Greying ships

摘要

For years, the ships that make up the US Reserve Fleet, some dating back to World War II, have been lashed together in backwaters for emergency purposes. However, most are now considered technically obsolete and are beginning to pose a threat to the environment. They are owned by the American government and maintained by the US Maritime Administration (MarAd). Many are auxiliary military ships. Others are merchant vessels. The bulk of the collection is part of the US National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF), created shortly after World War II to provide emergency shipping capacity. At one time, this fleet numbered 2,277 units and was anchored in long rows at various sites around the US. Just after the war these sites included Stoney Point, New York; Fort Eustis (James River), Virginia; Wilmington, North Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; Beaumont (Neches River), Texas; Benicia (Suisun Bay), California; Astoria, Oregon and Olympia, Washington. Over the past five decades the fleet has been reduced to around 250 units and consolidated at James River, Beaumont and Suisun Bay sites. Some of the vessels are being stored by MarAd for other US government agencies on a cost-reimbursable basis.