Mallows Bay, Potomac River, Charles Co.
Trip to Mallows Bay Ghost Fleet
New Pictures added August 2005
After paddling our wobbly kayak along the Potomac for over an hour, we finally saw an old rusted hull looming in the distance. This old ferry, the "Accomac," was the first evidence that we made it to the ghost fleet of Mallows Bay.
Paddling up to the ferry, we heard warning cries from an Osprey tending to its nest on the ships' bow. After rounding the rusted bow and an angry Osprey, the ghost ships suddenly appeared.
Built to carry cargo across the Atlantic to support the war effort in Europe, the ships arrived too little too late. By wars end, only 134 out of the 731 contracted ships had been finished. Shortly after, a total of 264 were finished. Out of those, only 195 had actually crossed the Atlantic.
Once W.W.I. was over, no one wanted the leaky, obsolete ships. Eventually, after much fiasco leading into the 1960's, the remaining ships (over 150), partially salvaged, were left to rot in the bay.
Looking nothing like they did in 1918, the fleet of wooden steamships are now empty, rotting hulls poking haphazardly out of the water; a navigational nightmare even for our small kayak.
The remaining ships that dot the bay are now wooden islands, full of vegetation.
These wooden islands act as a wildlife sanctuary for many animals, including Heron, Osprey, and Bald Eagles that patrol the waters.
After stopping at a gravel bar that was created by the remains of the vessel "Grayling," for a stretch, we decided to look for some of the older wrecks, such as a revolutionary war era scooner and an 18th century longboat, then head for home.
Hull identification is based on Shomette (1996).
Click here to read a more complete story of the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay
Additional Images:
This picture shows how difficult it is to navigate through the Ghost Fleet. Almost everywhere one looks, debris is just inches below the water.
Debris are poking out of the water. Many of them are large rusty spikes.
The ship in the middle is perched atop another ship below the surface.
This gives one an idea of the size of the WWI transport ships . Our kayak, parked inside this ship, is 16 feet long.
Looking down the bow of a ghost ship.
Here, we ventured inside the ferry Accomac. I think we are kayaking over where the cars would park.
