were...
in Seattle. Visitors may board the vessel when volunteer staff is available.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1989.
It is a city landmark.
See also
- Historic preservationHistoric preservationHistoric preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
- Duwamish Native American tribe
- Duwamish RiverDuwamish RiverThe Duwamish River is the name of the lower of Washington state's Green River. Its industrialized estuary is known as the Duwamish Waterway.- History :...
- Sea Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)
- Seattle tugboatsSeattle tugboatsright|400pxSeattle has a long marine tradition. It goes back,with steamships, to the SS Beaver in 1836.The complex inlets of Puget Sound needed tugs to movesailing vessels against contrary winds. One early tugwas the Goliah of 1849...
External links
- Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation
- Maritime Heritage Network
- Biography of Eugene L. McAllaster, designer of the Duwamish.