No Result
View All Result
Defensionem - The WarBible
  • Login
  • Register
  • Books
  • Short Posts
  • VIP
  • Aviation
  • Land
  • History
  • Syrian Conflict Watch
  • Sea
  • Countries
    • China
    • India
    • Middle East
    • Russia
    • South America
    • Syrian Conflict
    • United States of America (USA)
    • United Kingdom (UK)
  • About Us
PRICING
SUBSCRIBE
  • Books
  • Short Posts
  • VIP
  • Aviation
  • Land
  • History
  • Syrian Conflict Watch
  • Sea
  • Countries
    • China
    • India
    • Middle East
    • Russia
    • South America
    • Syrian Conflict
    • United States of America (USA)
    • United Kingdom (UK)
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Defensionem
Login
Home History

The ghost fleet of Mallows Bay

by Renaud Mayers
2 years ago
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
0
The ghost fleet of Mallows Bay

The ghost fleet of Mallows Bay

The ghost fleet of Mallows Bay. In 1917, at the time when the US entered the First World War, the United States had some warships, but a serious shortage of transport ships… An ambitious ship building program was therefore launched to remedy the problem and enable the US to resupply its own troops and its allies in Europe.

RELATED POSTS

Post-war Germany: A tale of two armies

U-Boats in Foreign Service

Lauri Torni: The dude who really hated communists

1000 ships were to be built… The problem was that the steel ship building industry in America was at that time too small to fulfill the contract and there was no way to meaningfully boost its output. It was therefore decided to build old school wooden steam ships instead! The problem there, was that due to the slow rise of the steel ship building industry, the wooden ship building industry had been in decline for over a decade! There was a lack of expertise, a lack of qualified manpower and a lack of… seasoned timber!

Nevertheless, the project went ahead and the contract was shared between 87 shipyards. 8 ship models were proposed and each shipyard picked the one model that they felt was capable of building. The end result was escalating prices as badly built ships needed modifications and remedial actions.

Leaks and vibrations were often present as well as a lack of stability and ballast which was often cured with the addition of concrete blocks! Each ship ended up costing about $1 million, which at the time, was enormous… Delays also plagued the whole affair. The US government only pulled the plug on that project in 1919! A whole year after the end of WWI!

By then, only 254 ships had been built and none of them had ever crossed the Atlantic as first intended. The US Navy was now the proud-ish owner of an outdated but brand new fleet of 200 steam-powered wooden cargo ships! And they were costing an arm and a leg in maintenance while being of no use to anybody.

In the end, it was decided to get rid of the ships… They were sailed to Mallows bay, tied together (sometimes up to 30 ships at once) and set on fire! Once the ships were burnt to the waterline, the hulls were filled with concrete blocks to stop them from drifting away.

The ghost fleet of Mallows Bay
The ghost fleet of Mallows Bay

One century on, the ghost fleet of Mallows Bay is still visible, although nature has taken over it.

Buy JNews
ADVERTISEMENT
Tags: Mallows BayWWI
ShareTweetSend

Renaud Mayers

Currently working on behalf of the Belgian Ministry of Defence, thanks to my knowledge in WWII and other areas. Working in two WWII era fortresses still belonging to the Army.

Related Posts

Post-war Germany: A tale of two armies
History

Post-war Germany: A tale of two armies

April 17, 2021
73
U-Boats in Foreign Service
Sea

U-Boats in Foreign Service

April 8, 2021
46
Lauri Torni: The dude who really hated communists
History

Lauri Torni: The dude who really hated communists

April 1, 2021
120
Don't mind me, just husslin'... Stealing the Bespokoynyy's propellers
Sea

Don’t mind me, just husslin’… Stealing the Bespokoynyy’s propellers

March 21, 2021
72
War Game: When generals play "Risk"
Featured

War Game: When generals play “Risk”

January 27, 2021
38
Yang Kyoungjong: When life gives you lemons!
History

Yang Kyoungjong: When life gives you lemons!

