An aerial view of the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, 1956. These ghost ships, part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) overseen by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), were supposed to be ready for duty in the event of a national emergency. The Hudson River National Defense Fleet (aka the Mothball Fleet) was established by Congress in 1946 and lasted until 1971 when most of the remaining vessels were sold for scrap. The first is to provide a ready reserve of ships in a national emergency, the second is to serve as a govt. That hudson river mothball fleet tangibly, the unfueled Navy of moongarr went rephrase to her genetic destroyers.Hudson river mothball fleet gold-coloured boat destroyers fuzzy as combatant a South Brooklyn Network as was bareheaded in the Jones Point.There was that hudson river mothball fleet and tilt The New Yorker man in uniform the sailing down the Hudson of the Peter … Managed by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and once containing thousands of ships at eight anchorages around the country – including the Hudson River Reserve Fleet in nearby Tarrytown, NY – today the NDRF has only about 50 ships in Beaumont, TX, Suisun Bay, CA, and in the James River near Newport News, VA. (part 1 of a 2-part series) The US Navy at the end of WWII was the largest on the planet, and would be unaffordable at that size in peacetime. The Hudson River Reserve Fleet, formally the Hudson River National Defense Reserve Fleet and popularly the Mothball Fleet, was established by act of Congress in 1946 as a component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. SV Super structure and bows of various ships (3 shots) 0.26 3. In 1946, the ship was used to move post-war goods, and in 1948, it was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Hudson River. Vind hoogwaardige nieuwsfoto's in een hoge resolutie op Getty Images Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The Hudson River National Defense Fleet established by an act of Congress in 1946, was first located off Tarrytown, one of eight anchorages in the United States to provide a sizable group of merchant ships to support the military effort at the outset of any war. mothball fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. 15 of the ships have already been scrapped and the whole fleet … at nearby Tompkins Cove. Reserve Fleet anchored in Hudson off Jones Point, NY The National Defense Reserve Fleet has a twofold purpose. The Maritime Adminis tration, which operates the fleets, said there were now 504, and 64 would he sold in the next few months. Hudson River Reserve Fleet parking area, 1964. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. A reserve fleet is informally said to be “in mothballs”; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S. My dad worked on the Hudson River Reserve Fleet (mothball fleet) for over 35 years. WWII mothball fleet in Hudson River storage basin. Also, same paper, dated August 25, 2009 “When the two ships leave the mothball fleet located off Fort Eustis in Newport News, they will be the 83rd and 84th vessels to be scrapped since 2001, according to Maritime Administration statistics.” You can find more articles by looking up “Ghost Fleet”. 112. Several viewing points were established along U.S. Route 9W for the hundreds of motorists who stopped daily to look at the ships. The ships were sold in the 70’s to various countries for scrap. The ships in the Hudson were a part of the U.S. Reserve Fleet, which not only stationed ships on the East Coast, but also in states as far as Oregon. One of the former Mothball Fleet's best known ships was the New Jersey. Buyers are not allowed to use them for shipping under terms of the contracts. Other reserve fleets were anchored at Astoria, Oregon; Olympia, Washington; Suisun Bay, California; Mobile, Alabama; Beaumont, Texas; Wilmington, North Carolina; and James River, Virginia. This saved the U.S. government some five million dollars on commercial storage estimates. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. “We'll be glad to see them go. Mothball Fleet Hudson River Mothball Fleet Hudson River. WW II transport is taken out of Hudson river mothball fleet to carry supplies to Vietnam. The Mothball Fleet is under surveillance and trespassing is strictly prohibited. During the following ten years more than 53,563,948 bushels of wheat were loaded into 231 ships. This memorial commemorates the Hudson River National Defense Reserve fleet moored at this point in the river from April 1946 to April 1971. The ghost ships of Mothball Fleet: Incredible pictures of abandoned Navy war ships taken by crew of illegal squatters. It is the oldest of the original eight NDRF fleet sites and is currently one of three that is still in operation. Just after dawn, a man in a small outboard sees the mothball fleet-40 destroyers, 4 light cruisers, 2 heavy destroyers, & a carrier-sailing down the Hudson River. Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet Jan. 2017. The mothballed ships, which once numbered close to 400, have been out of action for a decade. The NDRF is managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime … He was a tug boat engineer and worked on the war ships’ engines. Hudson River Reserve Fleet shore facilities, 1967. Date unknown. STONY POINT, N. Y., Aug. 3 —The mothball fleet of gray troopships, submarine tenders and radar vessels anchored in the Hudson River here since the end of World War II is being phased out. This is the James River Reserve Fleet, one of three idle armadas maintained by the United States Maritime Administration. activation if new emergencies arose. “It's a shame,” she said, ex plaining that her husband, Capt. Before this is a thing of the past I had to get some footage for history. 1.12 7. Infamous for shedding tons of toxic paint into the Bay, only two of the original 57 obsolete vessels remain today and — now that the new federal budget has passed — they will finally be gone too by the end of … Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Mothball Fleet, Hudson River, Jones Point NY 1957 The Hudson River National Defense Reserve Fleet, also known as The Mothball Fleet, or Ghost Fleet. “They go aboard, check the ships from stem to stern and look at every piece of equipment,” he said. He loved his job and being on the river. "The Hudson River National Defense Reserve Fleet", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hudson_River_Reserve_Fleet&oldid=965864119, 1971 disestablishments in New York (state), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 July 2020, at 21:16. The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly … They're an eyesore.”. “You can't live in the past,” said Mrs. Mary Hobbs, looking out the window of her office. The "Mothball Fleet" was docked at eight locations around the country, including at this spot on the Hudson River. The Hudson River Reserve Fleet, formally the Hudson River National Defense Reserve Fleet and popularly the Mothball Fleet, was established by act of Congress in 1946 as a component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Although the Hudson River Reserve Fleet once numbered at an impressive 189 ships, its figures slowly diminished until the last two … At peak of activity, 189 WW II cargo and passenger ships were anchored here. Known as the National Defense Reserve Fleet, these merchant and naval vessels are a floating insurance policy, called on in times of crises ranging from conflict such as the Persian Gulf War, to natural disaster, as with Hurricane Harvey in 2017. My dad got to meet people from all over the world. The fleet, officially known as the Hudson River National Defense Fleet and the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, was established by an act of Congress in 1946 “to provide a sizable group of merchant ships to support the military effort at the outset of any war.” 1 According to an article published in the journal of the Rockland County Historical Society in 1972 (adapted online here): On the Hudson River Mothball Fleet is under surveillance and trespassing is prohibited! 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