Edward M. Cotter (fireboat)

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The Edward M. Cotter berthed.
Career (United States)
Name:	William S. Grattan (Engine 20)
Operator:	Buffalo Fire Department
Builder:	Cresent Shipbuilding of Elizabeth City, New Jersey
Cost:	$91,000
Laid down:	March 24, 1900
Christened:	September 5, 1900 by Virginia Pearson
Recommissioned:	November 30, 1930
Out of service:	July 28, 1928 - November 13, 1930 (Rebuilt due to severe fire damage) November 1952 - November 1953 (Refit)
Renamed:	Firefighter (1953) Edward M. Cotter (1954)
Refit:	July 28, 1928 - November 13, 1930 Buffalo Dry Dock Company of Buffalo, New York November 1952 - November 1953 The Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
General characteristics
Type:	Fireboat
Tonnage:	1900 274 Gross tons 1953 178 Gross tons
Length:	118 ft (36 m)
Beam:	24 ft (7.3 m)
Draft:	10 ft 10 in (3.3 m)
Ice class:	1.5in thick belt line of Swedish steel around the icebreaking part of the hull
Installed power:	1900 Two Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired boilers and steam engines 900 horsepower 1930 Oil-fired boilers and steam engines 1953 Four Caterpillar D-397 diesel V-type 12 cylinder engines
Propulsion:	1900 Single screw 1953 Twin screws (1953)
Speed:	1900 15 mph 1953 11.5 mph
Capacity:	Water Pumping Capacity - 1900 Three double action steam pumps 9000 gallons per minute Water Pumping Capacity - 1953 Four DeLaval Centrifugal Pumps 15,000 gallons per minute @ 160 psi
Notes:	Number of fire monitors 1900 - 3 1930 - 4 1953 - 5

Edward M. Cotter (fireboat)
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Location:	Buffalo, New York
Coordinates:	42°51′40.74″N 78°50′41.25″W / 42.8613167, -78.8447917Coordinates: 42°51′40.74″N 78°50′41.25″W / 42.8613167, -78.8447917
Built/Founded:	1900
Architect:	Crescent Shipbuilding Co.
Designated as NHL:	June 28, 1996[1]
Added to NRHP:	June 28, 1996[2]
NRHP Reference#:	96000968
Governing body:	Local

Edward M. Cotter is a fireboat in use by the Buffalo Fire Department at Buffalo, New York. The original name of the ship was the William S. Grattan and she was built in 1900 by the Cresent Shipbuilding of Elizabeth City, New Jersey. At 108 years of age, the Edward M. Cotter is considered the oldest active fireboat in the world. In 1996 the Edward M. Cotter was designated a National Historic Landmark.^[1][3]

While fighting an oil barge fire in 1928, the Grattan was engulfed in flames from the explosion and fire of a second vessel which was an oil tanker. The crew abandoned ship and swam through the flames to shore. However, one crew member of the Grattan lost his life and seven other crew members were injured. The untended boilers on the Grattan ran dry which resulted in a explosion and fire that left the ship burned to the hull line. She was rebuilt in 1930 at a cost of $99,000 dollars. This was $8,000 dollars more than the origninal cost but much less than the replacement cost of the day.

Due to age she was rebuilt in 1953 at the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Upon her return she was renamed Firefighter. She was renamed the Edward M. Cotter the following year.^[4] Her namesake, Edward Cotter, was a Buffalo firefighter and leader of the local firefighters union who had recently passed away.

Along with her firefighting duties, during the winter the Edward M. Cotter breaks the ice on Buffalo's rivers. The Cotter mounts five watercannons or fire monitors that are capable of pumping 15,000 US gallons per minute (950 L/s).^[5][6] The Cotter can often be seen sailing out of berth and south-west to Lake Erie, returning north through the breakwall and firing her watercannons.

Contents 1 History 1.1 1928 fire 1.2 1953 refit 1.3 International firefighting 2 National Historic Landmark 3 Friends of the Cotter 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

At the beginning of the twentith century, Buffalo's waterfront was an extremely busy center of commerce. Grain elevators, warehouses and shipping traffic had overtaxed the two extisting fireboats the John T. Hutchinson (Engine 23) and the George R. Potter (Engine 29). Also, the city of Buffalo had shoreline hookups to allow the fireboats to serve as floating pumping stations supplying high pressure water to a fire hydrant system that covered the downtown area.^[7] The decision was made by city officials to order a third boat that would also have icebreaking capability along with her normal firefighting duties.

