Fire Island Ferries honored for little-known role in 9/11 aftermath

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Fire Island Ferries is receiving recognition for the role its crews played in New York City’s recovery.

Three of the Bay Shore-based company’s vessels — Voyager, Explorer and Fireball — were among the first to help restore ferry service to Lower Manhattan in the days after the attacks, when ground transportation into the city was severely disrupted.

“We got a call from New York Waterway saying they needed help,” Fire Island Ferries general manager and director of operations Dave Anderson recalled. “We came in and did what we could.”

On Friday evening, the O-High Foundation, a Long Island nonprofit, presented Fire Island Ferries with a plaque during a ceremony at Nicky’s on the Bay in Bay Shore.

O-High, whose mission is to connect young people with STEM education, career opportunities and workforce development, is marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with a series of initiatives focused on service, community readiness and career exposure.

“They may not think of themselves as first responders, but when the bridges and tunnels are shut down, how else can you get to Manhattan other than by water?” O-High founder Dr. Subrina Oliver told Greater Long Island. “They should be recognized for that.”

Anderson said he was taken aback when he first learned the organization wanted to honor Fire Island Ferries.

“My initial reaction was, no, no need to recognize us,” Anderson said. “But then when we started looking back, we realized that the younger generation does not know about our involvement in 9/11.

“The Voyager and Explorer are still in service, and we want to keep those memories alive,” he added.

For Oliver, that was exactly the point.

“They kept saying no, but thankfully I don’t listen,” Oliver said with a laugh. “I knew their story had to get out there. When they realized that even the young employees they hired this summer didn’t know about the incredible work they did 25 years ago, they agreed.”

The plaque presented to Fire Island Ferries reads:

“In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the crews and vessels of Fire Island Ferries answered the call to serve. Twenty-five years later, their service remains a reminder: the people who move a community every day may one day be called upon to move it through the extraordinary. Honoring those who answered them and those who carry the legacy forward.”

“The maritime community is a very tight-knit community,” Anderson said. “We do whatever it takes, wherever it takes, whenever it takes.”

---

Top: Photos of the Voyager from 2001 and other boats that assisted in NYC after 9/11 were on display along the bulkhead at Nicky’s on the Bay in Bay Shore Friday evening. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)