Fireboat Firefighter Museum

Keep this Story going.....my name is Charlie Ritchie and I have been working on the process of restorating Fire Fighter since 2010;

.and I want to tell you a short story of her life, and my own story and that of my friends and volunteers, and pets, that have created another beginning, another chapter ...that isn't finished yet.

From reading the history on our website it is no secret that the crew and ship exemplified bravery, determination and resilience in fighting over 50 major fires around New York, and many more that were not so well known. But the ones you may know; supplying water to fight the fires at the World Trade Center on 9/11, The SS Normandie Fire, Luckenbach Steamship Pier explosion/fire, The El Estero Munitions ship fire, that threatened New York, whose fire threatened to explode its cargo - bombs and explosives, and thereby annihilate and level parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey in one afternoon...and then coming to the aid of those on Sullie Sullenberg's landing on the Hudson....and there were more, many more.

She has so proudly stood the test of time, and now needs our help to get her to the next story.

My story began with Fire Fighter, when my chapter was ending with another historic vessel Lighthouse Tender Lilac...during that tumultuous time, a visit to Pier 40 near Greenwich Village by Fighter, ignited my interest....as I watched her turn the corner of the pier with her two diesel engines roaring, black smoke flowing, she epitomized the stature of a prize fighter - like Rocky Marciano or Jake Lamotta, not known for their finesse or prettiness, but more for their rock solid foundation. I remember asking a nearby fire fighter "what is that ship?" And he said that's Fire Fighter; you should think about getting her as she is soon to retire". Enough said....I was in love, and the rest is history, our story had already begun in the summer of 2009.

I took over the Fighter on February 10th, 2013, and a crew of volunteers consisting of friends, ex-crew and others sailed her straight to Greenport, NY on the coldest, And most beautiful day, and landed there by sunset.... where we would stay, for the next 7 years. During that time I was unemployed, lost my apartment, Had part time and full time jobs, and lived on Fire Fighter for three years with my then 3 male cats...It was a lonely experience, but I had them and my volunteers, who made the difference.

In the span of this boats new life, I lost two parents, two cats to cancer and suffered a heart attack myself around this time last year....and now I live near the boat in Groton, CT...The museum has been at Mystic Seaport Museum for over three years, and made new friends and volunteers. We have won multiple grants for restoration work, and brought life back into this little ship that fights so hard...And now we are making plans to run the vessel more and visit more places, and make it back home to New York - for at least a little while. So, in a nutshell, I have taken care of the boat and the boat has cared for me....many times over by...giving me shelter and some sustenance, by giving me an incredible,impossible job and mission that no one else can understand...and the blessed honor to be the person who heads up the charge to save this boat, this story, of the the world's most renown and greatest fireboat ever built.....In the end, I hope more people are out there that want to be a part of her history, her story