By Albert Amateau
The new Marine 1 fire station and Pier 53 on the Gansevoort Peninsula opened officially when Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano and F.D.N.Y. top officials, along with Captain Richard Johnson, Marine 1 commanding officer, cut the ribbon last Friday.
Construction of the four-story 8,500-square-foot building and the new pier took two years and cost $19 million. It’s the only waterside fire station in Manhattan.
During the construction, Marine 1 fireboats operated out of the Hudson River Park Trust’s Pier 40 at Houston St.
Along with smaller boats, the new fire station is the home of fireboat Three Forty Three, named in honor of the 343 firefighters who died on duty at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Dedicated last year, Three Forty Three is said to be the world’s largest fireboat at 500 tons and 140 feet long. Its top speed is rated at 18 knots and its pumping capacity is 50,000 gallons of water per minute. The vessel cost $27 million.
