United States Navy reserve fleets

Last updated

Mothballed ships in Suisun Bay, California (2010). The battleship USS Iowa at the right-side end of the group has since become a restored museum ship in San Pedro, Los Angeles. Mothball fleet Suisun Bay aerial.jpg
Mothballed ships in Suisun Bay, California (2010). The battleship USS Iowa at the right-side end of the group has since become a restored museum ship in San Pedro, Los Angeles.

The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and sufficiently working as to be reactivated quickly in an emergency.

Contents

In some cases (for instance, at the outset of the Korean War), many ships were successfully reactivated at a considerable savings in time and money. The usual fate of ships in the reserve fleet, though, is to become too old and obsolete to be of any use, at which point they are sold for scrapping or are scuttled in weapons tests.

In rare cases, the general public may intercede for ships from the reserve fleet that are about to be scrapped – usually asking for the Navy to donate them for use as museum ships, memorials, or artificial reefs.

Administration

View of the reserve fleet laid up at Naval Station San Diego, circa in the 1950s View of the reserve fleet laid up at Naval Station San Diego, circa in the 1950s (NH 80755).jpg
View of the reserve fleet laid up at Naval Station San Diego, circa in the 1950s
Ships in the US Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay in 1972 USS Cebu (ARG-6) laid up at Suisun Bay, California (USA), 27 July 1972 (NH 83859).jpg
Ships in the US Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay in 1972
Aerial view of the US Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay in 1995 Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet aerial photo 1995.JPEG
Aerial view of the US Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay in 1995
Some US reserve fleet ships at Suisun Bay in 2014 Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet (12163008334).jpg
Some US reserve fleet ships at Suisun Bay in 2014

In November 1976, the controlling organization was the Inactive Ship Division of the Naval Ship Systems Command. [1] As of 2011, the controlling organization actually appears to be the Inactive Ships Management Office of the Program Executive Officer - Ships, Naval Sea Systems Command, Portsmouth, Virginia. [2]

Merchant ships held in reserve are managed as part of the separate National Defense Reserve Fleet within MARAD (US Maritime Administration). Several of its sites, such as at Suisun Bay in California, are also used to store regular Navy ships.

Maintenance categories

Ships placed in the reserve fleets are categorized depending on priority, funding and the planned disposition. [3]

Category B Ships in this category are prioritized over the other categories when it comes to maintenance and funding. They are retained for possible future mobilization and will receive updates and upgrades as funding permits.

Category C These are ships that will be maintained as-is; meaning no updates or improvements unless funding becomes available after that assigned for category B ships has been exhausted.

Category D Temporary state pending planned usage by the Navy, will be maintained as-is.

Category X Ships stricken from the Naval Vessel Register awaiting disposal. Receives no maintenance except ships on donation hold, which undergo dehumidification and cathodic protection.

Category Z This category is for nuclear-powered ships and related support ships pending disposal.

History

Around 1912, the Atlantic Reserve Fleet and the Pacific Reserve Fleet were established as reserve units with still operating ships, but on a greatly reduced schedule.

After the Second World War, with hundreds of ships no longer needed by a peacetime navy, each fleet consisted of a number of groups corresponding to storage sites, each adjacent to a shipyard for easier reactivation. For example, USS Brock (APD-93) was underway for Green Cove Springs, Florida, on 11 April 1945. Brock arrived there on 13 April 1945, and joined the Florida Group, 16th Fleet, which later became the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

Many of the deactivated World War II merchant vessels were of a class called Liberty ships which were mass-produced ocean-going transports used primarily in the convoys going to/from the U.S., Europe, and Russia. Liberty ships were also used as the navy's support vessels for its fleet of warships and to ferry forces across the Pacific and Atlantic.

Most Liberty ships when deactivated were put into "mothball fleets" strategically located around the coasts of the U.S., or sold into commercial service. They began to be deactivated and scrapped in the early 1970s.

Atlantic Reserve Fleet

Vice Admirals Herbert F. Leary and Thomas C. Kinkaid served as Commanders, Sixteenth Fleet, after World War II. Sixteenth Fleet later became the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

The groups of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet were at Boston, Charleston, Green Cove Springs, Florida, New London, MOTBY/New York Harbor, Norfolk, Philadelphia, and Texas.

Pacific Reserve Fleet

The Nineteenth Fleet became the Pacific Reserve Fleet.

