9/11 Hospital Ship Sits Abandoned in the Hudson Valley

The Lila Acheson Wallace, "the Floating Hospital" sits deteriorating in Kingston, NY.

I rememember sitting out at a restaurant over the summer in Kingston and looking out at the water and seeing a large ship that had seeemd to be abandoned and was looking a little worse for wear. I didnt know anything about it or think much about after that day, and then I was sent some photos by a co-worker that developed into a bit a of research.

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It turns out that ship that I had been looking at from afar had actually had a lot of History attached to it. It even had a connection to 9/11. I hadn't known anything about "the Floating Hospital" until doing research on the abandoned ship.

The Floating Hospital is a non-profit organization that provides Healthcare services to medically underserved communities in New York City, both from its headquarters in Long Island City, Queens and from satellite offices in other parts of the city. Today it is a land-based organization, but from its founding in the 1860s until 2001 the organization operated a succession of vessels which frequently cruised New York Harbor and nearby waterways, providing Healthcare to New York City’s medically underserved communities. This floating hospital would offer a range of services, including:

• Primary and preventive care: Focused on addressing basic health needs and education.
• Pediatric services: Specialized care for children, often including vaccinations and wellness check-ups.
• Outreach programs: Engaging with communities to provide health education and resources.

The vessel Lila Acheson Wallace, named after the philanthropist and co-founder of Reader’s Digest, this special boat was part of The Floating Hospital group of vessels. The barge launched in 1973 and it was vessel used by the The Floating Hospital Healthcare organization. It became a place of refuge in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

As the city declared a state of emergency, the ship moved to a dry dock at East Broadway in Manhattan, and then later to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 2003. Here, administrative staff remained on the ship, while a medical clinic was opened in the Lower East Side of Manhattan’s Chinatown. The ship was retired in 2003. 

Two boys aboard The Floating Hospital's Lila Acheson Wallace ship stare out at the New York City skyline in the summer of 1973. #ThrowbackThursday Posting from The Floating Hospital Facbook page. 

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Its quite an eerie feeling as you stare off into the Rondout Creek in Kingston and see a relic from 9/11. The vessel Lila Acheson Wallace stands as a symbol for compassion near the Hudson River Maritime Museum alongside the creek. Word is that a group took ownership of the vessel and was planning to make it into an art gallery, but didn't come up with the funds to make it happen, so it sits abandoned as it has since the early 2000's. One has to wonder what will be done with the relic in time.