Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk

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Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk
South Gate Annex
South Gate Annex Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility
Part of Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
Norfolk Naval Shipyard aerial photo in 1995.JPEG
Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk, South Gate Annex
Coordinates 36°48′09″N76°17′41″W / 36.802400°N 76.294702°W / 36.802400; -76.294702 Coordinates: 36°48′09″N76°17′41″W / 36.802400°N 76.294702°W / 36.802400; -76.294702
Type Reserve Fleet
Site information
OwnerFlag of the United States.svg United States
OperatorFlag of the United States Navy (official).svg  United States Navy
Site history
Built1946 (1946)
USS Massachusetts (BB-59) in 1963 at Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk USSMassachusetts(BB-59)Norfolk.jpg
USS Massachusetts (BB-59) in 1963 at Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk
USS Albany (CG-10) laid up at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1983 USS Albany (CG-10) laid up at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 1 November 1983 (6442362).jpg
USS Albany (CG-10) laid up at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1983
1995 map of the South Gate Annex SouthGateAnnex1995map.jpg
1995 map of the South Gate Annex

Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk was a part of the United States Navy reserve fleets, also called a mothball fleet, and was used to store the many surplus ships after World War II. The Atlantic Reserve Fleet was just south of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, called the South Gate Annex in Portsmouth, Virginia, 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Norfolk, Virginia. The reserve fleet was stored in the freshwater of the Elizabeth River, Southern Branch near the Jordan Bridge. The freshwater was good for long-term storage for ships. Some ships in the fleet were reactivated for the Korean War and Vietnam War. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard's Hampton Roads Facilities at Portsmouth includes: the South Gate Annex, Scott Center Annex, St. Helena Annex and St. Julien's Creek Annex. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Reserve ship examples

South Gate Annex Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility

South Gate Annex Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is at the former Atlantic Reserve Fleet site. The South Gate Annex Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility is used as temporary storage of inactivated nuclear-powered ships, with the fuel removed. [17] [18]

See also


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References

  1. South Gate Annex
  2. youtube.com, The Mothball Fleet
  3. youtube.com The USN Mothball Fleet - Storing up for a rainy day
  4. pilotonline.com Archive: Decaying fleet could break apart, unleash disastrous spill, By Scott Harper, Sep 16, 2009
  5. globalsecurity.org St. Helena Annex
  6. Hisotical Marker St. Helena Annex
  7. "St. Julien's Creek Annex (US Navy)". Mid-Atlantic Superfund. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. August 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  8. milbases.com Norfolk Naval Shipyard
  9. "Exhibits". battleshipcove.org. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  10. heraldnews.com, Dedicated group worked tirelessly to get the battleship to Fall River, Staff Writer, The Herald News, 2015
  11. UN Navy USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
  12. |Casa Grande, Naval Historical Center, accessed 29 March 2008
  13. USS Casa Grande (LSD-13), NavSource Online, accessed 29 March 2008
  14. navsource USS Briareus (AR-12)
  15. navsource USS Albemarle (AV-5)
  16. https://www.navsource.org/archives/10/03/03160.htm navsource USS Deuel (APA-160)]
  17. NISMF Portsmouth, Virginia
  18. globalsecurity.org Norfolk Naval Shipyard