AH-WR-0316

Poling Brothers No. 9

Tank Barge · United States · Lost 1974 · New York Harbor

A gasoline tank barge that exploded in the Arthur Kill in 1974, one of several petroleum barge disasters in New York Harbor's industrial waterways.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Poling Brothers No. 9 was a steel tank barge carrying gasoline through the Arthur Kill, the busy tidal strait separating Staten Island from New Jersey. In January 1974 vapors from her cargo ignited, causing a powerful explosion and fire. The disaster was one of several petroleum barge accidents that drew attention to the hazards of fuel transport in the harbor's industrial waterways.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: None, towed barge
Owners: Poling Transportation Corporation

Loss

Date: January 30, 1974
Cause: Fire
Location: Arthur Kill, New York Harbor
Water: New York Harbor
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Gasoline
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Crew members were killed in the explosion; the exact number is not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 40.59° N 74.21° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Arthur Kill, New York
Region: New York Harbor

General area only: coordinate of the Arthur Kill tidal strait from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS Feature ID 942594), marking the named waterway of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.