John Kendall (fireboat)
The John Kendall was a steam-powered fireboat launched in 1929 by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company and operated by the Detroit Fire Department from 1930 to 1976.[1][2][3] During her service as a fireboat she continued to be propelled by steam engines, requiring a crew of ten, five of whom were required to stoke her boiler.[4] She was converted to a tugboat, and her steam engines were finally replaced by diesel engines. She served an additional 20 years as a tug, out of Alpena, Michigan. She was scrapped in 1994.[5]
According to Bob Dombrowski, the author of 38 Years: a Detroit Firefighter's Story, she was 135 ft (41.15 m) long.[4] But in 1976, the year she was decommissioned, The Scanner reported she was 128 ft (39.01 m) long.[3]
Namesake
The vessel's namesake had followed his father's footsteps, and joined the Fire Department as a volunteer, when he was just fourteen years old.[6] He served the Department for 58 years. John Kendall was appointed Detroit's third Fire Department Chief in 1898.[2] Detroit's first two Fire Chiefs, James Battle and James R. Elliott had previously been honored by having the Department's second (James Battle) and third fireboats named after them. Detroit's fifth and most recent fireboat, the Curtis Randolph, was named after a firefighter who died in the line of duty.
See all
References
- ↑ Bob Toth. Fireboat converted to Tug. Retrieved on 2015-02-28. “The Detroit fireboat John Kendall was decommissioned in 1976 and the following year was purchased by Robert Massey of Pan Oceanic Engineering Corp, Alpena Michigan.”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vintage Detroit fireboats.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Marine News, The Scanner. “There was no suggestion that the layup was to be unalterably permanent (original plans called for her to be idled for only fifteen days) but bearing in mind the fact that JOHN KENDALL dates back to 1929 and that Detroit expects soon to purchase a new, more mobile, and less expensive to operate fireboat, we would not be surprised if the KENDALL never turns a wheel again.”
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bob Dombrowski. 38 Years a Detroit Firefighter's Story, Page Publishing, 2014. Retrieved on 2015-02-28.
- ↑ John Kendal (Tug), 1929. Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Retrieved on 25 June 2019.
- ↑ Detroit Fire Department's First Paid Employee, Detroit Fire Department Legacy, 2014-05-12. Retrieved on 2015-02-28. “Without doubt David Kendall’s service with the fire department had a impact on his son, John. John Kendall joined the department at 14 years old as a volunteer. He stayed with the department 53 years and eventually became chief in 1898. Detroit’s third fire boat was named the “John Kendall” in his honor.”