The Night New York City Almost Blew Up

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[80 years ago today] "• The American owned 4,200 ton Panamanian steamship El Estero is loading munitions at the Craven Point Pier on the New Jersey shore between Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York when a fire breaks out. Two other loaded ammunition ships are tied up near her. Railcars loaded with munitions are on the pier, totaling over five kilotons of explosives. Also nearby are tanks of gasoline and natural gas. Later estimates are that an explosion would have flattened everything within a five mile radius.

 

Craven Point pier is the thin white line in the center. Left is New Jersey. Upper right is Manhattan and lower right is Brooklyn.

 

- New Jersey City fire trucks arrive along with two Coast Guard fire boats, but the steamer burns through her mooring lines and begins drifting. The Coast Guardsmen board the ship to fight the fires, aided by FDNY fireboats Fire Fighter and John J. Harvey, which begin towing the burning ship to sea.

 

John J Harvey

 

FDNY Fire Fighter and model that shows original layout and color scheme

 

- The four fireboats spend seven hours towing the ship away, purposefully filling El Estero with enough water to sink. The Navy will later salvage her cargo, raise the ship, and use it as a target.

 

SS El Estero sunk in the outer harbor

 

- In response to the near disaster, the Navy will shortly begin construction of a new ammunition depot in New Jersey, including a 2.9-mile pier in Sandy Hook Bay designed to move the hazardous activity away from densely populated areas. The event will subsequently be called “the night New York City almost blew up”.

 

- Both FDNY fire boats will remain in service long enough to fight fires in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and are currently maintained as working museum ships, occasionally traveling to other cities for displays."

 

- In response to the near disaster, the Navy will shortly begin construction of a new ammunition depot in New Jersey, including a 2.9-mile pier in Sandy Hook Bay designed to move the hazardous activity away from densely populated areas. The event will subsequently be called “the night New York City almost blew up”.

 

- Both FDNY fire boats will remain in service long enough to fight fires in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and are currently maintained as working museum ships, occasionally traveling to other cities for displays.