Staten Island boat graveyard

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The Staten Island Boat Graveyard is an ocean dump located in Arthur Kill in Rossville, near the Fresh Killing Quarter on the north coast of Staten Island, New York. This place has been recognized as the official dumping ground for tugs, barges and loading and unloading of ferries. It is known by many other names including Witte Marine Scrap Yard, Arthur Kill Boat Yard, and "Tugboat Graveyard." Its official name in 2014 is the Donjon Iron and Metal Scrap Processing Facility.

Video Staten Island boat graveyard

Histori

The trash was founded in the 1930s by John J. Witte and managed by him until his death in 1980. It was later taken over by his son-in-law, Joe Coyne, who described it as a car garage, with boats serving as a source of parts for sale. Now managed by John Witte's son, Arnold. It contains about 100 ships and boats, down from a previous height of 400.

Maps Staten Island boat graveyard

Sites

The abandoned and rotting vessels, mostly cargo ships and tugboats, are from "all decades of the 20th century". They sit in the mud and shallow water until they are dismantled or rescued. Some are historic, so the place is called an "accidental ocean museum". Ships of historical interest include the USSÃƒ submarine hunter, PC-1264 , the first US World War II navy ship to have an African-American crew; and the fire brigade of the New York City Fire Department Abram S. Hewitt, who served as a floating command post in 1904 the sinking of the General Slocum passenger ferry, a disaster that killed more than a thousand people.

This site is difficult to reach and post with a "No entry without permission" sign. However, visitors do come. Marine historians explore the area by boat or kayak. The decaying ship is a popular subject for photographers and artists. The place, due to its scary environment, has become a tourist attraction, despite its remote location and difficult access via "temporary road signposts and wooden boards to muddy swamp and to the water's edge where ships are visible."