Photo: MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES/MARINE ROBOTICS & REMOTE SENSING, DUKE UNIVERSITY
Forty miles south of Washington, D.C., close to Nanjemoy, Maryland is a fleet of ghost ships — the wrecks of hundreds of ships in Mallows Bay, a shallow bay on the Potomac River. It is considered to be the largest shipwreck fleet in the Western Hemisphere. Some of the wrecks date back to the Civil War and some are of recent vintage. Most are wooden cargo ships built for World War I, which sailed directly from shipyards to layup without ever seeing service.
Over the years, the wrecks of these ships have become home to fish, osprey, bats, beavers, waterfowl and a variety of vegetation. Now, if all goes well, the fleet will become part of the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary, the first national marine sanctuary designated since 2000.
“We are thrilled by NOAA’s announcement of the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary designation,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. ”Preserving our history, heritage, and natural resources have always been a priority for our administration and designating this national treasure as a marine sanctuary is yet another example of our stewardship; and will ensure that people from both Maryland and beyond will have the opportunity to experience this amazing site for years to come.”
Many of the Mallows Bay “ghost fleet” are the remains of more than 100 wooden steamships built in response to threats from World War I-era German U-boats that were sinking ships in the Atlantic. Although the ships never saw action during the war, their construction at more than 40 shipyards in 17 states reflected the massive national wartime effort that drove the expansion and economic development of waterfront communities and maritime service industries. The fleet was brought to the Potomac River to be salvaged for scrap metal by a company in Alexandria, Virginia, not far from the sanctuary site.