On this episode of Our American Stories, on September 11, 2001, hundreds of thousands of people reached the southern tip of Manhattan and found themselves trapped between a city under attack and New York Harbor. Then a call went out over the radio: "All available boats." Ferries, tugboats, fireboats, and private vessels converged on the waterfront and began taking people aboard. By day's end, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people had escaped Manhattan by water in the largest waterborne evacuation in American history.

Dr. Mike McGee, author of All Available Boats, shares the story of the fireboats that answered the call, including the John D. McKean and the retired John J. Harvey.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)