Description

JOHN D MCKEAN NYC FIRE BOAT

FULLY BUILT AND READY TO DISPLAY, QUALITY SHIP MODEL

Dimension approx.: 31″ (long) x 7″ (wide) x 6″ (high)
The model is already built. THIS IS NOT A MODEL SHIP KIT

When the John D. McKean entered service with the New York City Fire Department’s Marine Company 1, she carried more than pumps, engines, and steel. She carried a name — and a story. The vessel honored Marine Engineer John D. McKean, who in 1953 remained at his post aboard the fireboat George B. McClellan after a catastrophic engine‑room explosion. Scalded by steam yet refusing to abandon his duties, McKean saved his ship and crew before succumbing to his injuries five days later. The fireboat that bore his name would go on to embody the same spirit of service.

Commissioned in the mid‑20th century, John D. McKean became one of the FDNY’s most capable and dependable fireboats. Her defining moment came on September 11, 2001, when the collapse of the World Trade Center severed water mains throughout Lower Manhattan. Alongside Fire Fighter and the retired John J. Harvey, she rushed to the waterfront and pumped water continuously to firefighters on shore. For days, the fireboats became the city’s only reliable water supply — a lifeline in the midst of catastrophe.

The vessel again proved her worth in 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 made its emergency landing on the Hudson River. John D. McKean was among the first responders, helping rescue passengers from the frigid water in the now‑famous “Miracle on the Hudson.”

After decades of service, she was retired in 2010, replaced by the modern fireboat Three Forty Three, named for the FDNY members lost on 9/11. In 2016, the John D. McKean was sold at auction for $57,400, purchased by Edward Taylor and Michael Kaphan and transferred to a nonprofit preservation group with the goal of transforming her into a floating museum.

Restoration began slowly. In 2019, she underwent hull repairs and was hauled out of the water. Plans called for her to be berthed at Pier 25 in Manhattan, with an opening anticipated in 2022. But delays mounted. By 2023, the vessel lay at Grassy Point in Stony Point, New York, still awaiting her debut as a museum ship.

The John D. McKean is more than a retired fireboat. She is a vessel shaped by the memory of a fallen engineer, tested by some of New York’s darkest days, and preserved by those who believe her story deserves to be told. Whether fighting fires, rescuing passengers, or awaiting her next chapter, she remains a floating testament to courage, duty, and the quiet heroism of the FDNY’s Marine Division.