M & J Tracy Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping, Tugboat towing |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Founder | John Tracy, Michael J. Tracy, Thomas Tracy |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | New York Harbor |
Key people | John Tracy, Michael J. Tracy, Thomas Tracy, Catherine Tracy, Helen Tracy |
| Products | Tugboats, Barges, Shipping services |
M & J Tracy Inc. was a shipping and tugboat towing enterprise based in New York City, founded in 1881 by the Tracy siblings: John, Michael J., and Thomas Tracy. In 1917, the Tracy Towing Line was launched under their direction. The company’s governance also included their sisters, Catherine and Helen Tracy. With its main office located at 1 Broadway and an operational branch in Brooklyn, M & J Tracy Inc. owned a fleet of tugboats and barges, initially specializing in coal transportation to New York Harbor.
The firm notably contributed to the World War II effort by operating U.S. tugboats and vessels, subsequently acquiring surplus ships following the conflict. Additionally, it oversaw the M & J Tracy industrial site situated within New York Harbor. The Tracy family lived in the Tracy Mansion, constructed in 1912 in Brooklyn. John Tracy, a prominent entrepreneur and founder of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York, was born in 1855 and died in 1931; Michael J. Tracy passed away in 1927.
World War II
Throughout World War II, M & J Tracy Inc. managed Merchant Navy vessels under charters from the United States Shipping Board, Maritime Commission, and War Shipping Administration. The company supplied the crews for these ships while the U.S. Navy provided Armed Guards responsible for operating deck artillery and communication equipment. This collaboration underscored the company’s vital contribution to wartime logistics and maritime defense operations.
Vessels
- Ships operated during World War II:**
- M. & J. Tracy, Inc., originally constructed in 1917 by Great Lakes Engineering Works as SS Lakeland, with a tonnage of 4,185 tons; operated from 1942 until 1947.
- Charles L. O'Connor, built in 1918 by Great Lakes Engineering Works; active from 1942 through 1947.
- Maurice Tracy, launched in 1916 by Great Lakes Engineering Works; lost after a collision near Seaside Heights, New Jersey, in 1944.
- Owned vessels:**
- SS Craigsmere, built in 1919, acquired in 1927, dismantled in 1948.
- SS Tracy Brothers, constructed in 1918 by Merchant Shipbuilding; later renamed SS Avondale and SS Chas.Kurz; scrapped in 1948.
- SS Thomas Tracy (1), initially built as SS Clinchwood in 1916 at Great Lakes Engine Works; purchased in 1925; wrecked at Cape Henlopen in 1944.
- SS Michael Tracy, a steamship involved in a fatal collision with the Cape Cod vessel on New York’s East River in 1927.
- M & J Tracy tugboat, built by Johnson Iron Works of New Orleans in 1919; served during World War II.
- William Tracy tugboat, weighing 62 tons, constructed at Burlee Drydock Company in Staten Island in 1903.
- Helen L. Tracy tugboat, built by Levingston Shipbuilding Company of Orange, Texas, completed in 1953.
- Kathleen C. Tracy tugboat, launched by Levingston Shipbuilding in 1956.
- Thomas Tracy tugboat, also built by Levingston Shipbuilding in 1956.
- William J. Tracy tugboat, another Levingston Shipbuilding product from 1956.
- Mary T. Tracy tugboat, originally named Bison and constructed by Smith SB at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
- SS Banner Seam (Liberty ship), constructed in 1945; acquired in 1946 and renamed Michael Tracy (2); scrapped by 1962.
- SS Herrin Seam (Liberty ship), completed in 1945; purchased in 1946 and renamed Thomas Tracy; sold off in 1962.
- Various barges including Cape Lawrence, Reno, Herbert E. Smith, and Cape Erwin; predominantly built during the early twentieth century at Burlee Drydock Company and Bethlehem yards on Staten Island.
- M. & J. Tracy, Inc., a vessel built in 1926 and sold off in 1944 (Official Number 225917).
See also
- World War II United States Merchant Navy
- Type V ship, tug vessels