EDWARD M. COTTER (fireboat)
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 52.344 W 078° 52.363
17T E 673752 N 4748840
The Edward M. Cotter fireboat serves as a way for the Buffalo Fire Department to fight fires on the waters in and around Buffalo.
Waymark Code: WM12A6
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 12/23/2006
Views: 27
The fireboat/icebreaker Edward M. Cotter, built in 1900 as W.S. Grattan, later renamed Firefighter and known by her present name since 1954, is the oldest fireboat operating on the Great Lakes. While conforming to the national fireboat type, Cotter exemplifies features specific to her Lakes use on frequently frozen waterways. She is also the oldest fireboat left in service in the United States. Built for the nationally important port of Buffalo, W.S. Grattan augmented the city's two-vessel fireboat fleet as the new Welland Canal neared completion and Buffalo prepared to greet the world at the upcoming Pan-American Exposition. Serving both the needs of Buffalo as floating fire pumping station, supplying water to the city's high-pressure fire lines, and as a firefighting and icebreaking ally of the port's shipping and waterfront industry, Edward S. Cotter has participated in every major conflagaration in Buffalo since 1900.
The only American fireboat known to have made the supreme sacrifice while firefighting, Cotter was overwhelmed by flames and exploded in July 1928. Rebuilt in 1930, the fireboat continued her career through the years of Buffalo's decline as a major port.
Street address:
Buffalo River near Michigan Ave and Ohio St
Buffalo, NY United States
14203
County / Borough / Parish: Erie
Year listed: 1996
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event
Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Historic function: Government, Other
Current function: Government, Other
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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