National Historic Landmark

FIREBOAT NO.1

Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington
Listed
December 2, 1983
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83004254

About this property

Fireboat No. 1 is a historic fireboat on display in a permanent land installation on the waterfront in the Old Town area of Tacoma, Washington. Built in 1929, she was for more than fifty years the sole firefighting vessel for the Port of Tacoma. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980. Fireboat No. 1 is 96 feet 6 inches (29.41 m) long with a 21-foot-6-inch (6.55 m) beam and a 6-foot (1.8 m) draft. Her seven water cannons have a capacity of 10,000 US gallons per minute (0.63 m3/s). She has a steel deck and pilothouse. Her deck was originally lined with pipes capable of creating a spray around the ship. As built, she had three-screw drive powered by 425-horsepower gasoline engine, and was capable of making a speed of 15 knots. Two additional engines provided power to its water pumps, and another two could be used either for movement or pumping, differentiated by a clutch setting. Fireboat No. 1 was built in 1929 for the Port of Tacoma by the Coastline Shipbuilding Company of Tacoma, Washington for US$148,000. She is the only fireboat in U.S. history to protect a major port by herself for more than half a century. After 54 years of service in waterfront fire protection, harbor security patrols, search and rescue missions, and water pollution control, Fireboat No. 1 was put up on a permanent dry berth at a public beach near Tacoma's Old Town neighborhood. She is one of only five fireboats designated as a National Historic Landmark. Visitors are able to walk around her exterior, but her interior is closed to the public. List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington (state)

Location

Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington
47.28233, -122.48056

Categories

ENGINEERINGPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTUREMARITIME HISTORYSOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Lord-Heuston House
Industrial
0.5 mi
North 23rd Street Bridge
Industrial
0.5 mi
Washington School
Industrial
0.7 mi
Haddaway Hall
Industrial
0.8 mi
Slavonian Hall
Industrial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was FIREBOAT NO.1 listed on the National Register?

FIREBOAT NO.1 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1983.

What type of historic resource is FIREBOAT NO.1?

FIREBOAT NO.1 is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is FIREBOAT NO.1 a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. FIREBOAT NO.1 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 FIREBOAT NO.1?

The period of significance for FIREBOAT NO.1 is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near FIREBOAT NO.1?

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