The History of Fireboat 2

[TaoJones]

After 78 years of tireless duty, Fireboat 2's days on the water in service to the Los Angeles Fire Department, are over. She's high and dry these days, and her next berth will be in a museum. From the Los Angeles Times:

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"L.A. THEN AND NOW
"Heroic Fireboat 2 is out of the water


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Los Angeles Fire Department Historial Society

"THE LITTLE CRAFT THAT COULD: The Los Angeles Fire Department’s Boat 2 is lowered into dry dock in San Pedro in 2004. The vessel was officially named the Ralph J. Scott in 1965, in honor of a former chief.

"The intrepid vessel served the L.A. Fire Department for 78 years and is a National Historic Landmark. But it's on blocks these days, waiting to be housed in a nearby San Pedro museum.

"By Steve Harvey

"May 31, 2009

"After all the harrowing situations it had faced -- the ship fires, the explosions, the waterfront blazes -- Fireboat 2 nearly met its end in quieter fashion a few years ago.

"The L.A. Fire Department vessel was docked at Terminal Island when an onboard visitor, the craft's retired pilot Bill Dahlquist, noticed a hole beneath the waterline of its eroded hull. Boat 2 was taking on water, fast.

"What did Dahlquist do? He plugged the leak with a paintbrush handle."

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To read the rest of the compelling story of the LAFD's Fireboat 2, go to:

Heroic Fireboat 2 is out of the water - Los Angeles Times

TaoJones