Roar! Earlier this spring I decided to go on an odyssey to the land of the dead... Dead boats that is! It turns out on Staten Island there is a marine salvage yard where a number of old ferries, tugs, and barges from NYC's past have been scuttled. Just check out what this area looks like from space! Crazy!
The marine salvage yard isn't open to the public but the northern edge extends past the docks so it looked like I'd just be able to barge right in! I decided it was time to let Charon ferry me across the NY harbor so I could pay a visit to the land of the dead! Roar!
Turns out that analogy was more accurate than I realized! Right next to the northern part of the salvage yard there is actually an old Huguenot cemetery from 1700's called Blazing Star Burial Ground. It sure is spooky, I hope I don't run into Charley Boos! Roar!
Here you can see the northern edge of the ferry graveyard beyond the marsh behind the graveyard!
Here are a few pictures of the Ferry Graveyard across the marsh. Getting there was going to be quite a challenge! I had planned my visit to coincide with low tide, so I put some hefty trash bags around my feet and lightly stomped across the marshland! Roar!
There are a ton of historic ships interred in the ferry graveyard. There are couple from World War II including one ship that took part in D-Day and the USS Mason, the first submarine to have an all black crew! In the back of this picture you can see one of the fireboats that responded to the General Slocum wreck in 1904! Roar!
After crossing the muddy marsh I emerged into a half sunken barge and climbed up onto the rusty hulks of dead ships.
Here we have a look at the full salvage yard to the south. I don't want to head down there or the keepers of the dead might get me! Roar!
Some of the scuttled ships in the salvage yard are so old that they have trees and bushes growing off of them! Talk about crazy! It makes me think of a post-apocalyptic future where all these barges have been turned into farm land once sea waters rise. Some one should make a movie about that... Roar!
Some graffiti artists have also made it out to the ferry graveyard! Here's a cool piece that must have been done years ago, just look how it's faded with time. Roar!
Besides all the ferries, tugs, and barges there were a number of life boats and dingys that had been piled up on top of all the other ships! There are so many ships here that are just falling apart. Talk about rest in pieces! Roar!
Here I am hanging out on one of the old barges. This place sure is crazy. Turns out there used to be another salvage yard on the eastern shore of Staten Island that had old 19th century schooners scuttled along the entrance to the harbor. They were all removed when construction began on the Verrazano Narrows bridge. Next time you drive across the bridge be sure to watch out for ghost-ships! Roar!
I guess I'm not the only person who has come to check out the Ferry Graveyard! Seems like a great place to take a date? Roar!
Before heading home I decided to leave my mark on one of the barges. We'll see how this wears with time. The Ferry Graveyard might be a real trek to get to but it's a rare sight in a city that seems obsessed with eradicating its way spaces. I wonder how long the graveyard will remain? Roar!
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