I read about this place almost 20 years ago in this NYTimes piece and clipped it, saved it, still have it somewhere. The Witte family, Norman Brouwer, and Arthur Kill–all mentioned in the article–were just names then. Yesterday, thanks to fellow-waterblogger frogma (See her “graveyard posts here and here) and the generosity of Sebago Canoe Club kayak Captain Minh to lend me a kayak, I got there. Remember, double-click enlarges fotos.
To learn the specifics on 1944-launched Bloxom below, click here. Anyone know of fotos of Bloxom and Hila in their heyday?
More of Bloxom‘s context.
The wooden hull steel deckhouse World War 2-era tug ATR-89 Hila. An anonymous commenter last summer wrote: “WW2 built ATR….this one ATR-89. Became HILA out of Jacksonville in 1949 and passed into Liberian registry by 1954.broke down in late 50′s on a voyage from Miami and eventually ended up at Wittes.” Anyone know of fotos of Bloxom and Hila in their heyday?
1926-built ferry Seawell’s Point (right) and unidentified vessel (See Graveyard 2 for identification) left seen frontal and from
from the opposite side. The lifeboat still waits a declared emergency.
Wooden wheelhouse offering as template for craftsmanship of another time. Notice Bonnie beyond the H-bitt on lower right side of foto.
A different view. Is this what remains of the Meseck twins? Great fotos of Carrie T. Meseck (later Susan A. Moran) at steamshipphotos.com
According to a December 2006 comment by “the dude” on the fabulous Opacity site, the tug below is “Ned Moran sailed for Moran Tugs 1954-1963, the tug with a brt of 206 tons had 1040 ipk, she was 20.48 x 8.28 x 4.27 mtr and build during 1930 at A.C.Brown & Sons in Tottenville, she sailed first under the name Federick (sic) E Meseck in New York and was purchased by Moran during 1954 where she served until 1963 when she was sold to Witte’s Staten Island yard.” To be noted, Moran purchased Meseck Towing Company in 1954. I’d love to see fotos of Ned at her zenith.
More trip fotos soon. Here’s a foto of Courier aka Bayou Plaquemine from two years ago.
All fotos here by Will Van Dorp.
Tip of the hat to Miru Kim, O’Boyle, and Opacity.
And a propos of nothing, see surfing the dunes of Peru here.
30 comments
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May 3, 2010 at 7:23 am
sleepboot
Great Pictures Will.
A bone yard is an unfinished burial.
Regards,
John.
May 3, 2010 at 7:52 am
tugster
readers–sleepboot is NOT a part of a pyjama outfit; it’s the dutch word for tugboat.
john–glad to see you might be blogging! it can capture all your free time, though. partly by sending you on gallivants here and there for pix. let me know when you have an indicative post up and i’ll do my best to direct readers your way. tot ziens
May 3, 2010 at 8:55 am
Dennis @ Marine Electronics
Great pictures! dank je wel
May 3, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Mage Bailey
This must be one of the great photo sites of all times. Thank you.
May 3, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Mage Bailey
From Shipspotting: (You have more photos than they do.)
2008
http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=668960
*LT 653.* Steel single screw tug built 1944 at Pt. Pleasant, WVA, by the Marietta Manufacturing Co. as hull no. 519 for the U. S. Army. 142.2 x 33.1 x 16; 573 gt, 389 nt; three-cylinder Skinner Unaflow steam engine, 24.5 x 24, 1200-ihp; twin Babcock & Wilcox water tube boilers, 223 psi wp. Sold 1948 to the Pennsylvania RRCo., Philadelphia, and renamed *Bloxom* 251109. Used to tow carfloats on the Chesapeake River out of Cape Charles, VA. Sold 1972 to Witte Marine Equipment Co., Inc., Staten Island, NY, for demolition.
And a 2006 shot here:
http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=226799
May 3, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Fairlane
It’s great to see these photos of the graveyard. It’s something I definitely want to check out in the next year.
Regarding the ATR-89, here’s a little more info with a photo from here builder:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/40/40089.htm
May 3, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Anonymous
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Rossville+Staten+Island&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.335236,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Rossville,+New+York&ll=40.557276,-74.2155&spn=0.00763,0.013797&t=h&z=16
May 3, 2010 at 6:16 pm
anon
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2453+Arthur+Kill+Rd&sll=40.690694,-74.215522&sspn=0.014285,0.027595&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2453+Arthur+Kill+Rd,+Staten+Island,+Richmond,+New+York+10309&ll=40.556542,-74.215994&spn=0.007564,0.013797&t=h&z=16
May 3, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Soundbounder
GREAT SHOTS!!!!
