These smokestacks, which are prominent on the NYC skyline, are part of the power-generating facility Ravenswood No. 3, also known as Big Allis (named after the turbine manufacturer Allis-Chalmers Corp.) The power plant sits on the shore of the East River in Queens on Vernon Boulevard, in a neighborhood known as Ravenswood in Long Island City. It was the world’s largest generating facility when it went into service in 1965, capable of producing 1 million kilowatts. It was sold by public utility Con Edison to KeySpan Energy in 1999.

In 2004, the facility was expanded with new state-of-the-art technology amid community concerns over pollution. It is now capable of generating 25% of New York City’s power requirements. A New York Times article referred to the plant as the “Death Valley of New York City” – temperatures can reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit on the floor of the turbine room…

It is easy to forget New York City’s role as an important port and that the waters around NYC are still a working harbor with an enormous amount of maritime freight and traffic (over 12,000 ships per year). In researching for this post, I am always reminded of how much goes on behind those things which most of us know little about. Like tugboats and barges. But there is a world and a history here, even with tugboat buffs and websites.

The tug in the photo navigating the East River, the Brendan J. Bouchard, belongs to the Bouchard Transportation Company of Melville, NY, an oil barging company. Most barges are not self-propelled and need tugboats to move them. And tugboats are highly maneuverable – they help make the sharp turns necessary to negotiate shipping channels and harbors such as that of New York’s. McAllister and Moran virtually dominate the tugboat business in the New York waters. Click here for an interesting story about the recent efforts of tugboats to move the Intrepid to New Jersey for refurbishment – an initial failure followed by success…