Fire Island Ferries
 | |
| Locale | Fire Island, New York |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Great South Bay |
| Transit type | Passenger, Freight & Water Taxi |
| Operator | Fire Island Ferries, Inc. |
| Began operation | 1948 [1] |
| No. of lines | 8 |
| Hubs | Bay Shore, New York |
| Website | Fire Island Ferries |
Fire Island Ferries is a passenger and freight ferry service, serving the Western communities of Fire Island, New York.[2]
History
Edward J. Mooney, who joined the company in 1948, acquired Fire Island Ferries in 1972. After Mooney's death in December 2020, his casket was taken around Great South Bay for a memorial aboard one of the company's ferry boats.[3]
Zee Line Ferry Acquisition
South Bay Water Taxi Acquisition
Fire aboard the Fire Island Belle
On September 20, 2009, at 10:10 eastern daylight time, the passenger ferry Fire Island Belle, with 100 passengers, the vessel master, and two deckhands on board, experienced an engine room fire in the Great South Bay between Long Island and Fire Island, New York. The vessel had departed Ocean Beach, Fire Island, 10 minutes earlier, and was approximately 300 yards (270 m) from the dock at Fair Harbor, Fire Island, when the fire broke out.
No passengers or crewmembers were injured, and no pollution resulted. The cost of repairing the vessel was $490,000. The U.S. Coast Guard was the lead investigative agency in the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provided assistance with fire investigation and metallurgical analysis.
Destinations
- Kismet
- Saltaire (village)
- Fair Harbor
- Dunewood
- Atlantique
- Ocean Beach (village)
- Seaview
- Ocean Bay Park
Fire Island Ferry Fleet
Passenger Ferries
| Vessel Name | Year Built | Shipbuilder | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Island Miss (alternates as freight) | 1976 | Blount Boats[4] | Captain Patterson |
| Firebird (Engine swapped from Detroit v12 two strokes to John Deere inline 6, 4 strokes) | 1983 | Blount Boats[4] | Firebird |
| Stranger | 1985 | Gulf Craft[5] | |
| Voyager | 1990 | Gulf Craft[5] | Firebird |
| Explorer (engine Swap from DD V12 to JD engine) | 1991 | Gulf Craft[5] | Firebird |
| Fire Island Flyer | 2001 | Blount Boats[4] | Firebird |
| Fire Island Belle (Engine Swap from series 60 to JD Engines) | 2009 | Blount Boats[4] | Firebird |
| Fire Island Queen | 2011 | Gladding Hearn[6] | Firebird |
| Fire Islander | 2013 | Blount Boats[4] | Firebird |
| Isle of Fire | 2019 | Blount Boats[4] | Firebird |
Freight Ferries
| Vessel Name | Year Built | Shipbuilder |
|---|---|---|
| Vagabond | 1978 | Blount Boats[7] |
| America | 2002 | Derecktor Shipyards[7] |
Fire Island Water Taxi
Fire Island Marine Services
Fleet
| Vessel Name | Category | Year Built | Shipbuilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle | Pushboat | Miller Marine | |
| Cormorant | Pushboat | ||
| Turtle | Multi-purpose vehicle ferry (Ro-Pax) | 2016 | Miller Marine |
| Fire Island Maid | Multi-purpose vehicle ferry (Ro-Pax) | 2023 | Metal Shark[9] |
References
- ^ "Fire Island Ferries (@FIFerries)".
- ^ "FireIslandFerries.com".
- ^ "Obituary: Captain Edwin J. Mooney Jr., owner of Fire Island Ferries", Greater Long Island, December 31, 2020. Accessed December 31, 2020. "Captain Edwin J. Mooney Jr., born in Teaneck, N.J., in 1929, started working for Fire Island Ferries as a deckhand after moving to Bay Shore in 1948. Twenty-four years later, in 1972, he would come to purchase the company, and proceed to grow it to Fire Island’s largest ferry provider."
- ^ a b c d e f Boats, Blount (2019-06-10). "Blount Boats Delivers New Fire Island Ferry - Blount Boats - Warren RI". Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ a b c "Gulf Craft ~ Shipbuilding History". Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ "Passenger Vessels: Mono-Hull Ferries". Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ a b "Ferries Over 100 GT Built in the U.S." shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ "Miller Marine to deliver New York ferry to Fire Island Ferries". www.workboat.com. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ Maritime, Baird (2023-05-18). "VESSEL REVIEW | Fire Island Maid – Compact vehicle ferry delivered to New York operator". Baird Maritime / Work Boat World. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
External links
This article incorporates public domain material from Marine Accident Brief MAB-10-02 (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board.