The Red Hook Flats Anchorage in New York Harbor was constructed to accommodate ocean going cargo ships and tankers. It provides a place for ships to anchor off shore. To suit ships of different depths portions of it are 35, 40, and 45 feet deep....
Chiclet, PortSide Ship Cat, thoughts on preparing for a flood
Hi, I’m PortSide’s ship cat, Chiclet. Listen up. I have experience with this resiliency thing, and my celebrity status can help get the word out. I was listed in Time Out Magazine’s top NYC mascots, you know. I am here to help PortSide...
American Turtle Submarine 1776 & 2009
The AMERICAN TURTLE was the first submarine used in war. It was in 1776, not far from Red Hook. Invented by David Bushnell, the one-man hand-propelled craft was designed to attach an underwater time bomb to an enemy vessel. On a...
Growing Maritime activity in Red Hook, 2016
Yachts and party boats docked in the Atlantic Basin, 2016
Freeke's Tidal Mill
Tide mills were used in Red Hook to grind grain into flour. They were also used to grind ginger. Water from the twice daily high tides was captured in mill ponds. A gate could be opened, sending the water rushing down a channel and...
Erie Basin: The Photography of Jenny Young Chandler, 1890-1915
Newly married and recently widowed in 1890 , Jennie Chandler Young began working as a photojournalist to support herself and her two-month old son. Using the moniker "Brooklyn Girl," she worked until 1915 for the New York Herald as a...
War Materials about to be shipped out From Erie Basin, 1941
"An aerial view made from an American Airlines plane of Erie Basin where 15 ships are shown ready to load crated war material crammed on piers. Vividly reflected in the photo is the manner in which vital war aid for Britain is flowing speedily...
NYC Council Hearing on Waterfront Regulations, 2005
"I think everyone here will agree that New York City's Waterfront has enormous opportunities for new recreational facilities, new housing, new businesses, and that we are going to be seeing an unprecedented level of waterfront development over the...
Port Authority Grain Terminal and Columbia Street Pier, 1950
Aerial View, looking north, of the Port Authority Grain Terminal and the Columbia Street Pier, June 25, 1950. In the photograph, the Grain Terminal, is the large rectangular cement building, located at the right mid-section. Behind it to the right...
Oral History: Gerard Rokosz: Last Dry Dock Manager of New York Shipyard. 2005
Gerard Rokosz is a man deeply in love with his former job as the last dry dock manager at Todd Shipyard. At the time of this 2005 interview, he was working for a marina and nostalgic about the shipyard: "seeing my old office collapsing makes me...