BAILEYS HARBOR, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A retired fire department boat from New York City has found a home in Baileys Harbor in Door County.
The vessel, called the Kevin C. Kane has a rich history as well, serving on 9/11, and what’s commonly known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
From the silver search lights, to the fire engine red hull, Mike Cole, Iron Works Construction Owner tells WLUK, The Kevin C. Kane is a piece of New York history.
“It was their go-to boat. Fire Department number six. The water division”
The 52-foot fireboat was commissioned in 1993. The boat was named after a firefighter killed in the line of duty.
“And they used it for everything that they did, which was a lot of stuff in New York City,” said Cole.
The Kane was on duty September 11, 2001, serving as an evacution vessel after the attack on the World Trade Center’s twin towers.
And in January of 2009, Cole says the fireboat was one of many which responded after U.S. Airways Flight 1549 ditched into the Hudson River.
“It was one of the main vessels that was used to assist. I don’t know how many passengers it got, but the fire department used it as their main vessel”
Navigational charts from the Hudson River, and more, are still stowed in the ceiling of the pilothouse. And within easy sight of the ship’s captain, something more.
“There’s a little piece of paper, under a piece of plexi-glass. It was the fire chief and the mayor’s phone number”
After serving in Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Kane was retired, and sold at auction. A year and a half later, Cole bought the boat and brought it to Baileys Harbor.
And after all that service, some might think the Kevin C. Kane was ready for retirement. But Cole says, that’s not why he bought the vessel.
He says there’s still plenty of life left in the old fire boat.”I just saw that it was a 52-foot boat with 1600 horsepower. So that’s what I saw”
Cole says the Kane will compliment his constuction business, which often works along the shoreline.
“It’s going to be a crew boat, and a safety boat. Just be on site, when we’re working. When it’s not doing that, it will be pushing a barge, or just hauling material”
Workers like Jarrod Cowdery say transforming the Kane into a work boat is well-worth the effort.
“As soon as we get it in the water, she’s going to have some amazing capabilities, and she’s large and in charge. With the other barges that are out there, I don’t think it’s going to have anything stopping her”
“I definitely like boats. I love being on the water. And what more could you ask for. Getting to work in a part of history like that,” said Cole.
Cole says it could take years to complete the project.
He says the boat will still be called the Kevin C. Kane, but may be sporting a silver look instead of red.
