About time I got around to finishing this. Part 1 was on August 27th.
Five of the ships at Wilmington's Mothball Fleet had to be ready to sail at a moment's notice. The others were mothballed by being coated with red oxide paint, oil and varnish to prevent rust and decay.
The US Maritime took over control of the ships in 1950 from the Maritime Commission and employed 296 workers with a $600,000 a year payroll to take care of the ships. Many were armed guards to prevent the theft of valuable copper and brass fittings.
The ships were lashed and anchored together in groups of five with every fifth one then moored next to pilings.
Two of the Mothball ships broke loose during Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and drifted into the Cape Fear River channel.
December 8, 1958, the SS Edgecomb, a Victory ship, became the last vessel to be tied up in the fleet. Beginning that year, older and less-fit ships began to be sold off for scrap and others were moved to the James River fleet in Virginia.
By 1964, only 152 were left and four years later the number was down to 15.
The last ship, the SS Dwight W. Morrow was towed away on Feb. 27, 1970.
The Final Wind-Down of World War II. --DaCoot
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