DUWAMISH
About this property
Duwamish is a retired fireboat in the United States. She is the second oldest vessel designed to fight fires in the US, after Edward M. Cotter, in Buffalo, New York. Duwamish was built in 1909 for the Seattle Fire Department in Richmond Beach, Washington, just north of Seattle. She was powered by "double vertical (compound) marine steam engines" capable of driving her at 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph). She was equipped with three American LaFrance steam piston pumps rated at a capacity of 3,000 US gallons per minute (0.189 m3/s) each. She was originally designed to ram and sink burning wooden vessels, as a last resort, and was equipped with a ram bow for doing so. On July 30, 1914, Duwamish was involved in fighting the fire on the Grand Trunk Pacific dock. In the 1930s, as a cost-saving measure, the Seattle City Council directed that Duwamish be used as a tug to push the city's garbage scow. After an upgrade in 1949, the pumps delivered a total of 22,800 US gallons per minute (1.438 m3/s). This capacity was only exceeded in 2003 by the Los Angeles Fire Department's Warner Lawrence, which delivers 38,000 US gallons per minute (2.397 m3/s). Duwamish is 120 feet (36.6 m) long with a 28-foot (8.5 m) beam and a 9.6-foot (2.9 m) draft. Her registered gross tonnage is 322 short tons (292 t). Retired in 1985, Duwamish was purchased by the Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation. She is permanently moored at the Historic Ships Wharf near the Museum of History & Industry at South Lake Union Park in Seattle. Visitors may board the vessel when volunteer staff is available. Duwamish was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Biography of Eugene L. McAllaster, designer of Duwamish. Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WA-174, "Fireboat DUWAMISH, South Lake Union Pier, Seattle, King County, WA", 27 photos, 2 color transparencies, 5 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was DUWAMISH listed on the National Register?
DUWAMISH was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 29, 1989.
What type of historic resource is DUWAMISH?
DUWAMISH is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is DUWAMISH a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. DUWAMISH has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for DUWAMISH?
The period of significance for DUWAMISH is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near DUWAMISH?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near DUWAMISH will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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