Ghost fleet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Ghost Fleet, in unofficial U.S. naval parlance, is a collection of decommissioned warships and support vessels. Such ships are generally held in reserve against a time when it may be necessary to call them back into service. In recent decades, the Navy has begun to scrap dozens of the vessels, many of which date to World War II. Exporting the vessels for shipbreaking, or dismantling, has caused international protests.[1]
Ghost fleets in the United States include:
Contents |
[edit] James River
The James River Reserve Fleet consists of about 60 decommissioned U.S. Navy warships anchored in Virginia's James River near Newport News. The ships are gradually being towed away for scrapping. From 2001 to March 2005, 31 were disposed of. [2]
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
[edit] Suisun Bay
A similar fleet, the National Defense Reserve Fleet, is anchored in Suisun Bay near Vallejo, California, and has similarly been reduced. This location is known for hosting the Glomar Explorer after its recovery of portions of a Soviet submarine during the Cold War before its subsequent reactivation as a minerals exploration ship. Also present is the USS Iowa.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
[edit] Neches River
A third fleet of WWII era ships is anchored in the Neches River near Beaumont, Texas.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
[edit] Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard holds several dozen inactive warships.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
[edit] Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
The Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, located next to Bremerton, Washington hosts three aircraft carriers among its other ships: Ranger (CV-61), Independence (CV-62), and Constellation (CV-64).[3]
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
[edit] What is the NDRF?
The National Defense Reserve Fleet, under the custody of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, is an inactive reserve source of merchant ships that could be activated within 20 - 120 days for a military or non-military emergency, such as commercial shipping crises. NDRF ships are located at the James River; Beaumont, Texas; (Gulf Coast), and Suisun Bay sites.
Inactive naval ships of merchant design, including amphibious ships but not ships maintained in a mobilization status by MARAD for Military Sealift Command (MSC), may be laid up in the NDRF when overcrowded berthing conditions exist at a Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility. Battleships, cruisers, and aircraft carriers which have been stricken or those awaiting final disposition may be transferred to MARAD locations for berthing.
Initially, these ships will be transferred to MARAD for caretaking in accordance with the Economy Act of 1932. Navy ships in MARAD custody will be berthed, maintained, and preserved under dehumidifcation and be provided with security by MARAD with funding provided by the Navy. The application of protective coatings to exposed metal and other specialized tasks is popularly referred to as "mothballing".
Ships transferred to the NDRF may be retained in Navy Mobilization Plans and maintained by MARAD under priorities set by the Department of the Navy. No naval ships (non-combatant) in the NDRF are disposed of by MARAD without having first been stricken from the Naval Vessel Register by the Secretary of the Navy and the title transferred to MARAD. It is Navy Policy that when ships in the NDRF become excess to Navy needs, MARAD will, whenever possible, be given first disposition rights on the ship. This allows MARAD to either convert the ship to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), if it is of merchant design, or to sell the ship for scrapping in connection with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, Sect. 510 (i). The latter method will allow MARAD to purchase more usable ships for the RRF or NDRF and supports the Navy's commitment to Strategic Sealift.[4]
