Fire Department City of New York

NEW YORK - It was a big day for the FDNY’s new fireboat Three Forty Three. On May 26 the fireboat was commissioned during a beautiful tribute ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, just hours after it led the parade of boats up the Hudson River to kick off Fleet Week.

Named in honor of the 343 FDNY members killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and with steel on the bow and stern from the World Trade Center, the fireboat is the world’s largest.

“Anyone on her deck will feel her power and know she has been forged by the strength of the New York City Fire Department,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Over her lifetime, the Three Forty Three – like the people she is named after – will save many lives.”

The 140-foot, 500-ton, $27 million dollar boat has the ability to pump 50,000 gallons of water per minute. And at a top speed of 18 knots, the boat can move twice as fast as older boats.

“The Three Forty Three sends a powerful message to the world – that our city and the Fire Department are stronger than ever,” said Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano.

The boat has been designed to detect and protect firefighters from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents, and contains a pressurized area that filters the air supply using special charcoal and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters; allowing crew members to operate as needed in hostile environments.

Decontamination and first aid can be handled aboard the ship as well by means of a de-con shower area that leads to a triage and first-aid station.

“A lot of thought was put into the design of this boat,” said Chief of Special Operations William Seelig. “You name it, this boat can help.”

Other innovative designs of the Three Forty Three include a forward ballast tank that lowers the boat in the water to match its deck with larger ferries that operate in the waters around New York City, a pilot house configured to allow the captain a 360-degree view of an operation to assist with maneuvering the vessel in tight quarters, and a command and control area where the ship’s officers will be able to monitor and direct fire operations with the aid of remote cameras – including night vision and heat-sensing cameras – and state-of-the-art communication equipment.

There is a crew of seven onboard the new vessel at any one time that now use high-tech computer systems to maneuver the boat and use its tools – instead of the older boats that required brute strength.

“Everything about this boat is state-of-the-art,” said Chief of the Marine Division James Dalton.

Pilot Charles Stauder added, “We’ll need to get used to [the technology], but it handles beautifully and is capable of doing so much.”

The new boat will be put into service in July, after the crew has been extensively trained. It will replace the 56-year-old fireboat, the John D. McKean.

The Three Forty Three, and her sister ship Firefighter II (currently undergoing sea trials in Panama City, Fl.), were funded in large part by $54 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security. The Three Forty Three’s original design is from naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C. The Three Forty Three was constructed by Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Florida.

The FDNY Marine Fleet is responsible for over 450 miles of coastline and harbors and has protected New York City residents for 134 years.