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Page 6 The James R. Elliot was built by the Jenks Ship Building Company of Port Huron, Michigan, and went into service on February, 1903. Designated as Steam Engine Company Number 25, she was stationed at the foot of McDougall Avenue. She was 122 feet long and used much of the machinery from the old Detroiter, now fitted on a new steel hull. Her new engines was built by the Cowles Engineering Company of Brooklyn, New York, and she was fitted with Manning pumps. After de-commissioning, the Elliot was sold to the Owen Sound Transportation Company of Owen Sound, Ontario, and remodeled for passenger and automobile accommodations, and renamed Normac. In 1969, she was sold, renamed again, Captain's John's Harbour Restaurant, and became a Toronto riverfront attraction. The longest lived and most loved of all the Detroit fireboats was the John Kendall. Succeeding the James Battle as Engine Company Number 16 (the Battle replacing the Elliott as Number 25), she was quartered at the foot of 24th Street near the Ambassador Bridge. This beloved boat was built by the Toledo Ship Building Company and cost the city of Detroit $249,000. Extending 135 feet from stem to stem, she could supply water to five Morse "Invincible" turret nozzles - four on deckhouse and one the stem mounted 30-foot tower. On her maiden voyage an experiment revealed that, even without the assistance of her engines, the rear 4-inch turret gun could propel the vessel almost five knots when discharging water rearward. The John Kendall had two 12-inch, four-stage centrifugal pumps, each connected to a General Electric 800 horsepower, five-stage steam turbine engine. She also had two 6-inch, four-stage pumps, each connected to General Electric two-stage turbine engines. A 950 horsepower condensing type engine turned a single nine-foot propeller and gave the vessel a top speed of 17 knots. Steam for driving pump turbines and all auxiliary units was furnished by two Babcock and Wilco marine water tube boilers. Budget cuts caused the John Kendall to be taken out of service in January, 1972. The boat was to remain, however, available for emergencies and would be manned by the members of Tactical Mobile Squad Number 8 and a standby marine crew. This arrangement continued until November 1976, when further budget cuts forced the city to take the Kendall out of service altogether. Serving a total of 46 years, this valiant ship was an intrinsic part of many waterfront displays. She is now currently owned by the Ferriss Marine Contracting Corporation in Detroit. The sacrifice of the black firefigher Curtis Randolph, inspired the name of the most recent of Detroit's floating apparatus. Builtin 1979 and costing $1,500,000, the 77-foot, 10 inch aluminum hulled craft was built by the Peterson Ship Building Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. With a fuel capacity of 1,520 gallons, two 12 cylinder GM 12V-149 diesel engines provide a maximum speed of 23 knots. In addition, two 12 cylinder GM 12V-71 diesel engines can give the Randolph a pumping capacity of 9,700 gallons per minute at a pressure of 150 pounds per square inch. Furthermore, a super pump can provide 2,000 gallons per minute through four high-pressure outlets. The vessel carries 200 gallons of foam concentrate and has a stem mounted 25-foot "Telesquirt" ladder that can extend to 50 feet - two unique features unknown to earlier Detroit fireboats. Also at the stem is a Boston Whaler type rescue boat that can be used in shallow water situations. The crew consists of four pilots, four deckhands and one full-time mechanic, but only one pilot and one deckhand work a constant 24-hour shift. When the Randolph is called to a fire, a company of firefighters will be picked up a pre-arranged location. Her normal boundary of operation is from the Rouge River to Windmill Point, but she can work outside this area under proper authorization. Besides responding to fires on Detroit's numerous miles of riverfront, Detroit fireboats have responded to the alarms of many other waterfront cities. Windsor, Ontario, just across the river, had over the years been no stranger to the previously mentioned vessels. Likewise, freighters and other similar Great Lakes ships have not been unfamiliar to Detroit fireboats either. The John Kendall was even known to serve as an ice-breaker for those same ships. This November marks the 100th anniversary of fireboats on the Detroit River. These "floating firestations" have been an indispensable part of firefighting not only on the river, but at other places on the Great Lakes as well. Whether fighting fires or showing off their "plumage" at waterfront events, fireboats have played an important role in the history of the Detroit Fire Department. Reference sources: Detroit Fire Department Apparatus by Matthew Lee. Detroit Fire Historical Record 1825-1977 by Clarence Woodard, Walt McCall,et. al. Fire Engines-AnlllustratedHistoryby Simon Goodenough. The American Firehouse by Rebecca Zurier. Telescope magazine: January-1992 and March-1981.