Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises

Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Locale Manhattan, New York
Waterway East River, Harlem River, Harlem River Ship Canal, Hudson River, New York Harbor, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, Upper New York Bay
Transit type Water Tours
Owner Karl Andren
Operator Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Began operation 1945
No. of lines 5
No. of vessels 9
No. of terminals 1
Daily ridership Approximately 2,740

The Circle Line is the collective name given to two sightseeing ferry operations in Manhattan:

History

The two companies split in 1981 from the parent Circle Line company and now have different officers and directors.

Circumnavigation of Manhattan became possible in 1905 with the construction of the Harlem Ship Canal, the first regularly scheduled trip being the Tourist captained by John Roberts in 1908.

On June 15, 1945 Frank Barry, Joe Moran and other partners merged several sightseeing boats to form the Circle Line operating out of Battery Park.

Circle Line cruise, 1973. Photo by Arthur Tress.
The Circle Line XVII touring the Harlem River

In 1955 it began operating at its current Pier 83 location. In 1962 it bought the famous and venerable Hudson River Day Line.[1]

In 1981, the two companies split.

In 1988 the 42nd Street company bought World Yacht's operating upscale dining cruises from Chelsea Piers - currently World Yacht Dining Cruises. In 1998 the 42nd Street company also launched The Beast, a speedboat ride which takes tourists around the Statue of Liberty and goes 45 mph.

In 2007, the United States National Park Service said it was going to terminate Circle Line Liberty franchise and give a 10-year contract to Hornblower Cruises which provides service to Alcatraz.[2] It was noted in the announcement that since 1953 Circle Line has transported 70 million people to Liberty Island. Among the items cited in the transfer was a newer fleet (although Hornblower will have to buy the Circle Line boats) and the possibility of new service to Gateway National Recreation Area. The New York Times reported on December 8, 2007 that the price of the circle line boats to be sold to Hornblower was in arbitration, forcing Hornblower to bring in new boats.[3]

In 2009, Circle Line took delivery of the third of three new vessels constructed at Gladding-Hearn in Somerset, Massachusetts.

Awards

Circle Line was awarded with proclamations by two New York City mayors. In 1985, then Mayor Ed Koch proclaimed April 23 "Circle Line Day." Approximately 20 years later current Mayor Mike Bloomberg proclaimed September 17 "Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises Day" in 2008.

Rescue

Video from 20 minutes after ditching, with numerous ferries and rescue boats surrounding the aircraft
The plane in the Hudson River surrounded by Coast Guard, FDNY, NYPD, and ferryboats

In 2001, Circle Line vessels helped transport victims of the September 11 attacks back to New Jersey.

After US Airways Flight 1549 was forced to land in the Hudson River in 2009, Circle Line Sightseeing vessels were among the first to respond.

Today

Circle Line Sightseeing continues to operate on the Hudson River and is dedicated exclusively to sightseeing. Currently, Circle Line Sightseeing's operating vessels are the Circle Line XII, XVI, XVII, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

Cruise Types

References

  1. ↑ George, Horne (October 6, 1962). "Hudson Day Line Bought By Circle". The New York Times. p. 50. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  2. ↑ Ramirez, Anthony (June 29, 2007). "Circle Line Loses Pact for Ferries to Liberty Island". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  3. ↑ McGeehan, Patrick (December 8, 2007). "Crossing a Continent by Water to Another City by the Bay". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2010.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, February 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.