By Wes Starratt, Senior Editor

As long ago as 1906, San Francisco learned from dreadful experience that the versatility and reliability of Bay Area ferries can move people out of danger and move medical supplies into disaster areas. Records show that masses of people headed to the East Bay and the North Bay ferries when disaster struck in San Francisco to get out of harm’s way and find safety from the roaring inferno. Again, after the Loma Prieta Earthquake put the Bay Bridge out of commission, ferries were pressed into service from as far away as Seattle to provide essential Bay Area transportation.

When terrorists struck lower Manhattan on September 11th, ferries provided one of the only means of getting into and out of the disaster area. David Clark, General Manager of the Golden Gate Ferry Division, from his telephone conversations with New York ferry operators, provides us with a picture of the vital role played by ferries in Lower Manhattan on that day and the days that followed

"New York Waterways and other private and public ferry operators played a vital role in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. On normal days, ferry systems carry about 10 percent of the workers from New Jersey, Long Island, Staten Island, and other areas to lower Manhattan. The balance of the commuters are largely carried by the New York subway system and the PATH rail system which connects by tunnel from New Jersey to a large terminal in the basement of the former World Trade Center. With these land-based systems knocked out by the disaster, ferries carried almost 200,000 people out of the area and provided access for medical and other emergency crews. New York Waterways reports that it was busy carrying in medics and doctors and carrying out passengers, many injured, and others just needing a way out of the city on into the following day.

"I also heard that one of the ferry docks in downtown Manhattan was put out of commission by the falling debris, and New York Waterways actually repositioned its operations to a temporary dock along the Hudson River. But that dock became inoperable not long after that because of leaking natural gas; so, they had to reposition docking operations again. That ability to just pick up and move to another dock clearly demonstrates the mobility, and the agility of ferry operations to serve during an emergency."

A vivid picture is provided by "The Day," a Long Island newspaper which reported that the local ferry had just completed its last morning run bringing commuters into downtown Manhattan when disaster struck. The ferry and its sister ship were immediately called by the Coast Guard to help evacuate the thousands of workers who flooded the streets, panicking, and looking for ways to get home. Almost 300 people piled on board the first boat, dusty, dazed, and frightened.

"I think they were relieved to get on board," said the captain. Later in the day, medics were put on board to help the injured. They were beleaguered. They were disoriented. And some of them were cationic, looking straight ahead".

Ferries in a Disaster

By early the following day, the two Long Island ferries had shuttled a total of about 1,200 people from lower Manhattan through the smoke and debris that floated on top of the Hudson River. "We went into this cloud of dust and smoke and ash. I could barely see the bow of the boat, but we worked all the way through the night," commented the ferry captain, emphasizing that both ferries kept running until everybody who needed to had reach Long Island.

But the enormity of the tragedy didn’t hit the captain until the day after the attack. As he was picking up his car in the commuter lot, he noticed that about 30 cars remained in the lot from the day of the disaster. "That’s, I guess, when it started to hit me," he said. "There’re still 30 cars no one has come to pickup."

What else can one say … except that we are proud that New York ferries were able to play an essential role in alleviating some of the suffering. In the past, ferries have played important roles in providing essential transportation following San Francisco’s earthquakes. Today, they are ready not only to offer day-to-day transportation services, but to provide vital transportation whenever disaster strikes.