On the morning of September 11, as the second tower of the World Trade Center was hit by terrorists, McAllister Towing and Transportation Company's corporate headquarters, located by the Battery in lower Manhattan, was evacuated. All employees were evacuated safely, and the building went undamaged.
McAllister's New York fleet was at work in the New York Harbor. When the port was closed, the fleet was dispatched to the Battery Park wall and helped other tugs take on board stranded, panicked pedestrians and ferry them to Weehawken, N.J., Brooklyn, upper Manhattan, and to Staten Island. The Hinton was the first McAllister tug on the scene. The Hinton thereafter has been working 19 hours daily as part of the relief effort. She has since been joined by the tugs, McAllister Bros. and Justine McAllister, both of which have been working around-the-clock, seven days a week. A fourth McAllister vessel, the Wal-Row, which will also be working endlessly with the relief effort, has joined these three tugs.
In addition to the McAllister captains and crews who have been working above and beyond the call of duty, as has everyone, during this very sad time, individual McAllister employees have also extended helping hands.
The McAllister office building at 17 Battery Place was without power or water for nine days following the terrorist attack, during which time McAllister employees worked from various McAllister office locations, including Staten Island, Philadelphia, and Port Jefferson, N.Y.