Farewell to Newtown Creek, New York’s Lovely “Honey Tanker”

Posted on by April 17, 2015
Photo: Will Van Dorp

Photo: Will Van Dorp

The Newtown Creek was recently sold at auction. At 324′ long and 49.6′ wide, she is a lovely coastal tanker that traversed New York harbor’s waters for close to a half century.  For a vessel of her size and type, I always found the Newtown Creek to be particularly attractive.  With relatively fine lines, a sharp bow, and a grey hull with rub rails that made the ship seem longer and sleeker than she was, it was perhaps even more pleasing that her appearance didn’t give away her job, which was carrying sewage sludge from various points around the harbor. Many of us, however, did not call her a sewage tanker or even a sludge tanker, but preferred the more delicate term “honey tanker.”  The name is adapted from the US Army trucks that used to empty latrines. The trucks were called sarcastically, “honey wagons.” So, calling the Newtown Creek a “honey tanker” seemed to fit, both for her cargo and because, at least to some eyes, she was a sweet little ship.

Sludge is the residual organic material left after sewage and wastewater is treated. Up until 1992, New York City dumped the sewage sludge into the ocean. Since then the sludge has been converted to fertilizer pellets after being dewatered.  The Newtown Creek used to transport 1.2 million gallons of sludge per day, seven days a week. As reported in the New York Times: On a typical day, in its later years, it would load sludge from the Owl’s Head treatment plant, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and take it to the Port Richmond plant on Staten Island. Then it would take another load from the North River plant in West Harlem to the Wards Island plant. Its gray hulls may have dings and scrapes and dents, but its tall cylindrical stacks still stand tall, after serving decades as exhaust methane vents for the sludge tanks. 

The tanker sold for $235,000. The two rumored bidders were a scrap dealer from Maryland and a town in Florida with plans to sink the ship offshore as an artificial reef.

Auction #1327532 – Ship, Cargo, Sludge Tanker, Newtown Creek

Comments

Farewell to Newtown Creek, New York’s Lovely “Honey Tanker” — 13 Comments

  1. Well done Newtown Creek. I remember you sailing past USCG Light Station Ambrose. I was stationed at the Tower in the mid 80s.
    Lovely ship with a tough job.

  3. I saw this lovely little tanker hundreds of times over the years, both from the water and from various vantage points in Manhattan. She will be missed.

  4. I too was sad to read about the Newtown Creek in the New York Times, but pleased to see your blog mention “Honey Tanker” — a nickname I new well (also as “Honey Barge”) working in New York Harbor in the 1970s and early ’80s, but surprisingly absent from the NYT article. The company I worked for at the time serviced radios and navigation equipment on all the NYC vessels, and having working Loran and other aids was critical at the time for properly dumping the sludge (into a canyon offshore, as I recall). Also not mentioned in the article was the fact that the Newtown Creek had (has?) has sister ships: Owl’s Head, North River and perhaps one other. And in addition to comely lines, I believe she was state of the art for such vessels in the 1960s with variable pitch props, or something similar (not bow thrusters), that allowed her to be docked neatly with a minimum of handling and no tugs.

  5. Gordon

    I remember the North River sailing past Ambrose Tower. It was identical
    to the Newtown Creek. Also I saw the S.S. Bowery Bay, and S.S. Susan B. Frank. I think they were NYC “Honey Tankers” Also, but different in appearance.
    Ambrose was a ship spotters paradise; a 360 view of the nautical world…

    M.J.St.J.
    USCG 83-87

  6. As a resident of Roosevelt Island for nearly forty years, I saw the North River, the Newtown Creek, and the Owls Head traveling up and down the East River each day. One fourth of July, with hundreds of small boats crowding the river for prime spots from which to watch the evening fireworks, one of the honey tankers was traveling very carefully to permit the small boats to give it sea room in the narrow channel. While most small boats recognized that the honey tanker had limited room to maneuver, some of them chose not to move. It was then, for the first time, that I heard five angry blasts on the tankers horn, and it was instructive to watch the relaxed yachtsmen drop their snacks and beverages to get out of the way of the big boat bearing down on them.

  7. I never used the term “Honey Tankers” to describe them. With their graceful lines, battleship grey hulls and funnels flying the city’s colors, I always referred to them as “The New York City Navy”.

    Newton Creek was always my favorite.

  8. I worked on the Newtown Creek and the other sludge boats since 1982. The Newtown Creek was my permanent spot from 1996 to her last day in service. I always thought she was the best of bunch. A very good reliable ship. Will be missed

  9. I’m literally sitting on the north bank of the Miami river and just saw two tug boats ease this tanker in…as it passed by I googled to name of the ship (mainly because I was bored) and this article popped up! To whom it concerns: She’s now in Miami

  11. The Newtown Creek will become the center piece to “Ship Wreck Park Pompano Beach”. She will not be scraped! She is being cleaned and prepped for sinking. The Newtown Creek will be enjoyed by thousands of divers for years to come. Check out southfloridadiving.com

  12. I too worked on her in NY harbor along side Brian W. since 1987. It was a great sail. The newer vessels that now replace her are crap. They will never deliver the service that the older vessels have. I guess they couldn’t afford a Navel Architect so they hired a guy who made beautiful things out of Legos.