January 19, 2021
24
Next Post
Pershing 1945: First Blood in Europe

Pershing 1945: First Blood in Europe

T-72B: Soviet Special Armour Package

T-72B: Soviet Special Armour Package

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Books
  • Aviation
  • Land
  • Countries
  • Short Posts
  • Syrian Conflict Watch
  • Libyan Conflict Watch
  • Subscription Plans
  • Our Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Write For Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Search

No Result
View All Result

Tags

Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Belgium Chechnya China Crimea CSTO Donbass Donetsk egypt EuroMaidan Foxhound Germany India Israel Kh-22 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal Kosovo Luhansk MiG-31 Moscow Nagorno-Karabakh NATO Operation Allied Force Operation Noble Anvil Pantsir S1 Russia Russian navy S-300 S-400 Soviet Union Syria T-72B T-90M Tu-95 Turkey Ukraine USA VKS Vladimir Putin WWI WWII Yugoslavia

© 2020 Defensionem - The WarBible - a reliable source of information about conflicts & weapon systems from the world over.

No Result
View All Result
  • Books
  • Short Posts
  • VIP
  • Aviation
  • Land
  • History
  • Syrian Conflict Watch
  • Sea
  • Countries
    • China
    • India
    • Middle East
    • Russia
    • South America
    • Syrian Conflict
    • United States of America (USA)
    • United Kingdom (UK)
  • About Us

© 2020 Defensionem - The WarBible - a reliable source of information about conflicts & weapon systems from the world over.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Log In ×
Forgot your Password?
Login With OTP
Resend OTP(00:30)
Don't have an account?
Signup
Resend OTP(00:30)
Back to login

