Marion M, Seaport Museum

Marion M, Seaport Museum. This photo shows the Marion M, a “chandlery lighters” class vessel that is part of the permanent display at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City. These small vessels were typically used in to haul cargo from larger ships anchored in the harbor. The Marion M, built in 1932, was the last wooden-hulled chandlery lighter employed in New York Harbor. The Rando Family that owned the Standard Boat Company, based on the Kill van Kull shore of Staten Island, had operated these boats for three generations. When they gave up the business, all the surviving wooden boats, with the exception of Marion M. which was in sound condition and fully operational, were demolished as no longer usable. The Marion M. was acquired by the South Street Seaport Museum in October 2000. She is maintained in operating condition, as a working vessel supporting the other ships in the museum’s fleet, and as a floating exhibit.

This photo shows the Marion M at sunset on a crisp fall day with the Brooklyn waterfront in the background. Camera: Samsung GX 1S, 18-55mm kit lens. Raw image converted with Adobe Lightroom 3.0.