Tender Boat "Tender"

..The 60 foot steam cabin launch “Tender” served the Baltimore City Fire Department Marine Division as the Marine Battalion Chief’s command and inspection boat for 36 years from 1922 to 1958. This all wood vessel was built for the U.S. Army in 1907 and donated to the City of Baltimore at no cost in 1922. She spent her entire career with the Marine Battalion Chief at Pier 7, President St.

Below is a list of the Company assignments and locations of the "Tender" during her service with the Baltimore City Fire Department.

May 1, 1922 - Placed in service with The Marine Battalion Chief at Marine Division Headquarters, Pier 7, foot of
........................President St.

July 1958 - Removed from service and de-commissioned. Disposition unknown.

Army Steam Launch becomes a Baltimore Fire Boat

Baltimore's Fireboats

.. In order to provide the Marine Battalion Chief with facility for proper supervision of the division, as well as direct his forces in the event of serious fires, the Fire Department acquired from the U.S. Army, the steam cabin launch "Captain John C. Gregg", to be used by the Chief as a command and inspection boat.
.. Built in 1907, the vessel saw service at the Panama Canal Zone and later was assigned to Fort Howard in Baltimore Harbor. It was donated at no cost to the City of Baltimore Fire Department on April 22, 1922.
..Like the other vessels of the fire boat fleet at that time, it was fitted up with a bank of soda & acid chemical tanks for the extinguishment of small fires along piers and wharfs.


Classed as screw steam cabin launch, the characteristics of the Tender are as follows:

Builder – ( unknown )

Commissioned – ( by the U.S. Army, 1907 ). by the Fire Department – May 1, 1922

Cost - ( U.S. Army ? ). donated to the Fire Department at no cost

Official Number – 222060

Construction - all wood

Length overall - 60 feet 6 inches

Beam - 12 feet 2 inches

Depth of hull - 6 feet 6 inches

Full load draft - 6 feet

Tonnage - ..?.. Net, ..25 Gross

Fuel capacity - ..? ..

Maximum speed - 10 m.p.h.

Propulsion - ( as built, 1907 ). single screw, surface condensing steam engine of the fore and aft compound type.

------------------H.P. ..?,. fed by an Almy water tube boiler.
-----------------.( October 1937 ). Converted to Superior, 6-cylinder in-line marine diesel engine, rated @ 130 H.P.
-----------------.( October 1951 ). Repowered with Viking, 6-cylinder in-line marine diesel engine, rated @ 160 H.P.
.

Fire pumps - one (1).300 G.P.M. Hale rotary, driven of front of main engine ( installed, 1954 )

Discharge outlets - one (1) 2 ˝” on trunk deck, above fire pump

Hose - ..?.. feet of 2 ˝” on reel located at aft end of trunk deck.

..In October of 1937, the Tender was rebuilt with the following modifications being made:

  • Steam engine and boiler removed

  • Installed new 6-cylinder Superior marine diesel engine

  • rebuilt trunk deck

  • Added wooden skylight with six hinged windows over engine.

  • Old steam funnel stack removed, and new type installed.

The position of Fireman/Water tender was eliminated from the crew.

Marine .Battalion Chief .Charles Wilser peers .intently out .the. pilot. house
window .of. the Tender in 1942.. He .commanded the Marine Division from
November 1, 1914, until his death on May 14, 1944.--------------------------------

..In October of 1951, the Tender was re-powered with a new Viking 6-cylinder marine diesel engine. The vessel was still a “bell boat” with the engineer controlling the vessels movement from the engine room.
..In 1954, a 300 g.p.m. Hale rotary fire pump, removed from an old land apparatus was installed in the Tender, being driven off the front of the main engine. A 2 ˝” discharge outlet was installed on the trunk deck, above the fire pump, and a hose reel for 2 ˝” hose was mounted on the aft end of the trunk deck.

Tender, sometime in 1954-55. At that time the hull was painted black, pilot
and deck house were varnished wood, and stack was a buff color, with black
band at top. Covered hose reel can be seen on aft end of deck house.-----------


Tender standing off quarters in 1956 in her final configuration. .The hull .was
painted gray, pilot and deck house painted white, and stack painted buff with
black band at top.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Rare color photo of the Tender dressed and ready to escort the new Fire -
boat .Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. .up the harbor .to .Marine. Division
Hqt's. for her dedication on September 14, 1956.---------------------------------

..In 1957 the Fire Department Repair Shop installed pilot house control and rebuilt the clutch on the Tender. The crew now consisted of the Chief, and a Pilot/Mate.
..The following year, in 1958, during a drydocking and inspection, the condition of the Tender's hull was found to be in such poor structural shape due to extensive rot, that the boat had to be removed from service. Cost of the extensive rebuild that was needed were too excessive, and it was decided to remove the Tender from service, and obtain a replacement boat as soon as possible. The Tender was decommissioned by the Fire Department in 1958. Disposition of the boat, unknown.

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