Newark Fire History

THE NEWARK SHOPS

Welcome to The Newark Shops!

Each week we will take a look at one of the rigs that has served with the Newark
Fire Department over the years, starting with the earliest rigs. The known service
record of the rig will be shown in addition to any photos that are currently available.

Please note that assigning apparatus with Shops Register Numbers did not commence until 1926,
and any rigs that were in service with the NFD at that point were numbered. However, rigs that
served, and had been discarded prior to 1926, had no formal Shops Registration. In order to have
a point of reference, those rigs featured here will carry a letter registration.

07/01/1964 - Christened as the Fireboat "John F. Kennedy"
07/14/1964 - Placed in service with Fireboat 1
05/29/1984 - Taken out of service for complete overhaul in Port Newark
11/17/1985 - Returned to quarters but remained out until motors rebuilt
10/06/1986 - Placed back in service with Fireboat 1
06/00/1992 - Placed in reserve as a spare
00/00/1993 - Decommissioned and held for sale
05/26/1998 - Sold to a Port Newark salvage/towing company for $11,000

The molded-hull boat was manufactured by the Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Co., of Somerset,
MA. It was 46 feet, 3 inches long, had a 15-foot, 3-1/2-inch beam, a 22.3-ton displacement, a ma-
ximum draft of 3 feet, and a 600-gallon fuel tank. It was equipped with two, 2,000 GPM Peerless
pumps, giving it a pumping capacity of 4,000 GPM at 150 PSI. It carried 200 gallons of foam, with
a foam capacity of 500 GPM. The boat had a top speed of 15 MPH. The pumps were tested by Gl-
adding-Hearn: 3 hours on each pump, and a 1/2-hour on both pumps. The boat was originally pa-
inted red and white, but was later repainted to the white and lime-yellow paint scheme.

The above photo is of the JFK while en route to Newark.

The JFK is put through her paces at the Gladding-Hearn shipbuilding site.
Hank Przybylowicz Collection

The JFK shows her stuff on the Passaic River on the day of her christening.
Photo by Capt. Bob Meeker
NFD Photo Unit
NFDHA Collection

The JFK pulls into berth at the Centre Street Dock in preparation of being christened.
Photo by Capt. Bob Meeker
NFD Photo Unit
NFDHA Collection

Mrs. Anne Caufield officially christens the JFK at the Centre Street Dock.
Photo by Capt. Bob Meeker
NFD Photo Unit
NFDHA Collection

The JFK sails the Passaic against the Newark skyline after being christened.
Photo by Capt. Bob Meeker
NFD Photo Unit
NFDHA Collection

The JFK pulls into her Jersey Street berth.
Hank Przybylowicz Collection

The JFK is seen here supplying feedlines during a two-alarm fire in Port Newark involving the
freighter "Cimbria," on August 21, 1964.
Bob Frey Collection

The JFK while being overhauled in Port Newark during 1984.
Mike Martinelli Collection

The JFK operates all three guns during a fire that heavily damaged the Jackson Street Bridge.
It was the last fire the boat worked at.
Hank Przybylowicz Collection