MV Mary Murray
{{Short description|Retired Staten Island Ferry vessel}}
{{other uses|Mary Murray (disambiguation)}}
The MV Mary Murray was a {{convert|277|ft|m|adj=on}} long Staten Island Ferry vessel launched in 1937. She was decommissioned in 1975, and sold at auction with her new owner intending to turn it into a restaurant or museum. She sat tied up at a creek on the Raritan River within view of the New Jersey Turnpike until she was dismantled for scrap in 2008–2012.
History
The Mary Murray was named for the American Revolutionary War figure Mary Lindley Murray. The vessel was built and launched from the United Dry Docks on Staten Island in 1937 during a grand ceremony with Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and 500 other spectators in attendance. The {{convert|277|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} ship, part of the Miss New York ferryboat class, cost $912,000 to build.{{cite web | title=NEW CITY FERRYBOAT GOES DOWN THE WAYS; The Mary Murray Is Second of Three Streamlined Craft--Mayor Attends Ceremony | website=The New York Times | date=1937-06-04 | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0CE7DC1E3AE23ABC4C53DFB066838C629EDE | access-date=2017-09-29}}
The Mary Murray was retired in 1974 and sold at auction.{{Cite news|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252011%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201976%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201976%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25205221.pdf%23xml%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D42a096c7%26DocId%3D5953659%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cIndex%2520U%252dF%252dP%26HitCount%3D10%26hits%3D2%2B3%2B12%2B13%2B51%2B64%2B70%2B71%2Bff%2B100%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fNew%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&uri=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252011%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201976%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201976%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25205221.pdf&xml=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3D42a096c7%26DocId%3D5953659%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cIndex%2520U%252dF%252dP%26HitCount%3D10%26hits%3D2%2B3%2B12%2B13%2B51%2B64%2B70%2B71%2Bff%2B100%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fNew%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false|title=Farewell Mary Murray—she was "good girl"|last=Bassett|first=Ed|agency=United Press International|author-link=United Press International|date=July 22, 1976|work=Tonawanda News|access-date=September 19, 2017|location=North Tonawanda, New York|page=10|language=en-US|via=Fultonhistory.com}} From 1982 through the mid-2000s,{{cite web | title=Ferryboat Mary Murray to leave its riverside home | website=Staten Island Advance| date=2008-03-20 | url=http://www.silive.com/news/2008/03/ferryboat_mary_murray_to_leave.html | access-date=2017-09-29}} she sat as a floating wreck on the Raritan River within view of the New Jersey Turnpike. Her owner was George Searle, a former merchant mariner, who had intentions of turning it into a restaurant or museum. Shortly after purchasing the Mary Murray, Searle had the vessel towed to a spot near his marina on the south side of the Raritan River. The state sued Searle in 1981 because the boat was docked in the middle of the river. In 1982 he moved the vessel to his property on the side of the river, tying her to the bank partially up "No-Name Creek", where she stayed until she was dismantled. The location contained other vessels and barges purchased by Searle including a ship purported to be owned by a former Shah of Iran.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/05/nyregion/05ferry.html |title=From Ferrying Thousands Daily to Rusting Away by the Turnpike |work=The New York Times |date=March 11, 2007 |last=Jones |first=Richard G.}}
Historically, prefixes for civilian vessels often identified the vessel's mode of propulsion, such as, "SS" (screw steamer), "MV" (motor vessel).
The Mary Murray was powered by a 4,000 horsepower double compound steam engine.
Dismantling
In March 2008 it was announced that the ferry would be dismantled and used for scrap metal.{{cite news|url=http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/owner_of_beached_staten_island.html|title=Owner of beached Staten Island ferryboat Mary Murray dies|last=Yates|first=Maura|date=March 20, 2009|newspaper=Staten Island Advance|access-date=February 13, 2010}} Aerial images show the ferry's superstructure half removed by October 2008, dismantled all the way down to the hull in by 2010, and ferry as well as all the other barge and boat hulls totally gone by 2012.
Notes
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.marielorenz.com/inprogress/?p=1078 Photos of a trip to the Mary Murray]
- [http://ltvsquad.com/2014/05/06/the-mary-murray/ Exploring The Mary Murray]
{{Coord|40|29|3.33|N|74|23|33.09|W|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mary Murray, Mv}}