FDNY fireboat makes national registry, likely to become floating museum

Gary Stern, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read

The John D. McKean fireboat, which served the FDNY for 58 years, including responding to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson," has been approved by the National Park Service to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation will aid fundraising to keep the boat in operational shape and to create a place for it to anchor as a floating museum. The McKean was retired in 2010 and is now docked at Panco Petroleum in Stony Point.

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, called to give the news to David Rocco of Yorktown, vice president of the Fireboat McKean Preservation Project, which has been working to get the designation.

David Rocco of Yorktown, a member of board of directors of the Fireboat McKean Preservation Project, stands near the the retired NYFD fireboat in lower Manhattan June 24, 2021. The fireboat was involved in fighting the fires at the World Trade Center during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as assisting helping to keep Capt. Sullenberger's Miracle on the Hudson plane afloat in January of 2009. The boat had been recently been docked in Tarrytown.

"With the retired FDNY fireboat finally securing its well-deserved place on the National Register of Historic Places, this timeless symbol of the bravery and heroism of our first responders in the New York City Fire Department will be preserved for decades to come, honoring the important role the McKean played in our nation's history," Schumer said.

Rocco said the federal designation — coming after the McKean was named to the New York State Registry in December 2022 — is key to ensuring the boat's future and preserving its history.

More: FDNY's Fireboat McKean, docked in Stony Point, awaits national historic designation

"It will help us get the grants we need," he said. "People start to recognize you and trust you. They want to know their money will go to a good cause and be handled responsibly. It's been crazy, but this is a great thing."

Rocco said the McKean is one of only eight fireboats to make the national registry.

On 9/11, the McKean ferried the wounded to New Jersey and helped supply water for days to fight the fires at ground zero. On Jan. 15, 2009, crew from the McKean helped evacuate passengers after their plane was forced to land in the Hudson River, remembered as the "Miracle on the Hudson."

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Fireboat that served on 9/11 makes National Register of Historic Places