Click on the image below for an interactive map of this portion of the sixth boro. Right now at about the 9 o’clock position you see two small white specks. They
are the huge spherical tanks seen off Barbara McAllister‘s stern.
Consider the size of the wraparound stairs and you’ll understand why locally they’re called “gorilla’s balls.”.
So here’s what the tugboat fueling station looks like from the north bank of the KVK, and
here looking west.
Here’s looking NE across the tank farm, and
from the landslide looking eastward across Robbins Reef Light to Brooklyn.
Off the bow of Oleander–the incoming small container ship, would be the Staten Island ferry racks,
and here’s looking south across tanker Navig8 Spirit toward the salt pile. But here’s the surprise, inside the fence and between the tanks,
there’s a very old cemetery, which pre-dates the use of this land for oil.
It’s Constable Hook Cemetery, founded by Pieter van Buskirk.
Who knew?
All photos by Will Van Dorp. Many thanks to Jack Kennedy for arranging for this tour.
5 comments
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January 29, 2016 at 12:27 pm
ws
The Two spherical pressure vessels have twice the strength of cylindrical
pressure vessels with the same wall thickness.
-Probably not utilized for Diesel Fuel.
January 29, 2016 at 12:47 pm
Dan
FYI – The two round tanks are called King Kong’s balls.
January 29, 2016 at 12:58 pm
sleepboot
Thank you Will for posting the pictures of the terminal.
In 1959 I sailed on board a tanker “Astris Naess” and we delivered oil at that place loaded in Aruba and/or Venuzuela.
We even had to go around and thruogh the K v K , because the bridge was out after a train crash.
Regards
John.
January 29, 2016 at 2:40 pm
Anonymous
grew up on Avenue F… knew that are well
January 29, 2016 at 11:29 pm
Erich
That was some place! I used to work within those gates at the Little power plant (Cogen Technology) back in 98. We would go out and check on the back up steam plant, outfall, and maybe watch tugs with a swing by the cemetery. Never would have known about that cemetery without someone else showing me.