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View Full Version : Suisun Bay Mothball Fleet - American Ghost Ships


The Littlest Jellyfish
June 8th, 2011, 19:37
Here's an interesting link with some good photos of dead American ships:

scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/ (http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/)

For decades, dozens of forgotten Navy and merchant ships have been corroding in Suisun Bay, 30 miles northeast of San Francisco. These historic vessels—the Mothball Fleet—served their country in four wars: WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. After a decade of impasse, the ghost fleet is slowly dwindling as the ships are towed out one-by-one for scrapping. About 15 retired ships are already gone; by 2017, the entire fleet will be just a memory.

...

Over a two-year period, several close friends and I gained unprecedented access to the decaying ships, spending several days at a time photographing, documenting, and even sleeping aboard them—often in the luxury of the captain’s quarters. Sneaking on-board required months of planning and coordination, and it involved taking significant risks. Of course, things did not always go as planned, but despite several close calls, we were successful in all of our attempts to infiltrate the ships while evading round-the-clock security patrols.

Happyshopper
June 8th, 2011, 19:56
awesome, thanks for sharing that :D

ASOM
June 8th, 2011, 20:09
He's really got some great locations among his work.

Speed
June 9th, 2011, 10:22
You know that jealousy feeling?? yep!

woofem
June 9th, 2011, 10:23
top work finding that, sounds like it was a blast

ASOM
June 9th, 2011, 11:39
You know that jealousy feeling?? yep!

Yeah, its usually admiration or appreciation but there's a little fidgety teaspoonful of jealousy mixed in here, haha.;)

The Littlest Jellyfish
June 9th, 2011, 14:02
I don't know whether anyone noticed the photos of the Sea Shadow in there - it seems the Navy have been trying to give the thing away for years, and no-one wants it. They're literally giving it away! I mean, WTF?

2wid
June 9th, 2011, 14:05
yummy, thanks for posting Jellyfish :)

thehunter01
June 9th, 2011, 14:15
I don't know whether anyone noticed the photos of the Sea Shadow in there - it seems the Navy have been trying to give the thing away for years, and no-one wants it. They're literally giving it away! I mean, WTF?

Must have been after James Bond destroyed one they couldn't get insurance! ;)

Phantom Bish
June 9th, 2011, 17:39
Great link! love that first pic.

Ordnance
June 9th, 2011, 18:02
USS Iowa as illustrated in report was reactivated in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan, and operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets to counter the [then] recently expanded Soviet Navy. In April 1989, an explosion of undetermined origin wrecked her #2 gun turret, killing 47 sailors.

Iowa was decommissioned for the last time in 1990 long after WWII and is awaiting movement as a floating museum.

Raddog
June 9th, 2011, 18:26
US Navy, I hereby claim the Sea Shadow, I'll be on a plane next week to collect it, please have the keys and documents ready.

Epic stealth boat win.

pauln
June 10th, 2011, 21:32
Fascinating. Thanks Jellyfish.

bam
August 8th, 2011, 14:20
super link a real pleasure reading it i love anything to do with ships

Brick_Man
August 10th, 2011, 13:13
SOAB

Thats just soaked up half the day for me, looked at their adventures, then back onto ships bound for alang, then looking at what random ship related tat I could buy, then back to researching ships.
probably time i bought a decent inflatable.

major_tom
August 15th, 2011, 02:30
here's another version of the Suisun Bay takedown, courtesy of tunnelbug: clicky (http://www.terrastories.com/bearings/abandoned-ships)

tunnelbug and scott are about as hard as they come...we took tbug into one of our Titan I silos (http://antennastoheaven.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/megatons/) a few years back...later on the two of them nailed the original Titan I test site...which just happens to be deep inside Vandenberg Air Force Base...which is patrolled by Special Forces operators with NVGs and shoot-on-sight orders.

cool guys, hard as fuck.

major_tom
August 15th, 2011, 02:35
US Navy, I hereby claim the Sea Shadow, I'll be on a plane next week to collect it, please have the keys and documents ready.

Epic stealth boat win.

also, i hate to be the bearer of bad news but...you may be too late :( (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/18/navys-first-stealth-ship-to-be-scrapped/)