The groups of the Pacific Reserve Fleet were at Alameda, Bremerton, Columbia River, Long Beach, Mare Island, San Diego, San Francisco, Stockton, Tacoma, and Olympia, Washington (Budd Inlet).

List of current USN reserve fleets

James River Reserve Fleet

MV Freedom Star returns to port with an SRB after STS-131. Freedom Star with SRB.JPG
MV Freedom Star returns to port with an SRB after STS-131.

The James River Reserve Fleet consists of a small number of decommissioned U.S. Navy auxiliaries and warships anchored in Virginia's James River near Newport News. The fleet originally comprised approximately 60 ships, most of which were gradually towed away for scrapping. From 2012 to 2016, among its few remaining vessels was MV Freedom Star, previously a NASA recovery ship for the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters, which was then loaned out to the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Maryland, as a training vessel.

Suisun Bay

USS Iowa (BB-61) laid up in Suisun Bay (Iowa has since moved to the Port of Los Angeles as a museum ship). Suisun fleet BB61.jpg
USS Iowa (BB-61) laid up in Suisun Bay (Iowa has since moved to the Port of Los Angeles as a museum ship).

A similar fleet, the National Defense Reserve Fleet, is anchored in Suisun Bay near Benicia, California, and has similarly been reduced. This location is known for hosting the Glomar Explorer after its recovery of portions of Soviet submarine K-129 during the Cold War before its subsequent reactivation as a minerals exploration ship.

Beaumont

The Beaumont Reserve Fleet, anchored in the Neches River near Beaumont, Texas, contains a number of transport ships.

Former fleets

Aircraft carriers stored at the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Bremerton in Bremerton in 2012. From left to right: Independence, Kitty Hawk, Constellation and Ranger. Aerial Bremerton Shipyard November 2012.jpg
Aircraft carriers stored at the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Bremerton in Bremerton in 2012. From left to right: Independence, Kitty Hawk, Constellation and Ranger.

A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is a facility owned by the U.S. Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate. All ships in these facilities are inactive, but some are still on the Naval Vessel Register, while others have been struck from that Register.

Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility holds several dozen inactive warships, including the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, Ticonderoga class cruisers, Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates, and numerous supply ships.

Bremerton

The Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, located next to Bremerton, Washington, hosts, among its other ships [4] two dozen decommissioned submarines, several frigates, and numerous supply ships. It is the former home of the nuclear cruiser USS Long Beach, which was scrapped.

Pearl Harbor

The Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, holds logistic support ships and amphibious transport dock ships. [5]

Ready Reserve Force

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puget Sound Naval Shipyard</span> US Navy shipyard in Bremerton, Washington

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted use since its establishment in 1891; it has also been known as Navy Yard Puget Sound, Bremerton Navy Yard, and the Bremerton Naval Complex.

The Ship-Submarine Recycling Program (SRP) is the process that the United States Navy uses to dispose of decommissioned nuclear vessels. SRP takes place only at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in Bremerton, Washington, but the preparations can begin elsewhere.

USS <i>South Dakota</i> (ACR-9)

The first USS South Dakota (ACR-9/CA-9), also referred to "Armored Cruiser No. 9", and later renamed Huron, was a United States Navy Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Defense Reserve Fleet</span> United States Maritime Administration reserve fleet

The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States, mostly merchant vessels, that have been mothballed but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies, or non-military emergencies such as commercial shipping crises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Kitsap</span> U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state


Naval Base Kitsap is a U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state, created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor. It is the home base for the Navy’s fleet throughout West Puget Sound, provides base operating services, support for both surface ships and fleet ballistic missile and other nuclear submarines as one of the U.S. Navy's four nuclear shipyards, one of two strategic nuclear weapons facilities, and the only West Coast dry dock capable of handling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and the Navy's largest fuel depot. Naval Base Kitsap is the third-largest Navy base in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reserve fleet</span> Collection of inactive naval vessels

A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed". In earlier times, especially in British usage, the ships were said to be "laid up in ordinary".

USS <i>Olympia</i> (SSN-717) Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine of the US Navy

USS Olympia (SSN-717) is a Los Angeles-class submarine of the United States Navy. She is the 30th Los Angeles class nuclear powered fast attack submarine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility</span> U.S. Navy old ship storage site

A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is a facility owned by the United States Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate. All ships in these facilities are inactive, but some are still on the Naval Vessel Register (NVR), while others have been struck from that Register.

