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Rest in pieces: Staten Island’s eerie ship graveyard

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Jessica Sager
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Sep 18, 2014

1 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - three retired vessels that were slated to be disassembled sit in the polluted waters of the Artur Kill off Staten Island) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
The Arthur Kill Ship Graveyard in Rossville, Staten Island, is becoming a tourist attraction. Gordon Donovan / Caters News

2 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the graveyard alley is seen from an opening train box car sitting on the deck of a barge) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
The graveyard, once called Witte’s Marine Salvage, is one of the largest marine scrap yards on the East Coast. Gordon Donovan / Caters News

3 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the resting place for these ships was the location of the slip for The Blazing Star Ferry which transported passengers and cargo across the Arthur Kill to Woodbridge Township, NJ) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
The graveyard was once home to a ship that sailed on D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II with an all-black crew. Gordon Donovan / Caters News

4 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the rusting and peeling paint of a retired service vessel in shallow waters of the Arthur Kill) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the rusting and peeling paint of a retired service vessel in shallow waters of… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

5 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD) – It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows – but an… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

6 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the colorful pipes and control panel of oil barge. In the backround is a jail cell on board a New York Central barge) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the colorful pipes and control panel of oil barge. In the backround is a… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

7 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - several retired vessels await to be scrapped in a junk yard in the Rossville section of Staten Island) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – several retired vessels await to be scrapped in a junk yard in the Rossville… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

8 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the name YOG 64 is visible on this navy gas carrier built in 1945 and beached since 1976 in Wittes ship graveyard) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the name YOG 64 is visible on this navy gas carrier built in 1945… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

9 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the crumbling deck of a rusting barge is covered in rising waters as high tide flows in the Rossville ship graveyard) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the crumbling deck of a rusting barge is covered in rising waters as high… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

10 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - one of the dozens of vessels slowly rotting in the muck of the Arthur Kill) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – one of the dozens of vessels slowly rotting in the muck of the Arthur… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

11 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the Bayou Plaquemine was built in 1921 for the U.S. Army and commissioned as the steel-hulled Junior Mine Planter (JMP) Major Albert G. Jenkins. The vessel and crew were assigned to the Fourth Service Command during World War II and homeported at Fort Barrancas, Florida, and was retired in 1972) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the Bayou Plaquemine was built in 1921 for the U.S. Army and commissioned as… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

12 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the Bayou Plaquemine sits in the shallow waters of the Arthur Kill between New Jersey and Staten Island) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the Bayou Plaquemine sits in the shallow waters of the Arthur Kill between New… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

13 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the cleat on the deck of a barge laid to rest in a ship graveyard) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the cleat on the deck of a barge laid to rest in a ship… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

14 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the deck of retired vessel has acquired earth toned colours after years of neglect) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – the deck of retired vessel has acquired earth toned colours after years of neglect)… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

15 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - several rows of retired ships sit together in a scrapyard in the Arthur Kill) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – several rows of retired ships sit together in a scrapyard in the Arthur Kill)… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

16 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - the collapsing bridge of a retired vessel off the shore of Staten Island) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
The graveyard is an official dump for decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges. Gordon Donovan / Caters News

17 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - two old ferries sit rusting in the cold polluted waters between New Jersey and Staten Island) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – two old ferries sit rusting in the cold polluted waters between New Jersey and… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

18 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - spikes used to build the piers are visible) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – spikes used to build the piers are visible) – It may be better known… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

19 of 19
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD - a line is tied to the remains of a partially scrapped service vessel in a scrap metal yard) - It may be better known for skyscrapers, shopping and Broadway shows - but an eerie ship graveyard is also sending tourists flocking to New York. The graveyard, one of the largest marine scrap yards on the US East Coast, is an official dumping ground for disused and decommissioned ferries, tugboats and barges that sit in the water until they are dismantled or salvaged. Throughout its existence it has been home to once famed fleet such as a ship that took part in D-Day and a submarine destroyer from World War II which was the first ship manned by an all-black crew. It is also the final resting place of New York City Fire Department fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was involved in the rescue of survivors of the 1904 General Slocum tragedy. Located on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville, Staten Island - about an hour from Manhattan, the scrap yard was even promoted by the city in a 2013 summer guide for British tourists. SEE CATERS COPY
**MANDATORY BYLINE** PIC BY GORDON DONOVAN / CATERS NEWS – (PICTURED: NEW YORK SHIP GRAVEYARD – a line is tied to the remains of a partially scrapped service vessel in… Gordon Donovan / Caters News

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