propulsion replaced with a 900 Hp GM diesel from a LST, was renamed Yankee and used to transport vacationers from Providence to Block Island, a task that apparently continued for several decades. The vessel was finally retired from commercial service after the 1983 summer season which included a charter to the America's Cup Races off of Newport, RI. It was then laid up in Montville, CT for several years. It was later towed to Providence, RI and docked very close to where she used to depart from for Block Island service and was neglected and became a target for vandals. Restoration In 1990, the by-now dilapidated Yankee was bought by a private citizen, Jim Gallagher, who towed it to Pier 25, Tribeca, Manhattan, where he began working on its restoration. In an unusual arrangement, Gallagher was permitted by the local authorities to live on the boat in order to continue with his work. To help pay for the job, Gallagher rented the boat out to weddings and parties. The vessel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. In 2003, Gallagher sold the boat to new owners who pledged to continue with the restoration work. In 2006 the boat was moved to Hoboken, New Jersey while the local council carried out an upgrade to Pier 25. Although operational, the boat is apparently not used for actual voyages since it lacks a seaworthiness certificate. Yankee is one of several vessels built by Neafie & Levy to be either still operational or operating until very recently. Another Neafie & Levy vessel that is still operational is the tugboat Jupiter. A third vessel, the tugboat Tuff-E-Nuff (originally the Thomas Cunningham Sr.), built in 1895, was remarkably still in commercial service in its original role as of May 2007. In 2003 Yankee was bought by Richard and Victoria MacKenzie-Childs, and moved to a dock in Red Hook, Brooklyn in 2013. While interior repair and restoration work is ongoing, the ship is in need of drydock space/funding to have its hull inspected, repaired, and deemed seaworthy again. In 2018, while in drydock in Staten Island after further hull work, the Yankee was listed for sale by Franklin-Ruttan: "The oldest existing Ellis Island Ferry. Built in 1907, acquired by Victoria & Richard Mackenzie-Childs in 2003 and renovated with their creative touch. 150 foot historic vessel listed on National Register of historic places. Currently