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City’s ‘waving’ goodbye

SI ferry up for auction

By TAMAR LAPIN tlapin@nypost.com

Oh, buoy. A nearly 60-year-old vessel in the Staten Island Ferry fleet is up for auction — with bidding starting at a cool $125,000.

The recently retired John F. Kennedy was built in 1965 and transported commuters between Staten Island and Manhattan for more than five decades.

The 300-foot vessel has now gone under the hammer and was

reportedly initially listed with a minimum price of $250,000 by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

As of Tuesday, 14 bids had been made online for the boat, with the price standing at $133,433, according to the listing. The auction closes Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Buyer must transport

While the hull is in good shape, the ferry is listed in “poor condition” due to mechanical issues.

“This double-ended, passenger and vehicle ferry up for auction is in poor condition and had to be decommissioned due to mechanical issues, the mechanical issues are on the propulsion end,” the listing states.

It is being sold in an “as is” and “where is” condition — meaning whoever shells out enough clams for the boat should be ready to pick it up or have it shipped from the St. George Ferry Terminal.

The DCAS, which manages surplus auctions for the Big Apple, has put up other vessels in the past, most notably the iconic FDNY fireboat John D. McKean, whose crew participated in heroic rescue efforts after the 9/11 attacks.

It sold to restaurateurs Edward Taylor and Michael Kaphan for $57,400 in 2016.

Ol’ dependable

This is the first Staten Island Ferry that the agency has auctioned off, a spokesman said. All proceeds go to the city’s general fund.

The DCAS said it couldn’t speak to the bidders for any specific auction but that buyers for various boats previously have ranged from collectors to other governments to scrap metal dealers.

Prior to its retirement, the JFK — which can carry more than 3,000 passengers at a time — was the oldest vessel in the Staten Island Ferry fleet.

It came into service in 1965 alongside two sister ships, the MV American Legion and the MV The Gov. Herbert H. Lehman, which were decommissioned in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

A ferry captain told The Post in 2014 that the JFK was considered the most dependable in the fleet.

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2022-01-19T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-19T08:00:00.0000000Z

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