Friday, August 27, 2010

What Was the Mothball Fleet?-- Part 1

From the Jan. 20th MyReporter in the Wilmington (NC) Star News.

The "Mothball Fleet" was officially called the National defense Reserve Fleet, but very often simply the "Ghost Fleet."

The one by Wilmington was anchored in rows in the Brunswick River and described as the second largest ship graveyard in the world. The first largest was in the James River in Virginia near Hampton Roads by the Chesapeake Bay.

After Wold War II, the US Maritime Commission established the Reserve Fleet Basin to primarily house Liberty Ships and others after demobilization. The first one at Wilmington was the SS John B. Bryce which arrived August 12, 1946. Eventually 426 more ships joined it, the most ever at one time.

Ships moved in and out. In all, there were 628, many built by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company.

There were also 68 Victory Ships and 41 others, including tankers.

Five were always kept completely ready to go at a moment's notice.

More to Come. --Cooter

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