Circumnavigation of Manhattan became possible in 1905 with the construction of the
Harlem Ship Canal, the first regularly scheduled trip being the
Tourist captained by John Roberts in 1908. On June 15, 1945, Frank Barry, Joe Moran and other partners merged several companies to form
Circle-Line Sightseeing Yachts, offering boat tours of New York operating out of
Battery Park. . In June 1954 Circle Line took delivery of
Miss Liberty a new 460-ton excursion steamer. The three-deck vessel could carry up to 750 passengers. Veteran captain George Clancy was skipper of the boat for many years and although he spent decades with the sightseeing company, and made more than 40,000 trips between lower Manhattan and Bledsoe's Island, he never went inside the statue.
Miss Liberty was acquired by Circle Line because of growing popularity of
The Statue of Liberty as a tourist destination. It was the first excursion steamer of its type to be built in the United States since 1929. In 1955, it began operating at Pier 83 in Midtown. In 1962, it bought the famous and venerable
Hudson River Day Line. The steamboats of the Hudson River Day Line remained in operation under Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises until 1971. In 1981, the Circle Line split into two companies—Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises and
Circle Line Downtown. In 1988, the company bought World Yacht's operating upscale dining cruises from
Chelsea Piers - currently World Yacht Dining Cruises. In 1998, the 42nd Street company also launched The Beast, a speedboat ride which takes tourists around the
Statue of Liberty and goes 45 mph. In 2007, the
United States National Park Service said it was going to terminate Circle Line Liberty franchise and give a 10-year contract to
Hornblower Cruises which provides service to
Alcatraz. It was noted in the announcement that since 1953 Circle Line had transported 70 million people to Liberty Island. Among the items cited in the transfer was a newer fleet (although Hornblower would have to buy the Circle Line boats) and the possibility of new service to
Gateway National Recreation Area.
The New York Times reported on December 8, 2007, that the price of the Circle Line boats to be sold to Hornblower was in arbitration, forcing Hornblower to bring in new boats. In 2009, Circle Line took delivery of the third of three new vessels constructed by
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in
Somerset, Massachusetts. In January 2017, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises purchased
New York Water Taxi—among the assets acquired was the latter company's Circle Line Downtown brand, reuniting both Circle Lines under one owner. == Awards ==