![Atop Empire State- in construction; Chrysler Bldg & [Daily] News in middle foreground. (1931)](http://cdn1.retronaut.co/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Atop-Empire-State-in-construction-Chrysler-Bldg-Daily-News-in-middle-foreground.-1931--199x123.jpg "Balancing on the Empire State, 1920s")
‘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’
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Thank you to Scott Haefner and Jonathan Haeber
I’d love to have a look around there, I can think of about a zillion horror story ideas just looking at the pictures!
More mothball fleet photos at http://aheiden13.squarespace.com/gallery/mothball-fleet/
Imagine the use those ships could provide. A few floating hotels…I would love to take a stroll around a few of them.
Less of the horror that is HDR please
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I used to drive past these often when I drove from my home in San Jose to relatives in Sacramento. I’m glad to finally see what the inside of these look like, and sad to learn that they will soon be gone…
I’m so glad somebody else mentioned the fake HDR toning and not me. TBH it is over-used but has its place especially when the photos is already outstanding. Give the tog credit, some of these are composed really well.
But, nice pics and I’d LOVE to bring my own cameras to somewhere like this!
A bunch of these look just like Aperture Science.
Those swivel chairs say “Pioneer Chicken” to me! I’ve only seen them at Pioneer, and occasionally the restaurants that took over the old Pioneer buildings. This is the first time I’ve ever seen them anywhere else.
Beautiful photos. I’d love to have a few of those retro chairs and table lamps.
All that wonderful mid-century furniture going to absolute waste.
I bet that furniture well be a real pain to maneuver out of that ship, but regardless i would go through the extra effort to have some of those beauties if the rooms havent already been stripped dry and the ships are still there.
Some of those rooms have great furniture in them! Please don’t let it go to waste.
I have lived in the bay area most of my 38 years and only about 4 or 5 miles from the “Mothball Fleet” and it will be a sad day when they are all gone. those who fish in the area will tell you the best fishing anywhere in the area is close to the ships. The more adventurous will tell you the best fishing is between the ships.
The “Glomar Explorer” was anchored in Suisun Bay for several years after it raised the Soviet submarine up from the bottom.
The complaint about ships previously anchored is the lead from the paint used long long ago chipping off and polluting the sediment on the bottom of the river. Many of the older ships had steam piping that was sheathed in asbestos insulation. What was once normal has become abnormal. Who knew.
Looks like scenes from the vaults in Fallout3. I would love to scavenge around in there before they sink them.
I too drove past the mothball fleet frequently in the 1980′s and was so curious about them; thought each ship had a story to tell and no one to tell it before they rotted away. Thanks you for sharing.