The Curtis Randolph Tests Its Fire Hoses

 This next part was pretty neat.  For part of the morning, I heard them turn the engines on for the Curtis Randolph.  Occasionally, they would cycle them.  I assume that was to test the engines because I imagine the boat doesn't go out much.

Then they started to test the fire hoses.  I heard the engines rev up for this.

They started to rev the engines more.

And then we got a nice stream of water and a little wet from the mist.

The Curtis Randolph Too

 Again, while I was bringing my drone in, I saw the other fireboat.

The Curtis Randolph was just docked though.

But it still makes for a cool picture.

A Nice Surprise Visitor

 This is a boat that I was not expecting to see in action.  Of course, I didn't check the Westcott area first.

I'm not sure where she was coming down from.  I almost expect that she might be coming down from where she was stored for the winter.

This the Detroit fireboat Curtis Randolph.  Apparently, Detroit is lucky to have a fireboat.  There are other harbor cities that don't have one.

While that is great, I'm not sure she is terribly useful for anything that is a distance from the river.

But I guess she can act as a pumper.

But it was still cool to see her.

And it looks like she is well cared for.

Unfortunately, I didn't want to switch lens.

At the Westcott Dock

 I was still waiting for my ship.

The J.W. Westcott is already docked.  I think they needed to do more work on her.  The M.S. Westcott can do the same things.  I think she will be docked soon.

The Curtis Randolph is one of Detroit's fireboats.  I'm not sure if they pull her out for the winter.  I'm pretty sure they do though.

A Surprise Visitor

 As I was taking pictures of the Gott.  I heard a boat firing up by the Westcott Dock.

I actually thought it was one of the Westcott boats, but it turns out that it was the Curtis Randolph and I was happy to see that.

They ended up heading down the river and as they were returning later, I ended up getting pictures.

It is a pretty neat looking boat.

It's amazing that Detroit has two fireboats and there are port cities that don't have any.

One more shot as she returns to the dock.

A Couple of Shots of the Fire Boat

 As I was bringing my drone back, I had some power left in the battery, so I decided to get some pictures of the fireboat.

It's a pretty cool looking vessel.

From the front.

The Fireboat

 Again, while I was waiting for the next ship.

Took a picture of the Curtis Randolph.  She is a pretty neat looking boat.

The Curtis Randolph Makes an Appearance

 While I was waiting for the Ojibway, I saw this guy down the river a bit.

When I first saw it, it had it's hoses going.  Apparently it was down by Fort Wayne (the fort not the city) and the Fire Department was having a picnic there.  It looked pretty cool but because of the haze, I couldn't get a decent picture.

As I was taking pictures of the Ojibway, it started to work its way up the river.  Apparently it was trying to return to its dock.

Since I don't usually get pictures of this boat out on the water, it was pretty cool to do so.  It was also cool to get the Boblo Island building behind it.  I heard that this building may be coming down.

She gets closer to her dock.

One more shot before I moved along.

The Fireboat and Fire Station

 The Detroit Fire Boat is stored next door to the Westcott.  It is also next door to Riverside Park.

This is known as Engine 16 and is the home of the Curtis Randolph and the other fireboat of the Detroit Fire Department.  I'm not sure when it was formed but it looks like many of the other Detroit fire stations.

The Curtis Randolph was launched in 1979 and was named after a young firefighter who died in the line of duty in 1977.  It was commissioned by Mayor Coleman A. Young.  It is the only Class A fireboat on the waterways between Chicago and Cleveland.  It can be used to pumped water for fires that are close to a river.

Assorted Vessels on the River

There was an assortment of boats around the Marine barge.

 First up was the Detroit fireboat, Curtis Randolph.  It looks like it was being used as a platform for photographers.

 Then there was a Coast Guard patrol boat.

The Detroit Police Underwater Recovery Team was passing by next.

The Hub Bub Around the USS Detroit

The USS Detroit entered Detroit to much fanfare.  This was kind of expected since she was the first Navy ship named after Detroit to both be commissioned in Detroit and actually be in Detroit.  I think the city of Detroit wanted her plank owners to feel welcomed.

 The tugs Wyoming and Colorado which belong to Great Lakes towing were available to help the Detroit into her dock.

 A Border Patrol boat races along.

 She was followed by the helicopter belonging to Channel 2, 4 and 7.  when I saw this helicopter in the distance, I thought that perhaps it was a border patrol helicopter.

 The Colorado hangs around.

 Soon the Detroit Police Boat joined the fray.

 As I suspected, these guys are boatnerds too.

 The news chopper again.

 The Colorado.

 The Colorado and Wyoming again.

 I like this picture because it almost looks like the Wyoming is a fire boat.

 The Curtis Randolph showing off her hoses.

 The Wyoming approaches the Detroit to ease her into place.

 Another shot of the Wyoming.

 A little closer shot of the Randolph.

And a head shot of the Wyoming.

The Curtis Randolph Appears

I ended up getting a bit of surprise.  As I was parking, I was told that I needed to move my car because there was a fire truck that might want to get out.  Apparently they were out on the fireboat training.

 I was not expecting to see the fireboat return while I was there but then again I wasn't expecting to be there as long as I was.

 It's pretty cool to see the fireboat out and about.  I've only seen it a couple of times.

 In front of the Renaissance Center.

 Probably my favorite angle for boat pictures.

 I think I really like this shot.

 The almost head shot.

One more quarter shot.