Mallows Bay on the Maryland side of the Potomac River is the site of what is called the “largest shipwreck fleet in the Western Hemisphere,” also known as a ship graveyard. The bay, now a wildlife refuge and public park, has the graves of more than 230 ships sunk in the river. Almost ninety were poorly constructed steamships built during World War I; in 1925 they were burned and scuttled in the bay. Bethlehem Steel then built a salvage basin during World War II to recover metal from the abandoned ships. The remains of these ships now form a reef system that hosts an array of wildlife.
These are some photos.
Photos taken with a Nikon Coolpix 120 sitting in my Trophy 126 kayak “Arrau.” I was paddling the bay at close to peak low tide, which helped to reveal a lot of the shipwreck structure.
Further Reading:
- Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay, Donald G. Shomette
Related Pages
Boats Ships and Subs : Ron’s photo collection of boats, ships, and submarines.
Desert Kayaking : A kayaking adventure down the Colorado River starting just below Hoover Dam.
Paddling The Bashakill : Kayaking on the Basherkill wetlands conservation area near Wurtzboro, New York.
[…] Mallows Bay Ship Graveyard […]