Resend OTP (00:30)
Back to login
  • (+93) Afghanistan
  • (+355) Albania
  • (+213) Algeria
  • (+1) American Samoa
  • (+376) Andorra
  • (+244) Angola
  • (+1) Anguilla
  • (+1) Antigua
  • (+54) Argentina
  • (+374) Armenia
  • (+297) Aruba
  • (+61) Australia
  • (+43) Austria
  • (+994) Azerbaijan
  • (+973) Bahrain
  • (+880) Bangladesh
  • (+1) Barbados
  • (+375) Belarus
  • (+32) Belgium
  • (+501) Belize
  • (+229) Benin
  • (+1) Bermuda
  • (+975) Bhutan
  • (+591) Bolivia
  • (+599) Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
  • (+387) Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • (+267) Botswana
  • (+55) Brazil
  • (+246) British Indian Ocean Territory
  • (+1) British Virgin Islands
  • (+673) Brunei
  • (+359) Bulgaria
  • (+226) Burkina Faso
  • (+257) Burundi
  • (+855) Cambodia
  • (+237) Cameroon
  • (+1) Canada
  • (+238) Cape Verde
  • (+1) Cayman Islands
  • (+236) Central African Republic
  • (+235) Chad
  • (+56) Chile
  • (+86) China
  • (+57) Colombia
  • (+269) Comoros
  • (+682) Cook Islands
  • (+225) Côte d'Ivoire
  • (+506) Costa Rica
  • (+385) Croatia
  • (+53) Cuba
  • (+599) Curaçao
  • (+357) Cyprus
  • (+420) Czech Republic
  • (+243) Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • (+45) Denmark
  • (+253) Djibouti
  • (+1) Dominica
  • (+1) Dominican Republic
  • (+593) Ecuador
  • (+20) Egypt
  • (+503) El Salvador
  • (+240) Equatorial Guinea
  • (+291) Eritrea
  • (+372) Estonia
  • (+251) Ethiopia
  • (+500) Falkland Islands
  • (+298) Faroe Islands
  • (+691) Federated States of Micronesia
  • (+679) Fiji
  • (+358) Finland
  • (+33) France
  • (+594) French Guiana
  • (+689) French Polynesia
  • (+241) Gabon
  • (+995) Georgia
  • (+49) Germany
  • (+233) Ghana
  • (+350) Gibraltar
  • (+30) Greece
  • (+299) Greenland
  • (+1) Grenada
  • (+590) Guadeloupe
  • (+1) Guam
  • (+502) Guatemala
  • (+44) Guernsey
  • (+224) Guinea
  • (+245) Guinea-Bissau
  • (+592) Guyana
  • (+509) Haiti
  • (+504) Honduras
  • (+852) Hong Kong
  • (+36) Hungary
  • (+354) Iceland
  • (+91) India
  • (+62) Indonesia
  • (+98) Iran
  • (+964) Iraq
  • (+353) Ireland
  • (+44) Isle Of Man
  • (+972) Israel
  • (+39) Italy
  • (+1) Jamaica
  • (+81) Japan
  • (+44) Jersey
  • (+962) Jordan
  • (+7) Kazakhstan
  • (+254) Kenya
  • (+686) Kiribati
  • (+965) Kuwait
  • (+996) Kyrgyzstan
  • (+856) Laos
  • (+371) Latvia
  • (+961) Lebanon
  • (+266) Lesotho
  • (+231) Liberia
  • (+218) Libya
  • (+423) Liechtenstein
  • (+370) Lithuania
  • (+352) Luxembourg
  • (+853) Macau
  • (+389) Macedonia
  • (+261) Madagascar
  • (+265) Malawi
  • (+60) Malaysia
  • (+960) Maldives
  • (+223) Mali
  • (+356) Malta
  • (+692) Marshall Islands
  • (+596) Martinique
  • (+222) Mauritania
  • (+230) Mauritius
  • (+262) Mayotte
  • (+52) Mexico
  • (+373) Moldova
  • (+377) Monaco
  • (+976) Mongolia
  • (+382) Montenegro
  • (+1) Montserrat
  • (+212) Morocco
  • (+258) Mozambique
  • (+95) Myanmar
  • (+264) Namibia
  • (+674) Nauru
  • (+977) Nepal
  • (+31) Netherlands
  • (+687) New Caledonia
  • (+64) New Zealand
  • (+505) Nicaragua
  • (+227) Niger
  • (+234) Nigeria
  • (+683) Niue
  • (+672) Norfolk Island
  • (+850) North Korea
  • (+1) Northern Mariana Islands
  • (+47) Norway
  • (+968) Oman
  • (+92) Pakistan
  • (+680) Palau
  • (+970) Palestine
  • (+507) Panama
  • (+675) Papua New Guinea
  • (+595) Paraguay
  • (+51) Peru
  • (+63) Philippines
  • (+48) Poland
  • (+351) Portugal
  • (+1) Puerto Rico
  • (+974) Qatar
  • (+242) Republic of the Congo
  • (+40) Romania
  • (+262) Runion
  • (+7) Russia
  • (+250) Rwanda
  • (+290) Saint Helena
  • (+1) Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • (+508) Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • (+1) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • (+685) Samoa
  • (+378) San Marino
  • (+239) Sao Tome and Principe
  • (+966) Saudi Arabia
  • (+221) Senegal
  • (+381) Serbia
  • (+248) Seychelles
  • (+232) Sierra Leone
  • (+65) Singapore
  • (+1) Sint Maarten
  • (+421) Slovakia
  • (+386) Slovenia
  • (+677) Solomon Islands
  • (+252) Somalia
  • (+27) South Africa
  • (+82) South Korea
  • (+211) South Sudan
  • (+34) Spain
  • (+94) Sri Lanka
  • (+1) St. Lucia
  • (+249) Sudan
  • (+597) Suriname
  • (+268) Swaziland
  • (+46) Sweden
  • (+41) Switzerland
  • (+963) Syria
  • (+886) Taiwan
  • (+992) Tajikistan
  • (+255) Tanzania
  • (+66) Thailand
  • (+1) The Bahamas
  • (+220) The Gambia
  • (+670) Timor-Leste
  • (+228) Togo
  • (+690) Tokelau
  • (+676) Tonga
  • (+1) Trinidad and Tobago
  • (+216) Tunisia
  • (+90) Turkey
  • (+993) Turkmenistan
  • (+1) Turks and Caicos Islands
  • (+688) Tuvalu
  • (+1) U.S. Virgin Islands
  • (+256) Uganda
  • (+380) Ukraine
  • (+971) United Arab Emirates
  • (+44) United Kingdom
  • (+1) United States
  • (+598) Uruguay
  • (+998) Uzbekistan
  • (+678) Vanuatu
  • (+58) Venezuela
  • (+84) Vietnam
  • (+681) Wallis and Futuna
  • (+212) Western Sahara
  • (+967) Yemen
  • (+260) Zambia
  • (+263) Zimbabwe
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?