John Gladsky is the definition of a colorful old salt.  He is a marine salvor and the principal of Gladsky Marine and has an old-time Long Island accent. His oral history expresses nostalgia for the Todd Shipyard and criticism of public policy that...

Hurricane Sandy hit Brooklyn around 8pm on October 29, 2012. which caused devastating flooding in Red Hook. The following 32 interviews are part of a project " Sandy: Tell Your Story"  recorded by Emergency Management Methodology Partners...

Michael Gallagher, last General Manager of New York Shipyard, successor to Todd Shipyard, interviewed two weeks before selling the site to IKEA, talks about the shipyard, its history and final days.  Gallagher represents the 5th generation of his...

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...

Ralph Packer is a Martha's Vineyard old-timer who coyly won't reveal his age because he doesn't want to retire!  Interviewed while taking a break on the Vineyard Haven pier of his Packer Fuel company, Ralph offers a historical perspective on...

When interviewed at a vigorous 82 years of age, Hank Dam laughs hard remembering the WWII slogan of Todd Shipyard “the difficult we do every day, the impossible takes a little longer.” Hank is clearly proud of the ingenuity and hard work of his...

Richard Gambino, a retired professor, grew up in Red Hook in the 1950s.  Interviewed by oral historian Shannon Geis in 2013, he recalls it as a close-knit Italian immigrant commumity.  He talks of the customs and traditons of the...

Well after this interview below, Captain Tom Teague published a book "Tales from a Tugboat Captain" and became a social media rock star with Facebook posts with photos and videos and explanations of the job and tuglife. See the following links:...

Interviewed in 2013 at age 19, Rasheed Johnson, a resident of NYCHA’s Red Hook houses, talks about how the neighborhood has changed in the past 8 years since he got here. Development has eliminated all his “hang out spots” except for Valentino...

Hear notable marine engineer and architect Dr. Charles R. Cushing talk about the rescue of the MARY A. WHALEN.  Cushing has played a significant role in maritime history during 60+ years, including being one of the architects of...