PortSide's ambassador to the BlueSpace:
NYC's favorite oil tanker, the Mary A. Whalen

The Mary Whalen made history: 
All mariners in the USA today benefit from the Supreme Court ruling U.S. vs Reliable Transfer involving the the Mary A. Whalen. This major case is taught to all maritime law students. More

The Mary Whalen helps explain history: 
The Mary A. Whalen is NYC’s favorite oil tanker, and TankerTours are a great way to learn about energy sustainability issues, fuel distribution and consumption from the 1930's to now.  TankerTours explain a major role of the NYC working waterfront: for decades this port has been the largest petroleum through port in the country; fuel products are distributed around the northeast from this port.

Distributing that fuel was the Mary A. Whalen's job, the job of a tanker working along the coast, and her work changed over time according to how our fuel consumption grew and changed.  She "went outside"  (in the Atlantic) delivering gasoline as far away as Maine from 1938-1958 (a testament to the small number of cars in Maine then). She did "creek work" delivering home heating oil to local fuel terminals up little waterways like the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek, and in the end she mostly fueled ships "bunkering" at dock and at anchor.  Her voyages became shorter as we consumed more fuel and her size was ever smaller in relation to demand.

We give TankerTours to diverse audiences.

Bilingual TankerTours at a salsa concert:

Tanker Tours for college professors:

The Mary Whalen's present & future:
The Mary Whalen houses PortSide's offices and serves as a physical attraction and event location.  We use her several ways.

• as a historic ship where we give tours
• as a stage for cultural activities
• as a landing for other boats which raft up alongside
• once cargo tanks are converted, exhibit, classroom and function space will be installed her cargo tanks (in 2,800sq ft)

The tanker is being respectfully repurposed and enlivened by changing activities.  She can hold many of the activities researched in our business plan, but not all. We need space ashore to launch other programs, especially the Flotsam Project.

The vintage cabins, wheelhouse and galley will be restored.  We have secured most of the parts needed to repair her engine.

We have installed spudwells (huge steel sleeves through the hull) so we can use spuds (internal pilings) which we don't have yet. Having spuds will enable the Whalen to visit communities that lack a pier or piers with tie-up infrastructure. Many new waterfront parks have no cleats or bollards on their piers, and many communities lack a formal waterfront park at all. Though she is quite long, The Whalen is shallow draft and can therefore visit the many shallow areas of  New York's shoreline.

Physical condition:
The Whalen is a handsome workboat in need of some love - please volunteer and help us paint! - but she is in better shape than a lot of Red Hook real estate ashore.  She is adorned with lots of brass. 

Though she is built of steel, she has a lot of wood trim and the curved lines of a wood boat, meaning she has sheer (or a concave longitudinal curve) to her decks, camber (a convex transverse curve) to her pilothouse and foredeck, and she has "shape" or tumblehome to the sides of her house (as if the walls leaned inward). 

She was built before Americans wasted so much electricity, meaning she makes great use of natural light and ventilation -- some of the sustainability issues we explain on TankerTours. In comparison, many modern workboats have cabins or galleys with no portholes at all; they depend on electric lights and air conditioning.

Mary A. Whalen Facebook page here

Built 1938 
LOA 171', beam 31.5, draft 1'5' bow, 8' stern

Mary Whalen deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places!

May 2011, the NYS Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) reviewed our application in record time and wrote back “Great application!” They also said they were pleased to hear from us, we’ve been watching the Mary Whalen.”  More on her history page.

fact sheet

Guide to nautical nomenclature

Where to find her:
She moves.  She is usually based in the Red Hook container port, south side of Pier 9B.  When she is on Pier 9B, you can see her from the IKEA ferry and Governor's Island or the foot of Degraw street when container stacks are not in the way.

Calling all former crew!
We want to tape record your memories and copy your photos.

And your advice can help us put The Whalen back together.