USS <i>Puget Sound</i> (AD-38) US Navy ship launched 1964 scrapped 2008

USS Puget Sound (AD-38) was a Samuel Gompers-class destroyer tender, the second ship of the United States Navy to bear the name Puget Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Station Bremerton</span> Former station of the United States Navy, closed in 2004

Naval Station Bremerton is a former station of the United States Navy that was merged with Naval Submarine Base Bangor into Naval Base Kitsap in 2004. Kitsap serves as host command for the Navy's fleet throughout the Pacific Northwest. It is home to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. In addition to performing drydock and overhaul services for active naval vessels, it is also home to an inactive ship facility for several decommissioned warships, including aircraft carriers. Naval Hospital Bremerton is also located aboard the installation as a tenant command.

USS Markab (AD-21) was a Hamul-class destroyer tender named for Markab, the third-brightest star in the constellation Pegasus.

USS <i>Sphinx</i>

USS Sphinx (ARL-24) was laid down as a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship but converted to one of 39 Achelous-class repair ships that were used for repairing landing craft during World War II. Named for the Sphinx, she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.

USS <i>LST-987</i>

USS Millard County (LST-987) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Millard County, Utah, it was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

USNS <i>Joshua Humphreys</i> Oiler of the United States Navy

USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO-188) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler of the United States Navy. She was named for Joshua Humphreys, who designed the six original US Navy frigates. She entered service in 1987 and was placed in reserve just nine years later, but has twice been brought out of reserve and as of 2015 is once more on active duty.

USS <i>Maquoketa</i> Patapsco-class gasoline tanker

USS Maquoketa (AOG-51) was a Patapsco-class gasoline tanker in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1947 and with the Military Sea Transportation Service from 1952 to 1957. She was sold for scrap in 1975.

USS <i>Ruchamkin</i>

USS Ruchamkin (APD-89), ex-DE-228, later LPR-89, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946, from 1951 to 1957, and from 1961 to 1969. She subsequently served as ARC Córdoba in the Colombian Navy, until 1980; although scrapped, her hull and superstructure were re-erected in a leisure park near Bogotá.

USS <i>Pima County</i> Tank landing ship of the US Navy

USS Pima County (LST-1081) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship of the United States Navy. Built by the American Bridge Company in Ambridge, Pennsylvania from 13 November 1944 she was commissioned into the navy on 30 January 1945. LST-1081 saw service as a logistics vessel in the latter stages of the Pacific War but was placed into reserve and decommissioned after the war. She was recommissioned in 1950 after the outbreak of the Korean War and served with the Atlantic Fleet, including a deployment in the Mediterranean Sea during which she was renamed USS Pima County. She returned to the reserve in 1956 and was decommissioned on 12 December of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Naval Station Orange</span> US Navy Shipyard in Texas

United States Naval Station Orange, later Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet and US Naval Reserve Orange was major United States Navy shipyard in Orange, Texas on the Sabine River. The shipyard opened on August 24, 1940, to manage the construction of 24 landing craft. To support the shipyards the navy built new naval offices, barracks and civilian housing. The Navy built twelve piers in the Sabine River at the Base. U.S. Naval Station Orange also worked with the civilian shipyards in Texas during World War II. Major civilian shipyards were: Consolidated Steel Corporation, Levingston Shipbuilding Company, and Weaver Shipyards. At the end of the war in November 1945 the shipyard was closed and the base was turned into the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet with 250 ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk</span> Reserve Fleet in Virginia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James River, Reserve Fleet</span> Reserve Fleet in Virginia

The James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in storage, called "mothballed", that can be ready for use if needed. Many are awaiting scrapping due to the age or condition of the ship. Some ships are used for target practice or as artificial reefs. A few ships became museum ships and other sold to private companies. Ships can be readied for use in 20 to 120 days during national emergencies or natural disaster. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) provides oversight of the James River Reserve Fleet. For the United States Navy ships the United States Navy reserve fleets stored these ships and submarines.

References

  1. General Accounting Office, , 8.
  2. accessed January 2022 US Navy NAVSEA-Activities
  3. "GENERAL POLICY FOR THE INACTIVATION, RETIREMENT, AND DISPOSITION OF U.S. NAVAL VESSELS" (PDF). DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY. 6 February 2009. Chapter 3. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  4. "Puget Sound Naval Shipyard". www.historylink.org.
  5. military.com Navy Won’t Resurrect Decommissioned Ships for 355-Fleet Buildup, 2016
  6. maritime.dot.gov, Ready Reserve Force