I never get tired of looking at these
May 3, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Bonnie
Fairline. Fantastic.
Please check this out:
http://frogma.blogspot.com/2010/05/hila-ex-atr-89-or-why-its-good-that.html
May 3, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Bonnie
Wow. And look what O-Docker just sent:
May 3, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Bonnie
AND…I think I spot the subject of your final shot in the O’Boyle shots. See the distinctive pilothouse windows on the Ned Moran?
That one’s been a favorite subject of mine, too.
May 4, 2010 at 12:20 am
Bonnie
Last comment from the comment frog, er, hog tonight, I PROMISE!
Found confirmation of ID of Ned Moran plus much more info on Opacity site that you link to – find commenters Ouroboros & The Dude on this photo.
May 4, 2010 at 5:48 am
jeff s
the passenger vessel with the lifeboat on deck is the famous NEW BEDFORD built at Bethlehem-Quincy in 1928. she was loaned to Britain in WW 2 and served as a hospital ship at Normandy landings. earlier in the war she participated in ”decoy” convoy RB-1.
i think she has been at Wittes since about 1967. Jeff S
May 4, 2010 at 6:27 am
tugster
jeff– thanks much. i’ll follow up on this.
May 4, 2010 at 7:30 am
bowsprite
me too! all things Normandie!
May 4, 2010 at 7:53 am
bowsprite
ps – jumping into the pool with Vlad’s photos, here: http://picasaweb.google.com/vladimir.brezina/SeaKayakCircumnavigationOfStatenIsland#
like Bonnie, he likes to take the scenic route! I guess it’s all scenic. The long circuitous route!
May 4, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Geeking Out About… » Trisha’s Link of the Day: When urban exploration hits the water
[…] However, I don’t think any of my friends have ever been out to see this New York Harbor ship’s graveyard. […]
May 5, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Nolwandle
Beautiful pictures, but very sad. Wow I never thought that things were just left to rot like that in the NY?
May 5, 2010 at 5:02 pm
tugster
nolwandle– great to hear from you again.
May 9, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Maritime Monday 213
[…] Graveyard 1 » & Graveyard 2 » […]
May 10, 2010 at 2:32 am
Sand Sock Girl
I love the shots! Good work. And nice blog too. I definitely love your posts!
June 29, 2010 at 8:16 am
Capn Dave
I used to purchase vessel parts from the Wittes during the 1970s and 80s. What started as a scrap yard has become Don Jon Marine – one of the largest salvage operations in the US. Many years ago they bought the largest metal shear in the world and mounted it on a barge with the idea of chewing their way through the wrecks but that didn’t work out financially. Due to enviro issues and the like the scrap yard is to my understanding not really active and a minor part of the Witte operation. My favorite boat in the morass of vessels was the tug, Hound of the Baskervilles. Just think it is a great name for a tug.
June 29, 2010 at 8:46 am
tugster
dave– Hound of the Baskervilles . . . tell me more about it. it does NOT show up on carl wayne database.
December 6, 2011 at 7:54 pm
scott mitchell
book ‘ghostly ruins’ by harry skrdla has pics of bloxom and jamestown underway.i’m a paddler in san marcos texas,would like to visit and paddle someday
December 6, 2011 at 8:27 pm
tugster
scott– thanks for the tip. please get in touch if you ever come up this way.
May 4, 2012 at 4:46 am
Maritime Miscellany | Cumberland Soundings
[…] in the Arthur Kill. Although Tugster has featured her on more than one occasion, here is his Graveyard 1 post.This was snapped over in Gowanus Bay, BrooklynA favorite of mine of NORWEGIAN SEA southbound […]
February 23, 2016 at 8:54 am
The Arthur Kill Ship Graveyard – Flesh & Relics
[…] Ships on Staten IslandShaun O’Boyle photographyGraves of Arthur Kill- 3fishproductionstugster.wordpress.comThe Ships of Arthur Kill -windagainstcurrent.comList of Shipwrecks in the National Register of […]
September 8, 2016 at 6:37 pm
Shaun O'Boyle
Hello, I’ve updated my Boatyard webpage if anyone is interested, larger better images. http://www.new.oboylephoto.com/portfolio/G0000nvLhs57vUko
Cheers!
Shaun O’Boyle
September 14, 2016 at 12:27 am
tugster
Shaun– I’ve been traveling and had not had an opportunity to look at yr photos on my large screen. I love them! Thanks much for the update.