She was named for marine fireman John J. Harvey, killed when a ship exploded during a fire.

Among the marine fires at which she assisted were the Cunard Line pier fire in 1932, the burning of Normandie in 1942, the ammunition ship El Estero in 1943,[4] and the collision of the oil tankers Alva Cape and Texaco Massachusetts in 1966.

John J. Harvey was sold at auction in 1999 to a private consortium of marine preservationists determined to prevent her from being scrapped.

[6] Shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the boat's owners asked FDNY officials for permission to assist in maritime evacuations from Ground Zero.

Responding that they did, she was told to drop off her passengers as soon as possible and return to the disaster site, reactivating her official designation Marine 2.