South Ferry is at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City and is the embarkation point for ferries to Staten Island and Governors Island. Battery Park, abutting South Ferry on the west, has docking areas for ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Its name is derived from the more southerly route of service of the historical South Ferry Company in comparison to the Fulton Ferry.
View of the slips of the ferry buildings in South Ferry (December 2014)
Front entrance of the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal
Battery Maritime Building, where the Governors Island ferry leaves from
Entrance to the South Ferry/Whitehall Street subway station at Peter Minuit Plaza.
The Staten Island Ferry is a fare-free passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry's single route runs 5.2 miles (8.4 km) through New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferry boats making the trip in about 25 minutes. The ferry operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with boats leaving every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes at other times. Apart from NYC Ferry's St. George route, it is the only direct mass-transit connection between the two boroughs. Historically, the Staten Island Ferry has charged a relatively low fare compared to other modes of transit in the area; and since 1997, the route has been fare-free. The Staten Island Ferry is one of several ferry systems in the New York City area and is operated separately from systems like NYC Ferry and NY Waterway.
Staten Island Ferry
The MV John F. Kennedy
The MV Spirit of America
Hunchback (1864–1865) on the James River in Virginia during the Civil War