{"nrhp_refnum":"12000831","name":"MARY A. WHALEN (tanker) (Additional Documentation)","other_names":["ex S.T. KIDDOO"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Pier 11, Atlantic Basin, Red Hook","address_restricted":false,"city":"Red Hook","county":"Brooklyn","state":"NY","lat":40.68922505200004,"lon":-74.00700990099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-10-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1938 welded-steel coastal petroleum tanker, originally named S.T. Kiddoo and later renamed Mary A. Whalen, built in Camden, New Jersey by the John J. Mathis Company and now docked at Pier 9B, Red Hook Container Terminal, Brooklyn.","why_significant":"The tanker is significant under Criterion C as a rare example of a coastal oil tanker built with welded, lapped-strake steel plating, a method marking the transition from riveted to edge-welded hulls. She also keeps her original diesel engine and a rare 'bell boat' control system. Under Criterion A she represents coastal fuel transportation and harbor lighterage and bunkering in the Northeast.","narrative":"Built in 1938 at Camden, New Jersey, this 172-foot welded-steel tanker was launched as the S.T. Kiddoo for the Ira S. Bushey Co. of Brooklyn and later renamed Mary A. Whalen. She carried gasoline along the Atlantic coast between 1938 and 1958, then was modified to deliver heavier oils such as home heating fuel until 1994. Her cargo took her to terminals on the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek, and she also fueled ships in New York Harbor. The vessel retains her original configuration, her alternating in-and-out strake hull plating, and her 1937 Fairbanks Morse reversible diesel engine. A rare bell-and-jingle system supplements the telegraph between wheelhouse and engine room. The wheelhouse, captain's cabin and galley keep many original fittings. She was listed for her construction method and her role in coastal fuel transport. She is now docked at Red Hook and being preserved for educational use.","period_of_significance":"1938-1962","architect_builder":"John J. Mathis Yard, Camden, NJ","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Docked at Pier 9B and being preserved for educational use; in active service until 1994. The original engine is missing some parts and awaits repair.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.833712-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/12000831.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000831/f67108e859-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000831/f67108e859-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Marywhalen","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MaryWhalen102910_bernie_Ente.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marywhalen</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MaryWhalen102910_bernie_Ente.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318447","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_A._Whalen_(tanker)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22329587"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/brooklyn/mary-a-whalen-tanker-additional-documentation-12000831/"}