The ship that was to become the Edward M. Cotter was built in 1900 by the Cresent Shipbuilding of Elizabeth City, New Jersey. She was originally named the William S. Grattan ^[8] after the first paid fire commissioner for the city of Buffalo. Construction was started on March 24, 1900 and she was christened on September 5, 1900 by Virginia Pearson, the young daughter of one the the cities fire commissioners. The final construction cost for the ship was $91,000.

Upon completion she traveled up the Altantic coast, down the St. Lawrence River, across Lake Ontario, through the Welland Canal and finally across Lake Erie in an uneventful trip that took 14 days. She was met 3 miles out of the harbor by her sister fireboats and escorted in.^[9]

[edit] 1928 fire

On July 28, 1928 the Grattan responded to the oil barge James F. Cahill, loaded with 5,000 barrels of crude oil, that was aflame. ^[10] After burning 17 hours, the barge's mooring lines gave way and the barge began to drift. The Grattan 's crew tried to attach tow lines to the barge but it drifted into an oil companies dock where the empty oil tanker B.B. McColl was moored.^[11] The fumes on the McColl ignited and the Grattan was caught in the explosion and fire. Capt. Thomas Hylant and his crew abandoned ship and swam through the flames to shore. However, Chief Engineer Thomas Lynch lost his life and seven other crew members were injured. The untended boilers on the Grattan soon ran dry and exploded leaving the ship burned out and heavily damaged.

The Grattan sat boarded up for eighteen months while city officals and fire department officals decided whether to replace her at a cost of $225,000 dollars or rebuild her for $99,000 dollars which was $8,000 dollars more than her original cost. The decision was made to rebuild her and in 1930 she was rebuilt at the Buffalo Dry Dock Company of Buffalo, New York with some improvements. One improvement was that her boilers were converted from burning coal to burning oil.^[5] The engines were rebuilt and her firefighting system could now handle foam. As part of her acceptance ceremony she was recommissioned and participated in a race against the harbor tug Kentucky which was considered to be one of the fastest tugs on the lakes.

[edit] 1953 refit

In the early 1950's, it was noticed that the Grattan was showing signs of age. Her boilers were only able to operate at 40 percent capacity and an engine room steam leak in 1951 injured part of her crew. In November 1952, the Grattan was sent to the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Her boilers and steam engines were replaced by diesel engines, the pumps for the firefighting system were replaced, the single propeller was replaced with twin propellers, the twin stacks were replaced with lower dummy stacks and she was renamed Firefighter in 1954. In 1955 she was renamed again, in honor of Edward M. Cotter, a respected Buffalo firefighter and the leader of the local firefighters union who had recently passed away.^[4]

[edit] International firefighting

On October 7, 1960 the Cotter came to the aid of firefighting authorities in Port Colborne Ontario.^[12] Port Colborne had no fireboat of its own, and when a set of its grain elevators caught fire on October 5, 1960 authorities were unable to bring the fire under control. Escorted by a United States Coast Guard cutter, because she had never needed navigational equipment of her own, the Edward M. Cotter proceeded across the international border. The voyage to Port Colborne took two hours. It took the Edward M. Cotter a further four hours to bring the fire under control. This mission is said to have been the first instance that a United States fire boat had crossed an international border to help authorities in another country.^[12]

[edit] National Historic Landmark

In 1996 the Edward M. Cotter was designated a National Historic Landmark.^[1][3]

At 107 years of age, the Edward M. Cotter is the oldest active fireboat in the world. The Cotter can often be seen sailing out of berth and south-west to Lake Erie, returning north through the breakwall and firing her watercannons.

[edit] Friends of the Cotter

A non-profit group named "Friends of the Cotter", founded in 2005, has been running fund-raising events to overhaul the Cotter.^[6]

June 2, 2008 Photos of the Edward M. Cotter

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• History of the E.M. Cotter
• Edward Cotter
• Buffalo's Enchanted Fireboat
• Friends of the Cotter Official Website

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