Ferry captain Rick Thornton described the events of September 11, 2001, as a "horror show" as he and his crew evacuated thousands of people from Manhattan. Thornton, captaining the Henry Hudson ferry for NY Waterway, was four hours into his shift when he saw smoke billowing from the World Trade Center.
"We knew this was some kind of crazy coordinated attack," Thornton, 60, recalled of the moment he witnessed a massive fireball strike the South Tower just 16 minutes after the initial impact on the North Tower.
Abandoning his scheduled route, Thornton immediately steered his vessel towards Manhattan without seeking prior authorization. "I just immediately told my crew, 'We're going down there. We're gonna start evacuating. Let's go,'" he said.
Initially intending to go to Wall Street, Thornton was redirected to Battery Park after observing numerous people jumping into the Hudson River to escape the unfolding disaster. "People saw a ferry come in and they just started climbing over the railing along the seawall and swarming onto the boat," Thornton recounted. "My crew, they're looking up at me, and I say ‘Just start loading!'"
Overwhelmed by the influx of people, the 399-capacity vessel carried more than 500 passengers, many clinging to life jackets. "When we couldn't fit any more people, I got on the loudspeaker and I told them, 'Don't worry folks, we're coming back. We've got more boats coming,'" Thornton said.
As the Henry Hudson pulled away from the seawall, people continued to climb over the railings and leap across the water to board the ferry, a scene Thornton likened to the rush for lifeboats in the movie "Titanic."
While en route to Hoboken, Thornton and his passengers witnessed the collapse of the South Tower. The shock of the event created a somber silence on board, replacing the earlier cries and screams. "They just were impacted by the same feeling, the same sense that the building is still filled with people. There's all those people still on the ground. All those lives just winked out in the blink of an eye," he said.
The Henry Hudson ferry made approximately 20 trips that day, navigating through thick smog and relying on radar at times to guide the evacuation. Thornton also transported Secret Service agents, learning that the Pentagon had also been attacked and that President George W. Bush was secure.
Evacuations continued until around 7 p.m. Afterward, Thornton was ordered to discard his contaminated uniform. He also carefully removed the American flag that had flown on the ferry deck throughout the rescue operations.
"This was a historic moment. I know how important flags are — those mean a lot. They're a part of history," said Thornton, who was serving in the Navy reserves at the time of the attacks.
For two decades, the ash-covered flag was kept at Thornton's home before he donated it to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum this past summer. It is now displayed alongside other artifacts from the tragedy.
Thornton, who had also been part of the ferry response during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, continues his career as a NY Waterway ferry captain. He remains proud of his and his crew's actions on that day. "It's the highest honor to know that you did something positive that day. Maybe you saved a life, maybe you saved a thousand lives," Thornton said.