Duwamish (fireboat)

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Duwamish fireboat at the Hiram Chittenden Locks, Seattle, WA.

The Duwamish reigned as one of the most powerful fireboats in the United States several times over her 75-year working life. Built in 1909 in Seattle for the Seattle Fire Department, she was equipped with three American LaFrance steam piston pumps rated at a capacity of 3,000 gallons per minute (11,000 lpm) each. After an upgrade in 1949, the pumps delivered a total of 22,800 gallons per minute (86,300 lpm). This capacity was only exceeded in 2003 by the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Warner Lawrence, which delivers 38,000 gallons per minute (143,000 lpm).

Duwamish is 120 feet (64 m) long with a 28-foot (8.5 m) beam and a 9.6-foot (2.9 m) draft. Her registered gross tonnage is 322 tons (292 metric ton). Retired in 1985, Duwamish was purchased by the Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation, which is maintaining and restoring the vessel. The Duwamish is active in the local Sea Scouts organization, a program of the Boy Scouts of America. The vessel is moored at South Lake Union Park in Seattle. Visitors may board the vessel when volunteer staff is available. It is a listed as a National Historic Landmark and is a city landmark.