HISTORY OF THE JOHN D. MCKEAN - FDNY MARINE 1

Built in 1954 by John H. Mathis, Camden, NJ, for $1,426,000. The McKean is 334.75 gross tons. Her length is 129 feet, the beam is 31 feet, the draft is 9 ½ feet, the height above water including the tower is 47 ½ feet. She is propelled by two 1,000 HP Enterprise direct reversible diesel engines that provide a speed of 16 MPH. Two more 1,000 HP Enterprise engines drive four centrifugal pumps, with an output of 14,000 GPM. 

In January 2009, the McKean responded to Captain Sully Sullenberger’s Hudson River landing of US Airways Flight 1549 during the Miracle on the Hudson, to rescue passengers and secure the plane from sinking. 

In addition to emergency calls, the McKean ceremoniously welcomed runners to the New York City Marathon with a water display every year, assisted the USS Intrepid into its mooring, supervised the annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks display barges and hosted numerous dignitaries.  In continuing its ceremonial role, in August 2017 the McKean celebrated opening day for the new Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge, hosting officials and conducting a water display.

The retired fireboat was purchased at auction in 2016 and the non-profit Fireboat McKean Preservation Project was formed in 2018 with the mission of preserving this magnificent vessel. It has been beautifully restored above deck by volunteers, and in the summer and fall of 2019 underwent a major repair of its hull at it’s home port the North River Shipyard in Upper Nyack, NY.