Mary A. Whalen

The Mary A Whalen is a retired oil tanker that now serves as a cultural event space and museum and is currently docked in the Red Hook Container port courtesy of ASI.[1]   She is operated by the non-profit PortSide NewYork which will create a maritime hub and cultural space on Pier 11, Atlantic Basin.  She will be on Pier 11 from July 1-August 24, 2010 and much more accessible during that time.

The Mary A. Whalen was built in 1938. She is 172’ long and weighs 613 gross tons. She’s a “coastal tanker” which means she delivered fuel products up and down the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Maryland. She held 8,019 barrels and over the years carried gasoline and diesel products. Boats are always female; one of the few gendered nouns in English. The Mary A. Whalen’s traditional work is still big around here; New York is the largest petroleum through port in the USA, a refining and distribution center for the whole northeast.

The Mary A. Whalen went out of service March 1994. She was then bought by the folks who run the Erie Basin Bargeport in Red Hook, for use as a dock and office. Her eight cargo tanks were cleaned of all fuel residues, and they began to rust up. Now, these spaces feel like a cross between a Richard Serra sculpture and an immersion tank meditation room. They will be converted into to an exhibition space and function hall.