Day Peckinpaugh
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''Day Peckinpaugh'' is a historic
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
motorship A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The names of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V. Engines for motorships were developed during the 1890s, and by th ...
berthed at the
Matton Shipyard Matton Shipyard is a historic shipyard and canal boat service yard located on Van Schaick Island at Cohoes in Albany County, New York. It consists of eight extant buildings, various surviving features, and archaeological remains dating to the pe ...
on Peebles Island, Cohoes in
Albany County, New York Albany County ( ) is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York, United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is to the east. As ...
, United States.


Early years

''Day Peckinpaugh'' was built in 1921 by the McDougall-Duluth Shipyard in
Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
, the first boat specially designed and built for New York State Barge Canal, the successor to the famed
Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
. The ship was originally named ''ILI101'' after the ship's first owner, the Interwaterways Lines Inc of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The ship was the first specifically designed to ply the open waters of the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
as well as the narrow locks and shallow waterways of the barge canal. ''Day Peckinpaugh'' is also the last surviving ship from a fleet of more than 100 of her type that once carried
freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
from the upper
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
to the port of New York City. At a length of and width of , she is among the largest boats to operate on New York's canal system where the maximum area available for vessels in a lock is long by wide. With a hold and a carrying capacity of , ''Day Peckinpaugh'' was well suited as a
bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially naval architecture, designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo—such as Grain trade, grain, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement—in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrie ...
in which she hauled wheat, flax seed, rye, sugar, and in the early years
pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...
.


First renaming

''ILI101'' was rechristened ''Richard J. Barnes'' in 1922 to honor the man who originally commissioned the ship.


World War II service

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, ''Richard J. Barnes'' was drafted into the US Merchant Marine to carry coal and refuel cargo ships along the east coast of the United States. During her Merchant Marine service ''Richard J. Barnes'' was attacked by a German
U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
which fired a
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
at her; the torpedo was thought to have passed under the ship due to her shallow seven foot
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
.


Second renaming

In 1958, the ship was sold to Erie Navigation and retrofitted to carry sand and gravel. The ship was again renamed, becoming ''Day Peckinpaugh'', in honor of the man of the same name, brother of the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
player and manager,
Roger Peckinpaugh Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh (February 5, 1891 – November 17, 1977) was an American professional baseball player shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1910 through 1927, during which he played for the Cleveland Nap ...
.


Later service

The ship was converted to a self-unloading dry
cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
hauler in 1961 and used to carry cement from Oswego to
Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lie ...
until her retirement in 1994. ''Day Peckinpaugh'' was the last self-propelled regularly scheduled commercial hauler on the barge canal.


Restoration

In 2005 ''Day Peckinpaugh'' was saved from the
scrap yard Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have monetary value, especially recover ...
by a partnership of museums and canal preservation societies, and is undergoing extensive cleaning, painting, restoration and testing of her engines. More than $3 million has been pledged to restore and convert ''Day Peckinpaugh'' into a floating classroom and museum that will highlight the history and heritage of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. In late 2011 the New York State Department of Education received a $191,000 grant to outfit ''Day Peckinpaugh'' to serve as a multi-regional educational facility. The restoration was scheduled for completion in 2012. The ''Day Peckinpaugh'' is the largest artifact in the
New York State Museum The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, Albany, New York (state), New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and to ...
collection.


Attempted sinking

On March 8, 2010 Guy J. Pucci, a 35-year-old ex-state employee was arrested after almost completely sinking the ship while she was docked at Lock 2 of the Barge Canal undergoing restoration. Pucci went aboard the vessel and opened
valves A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, ...
to flood the ship in an attempt to scuttle her. State Police said that ''Day Peckinpaugh'' was close to being submerged as police and ship employees worked to pump the water from the ship's engine rooms. The ship sustained extensive damage due to the flooding, and repairs were estimated to be in excess of $10,000. Pucci had worked aboard ''Day Peckinpaugh'' since July 2009, but his position as a maintenance assistant had been terminated February 25, 2010. On September 15, 2010, Pucci was sentenced to time served and five years'
probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...
, including drug treatment court, after pleading guilty to a felony third-degree criminal mischief charge.


Current status

The ship was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2005. ''See also:'' At the time of its listing, it was located at Lockport in
Niagara County, New York Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of ...
, but its home base between trips and for maintenance is in Cohoes. ''Day Peckinpaugh'' and the 1901 tugboat '' Urger'', as still-functioning vessels, have become movable ambassadors of the New York State Barge Canal System. As of 2018 it was considered a possible candidate for sinking as a reef due to maintenance costs. In October of 2024 the ''Day Peckinpaugh'' was sold at auction by the New York State Education Department. They were the then owners but could no longer afford the $20,000.00 to $30,000.00 a year cost to just keep the Day Peckinpaugh from sinking. Pumps running constantly were keeping the boat afloat. The minimum bid level was $5,000.00. The Peckinpaugh highest bid was just $50.00. It sold for $5,050.00. But the ''Day Peckinpaugh'' may still have another life. The purchaser is Capt. Dwayne Reith, owner of Custom Marine, Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County New York. Specializing in marine salvage and construction his company might just be able to save the Day Peckinpaugh. Keeping the boat afloat during its 150-mile journey from Erie Canal Lock #2 to Dobbs Ferry will be his first challenge.


Gallery

File:Day Peckinpaugh Docked Nov 05.jpg, ''Day Peckinpaugh'' docked at Waterford, New York (November 2005) File:Day Peckinpaugh Closeup Nov 05.jpg, ''Day Peckinpaugh'' closeup at
Waterford, New York Waterford is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 8,208 at the 2020 census. The name of the town is derived from its principal village, also called Waterford. The town is located in the southeast corner of Sara ...
(November 2005)


References


Jon Crispin's Day Peckinpaugh page

Tugster's 100 anniversary blog entry for Day Peckinpaugh
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Other websites

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Albany County, New York Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) 1921 ships Erie Canal parks, trails, and historic sites National Register of Historic Places in Albany County, New York Museum ships in New York (state)