Happy Birthday, Steamship Lilac!
Happy 76th Birthday, to the beautiful Steamship Lilac, a former USCG Lighthouse Tender! There will be a celebration on the Lilac on Sunday, May 24 from 5pm – 10pm. She is at the north side of Pier 40, the very west end of Houston Street. The ship is open Saturday for visitors. Here can be found more details. For beautiful photos, look here and here at Tugster’s catches. Gerry loves engines, and the love shows.
Happy birthday, Gerry Weinstein! other than pouring love, dough, sweat et cetera into the Lilac 1931, what other ships has he had a hand in rescuing or helping? Here is the list:
USS Olympia 1888, flagship of the Asiatic Squadron, at Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum
Aqua 1918, South Street Seaport, –scrapped
Catawissa, a steam tug, –scrapped
Tug Pegasus 1907, Jersey City,–in operation
Mary Whalen 1938, coastal oil tanker, –dynamic in Brooklyn
Hestia, 34′ wooden steam boat
Elizabeth, steam ferry — wrecked, of which the engine Gerry helped salvage
John W. Brown Liberty Ship 1942, Baltimore — still steaming! her sailing season begins on sunday.
There may very well be more ships. Thank you, Gerry, Thank you, Mary! and to all those who support beautiful historic vessels!
Tugboat Pegasus was seen towing the Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79, 1914 after the wakes of the warships dissipated. Together, they make the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge, and now at pier 84 with readings, circus acts, shanties. More information at Going Coastal’s writeup of watery events.
Also seen floating about the harbor: the new schooner in town, Clipper City, docked at Pier 17. Much ado on the waterfront…
What would Henry Hudson blog?
Safe and Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all on land and at sea!
towmasters
tugster
Bowsprite 
A boat named Lilac? This is what happens when women are in charge. How does the captain introduce himself? “My ship is the ‘Lilac'”?
That would bring conversation in the bar to a halt.
yeahhuh!? well, how about: “Hi! I’m the skipper of “Family Jewels”??? how elegant are ya gonna look then?? Did you see Tugster’s post on the cargo ship Ciprine? THAT makes even me blush.
On boat names, look at this: http://boatnamegame.com/. Once again, I trumpet Lilac‘s good name! her sisterships of the “VIOLET Class” were named Mistletoe and…must dig up the rest!
Ciprine. Wow. Gosh, even! Who knew there were such words?
CGC Violet was one.I was on her in Baltimore 1n 1959,1962. BMC Mitchell,retired.Ward working boats
but michael . . . that’s the beauty of naming coast guard vessels after flowering trees. the coast guard . . . those that guard the coast. it’s stealthy.
honeysuckle to sweetbrier . . . we have some action at the (garblegarble) buoy (pronounced “boy” as the canadians do)..
roger that honeysuckle . . . we are proceeding to the same “boy”
honeysuckle to sweetbrier . . . you’re closing quickly. how do you wish to take me, honeysuckle . . .
Ah, the salty life!
I love the Lilac watercolour… and the shipname 🙂
Frenchs are good for tugs names. I’ve got someones:
l’Abeille Flandre: In english could be named Flanders Bee. Is it better than Lilac? But the spanish translation is quite fun. Because people who inhabitates in Flanders is known in spanish as flamenco. But flamenco is also a spanish music and and dance. So I can imaging a Flamenca Bee
There is also one Abeille Bourbon. Is she a Bourbon Bee?
Funny names for a conversation in the bar 🙂
Goodness, how very inspiring. I do so wish I could do more at our museums….we belong to both bayside museums here. And goodness, you have inspired me and I’m checking out water color classes.
[…] Erie Canal, Half Moon, Hudson watershed, New York harbor, USCG, arts, books, photos Kudos to Bowsprite for her tribute to Lilac and benefactor, Gerry Weinstein. Lilac, an amazing name for a vessel […]
[…] Tugster has more on LILAC here. And Bowsprite shows off one of her amazing watercolors of the ship here. […]
[…] According to these records, she was delivered from the Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore on 14 September 1942 for the WSA as Liberty ship William Grayson, sailing for the Black Diamond Steamship line out of New York, in convoys, I presume. Her engine was built by General Machinery Corp, of Hamilton, OH. By the way, William Grayson was delivered a mere FIVE DAYS before the existing Liberty ship John W. Brown. Scroll a bit and see bowsprite’s rendition of John W. Brown here. […]