First put on Internet: 26 Dec. 2005. Last Updated on 11 September 2006.
Several shipbreaking firms trying to locate on the West Coast propose to scrap vessels from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) that are currently moored at Suisun Bay, east of San Francisco. Many of these ships were built in the 1940's and 1950's (p. 7-10 in 47). In his statement to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 (see p. 6 and 8 in 73), Thomas J. Howard, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Maritime and Departmental Programs, U.S. Department of Transportation wrote about U. S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) disposal of their Reserve Fleets in Virginia, California (Suisun Bay), and Texas:
"OBSOLETE VESSELS POSE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
The 114 obsolete vessels currently awaiting disposal pose environmental risks because they are deteriorating, contain hazardous materials, and contain oil that could leak into the water. These vessels are literally rotting and disintegrating as they await disposal. Some vessels have deteriorated to a point where a hammer can penetrate their hulls. They contain hazardous substances such as asbestos and solid and liquid polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). If the oil from these vessels were to enter the water, immediate and potentially very expensive Federal and state action would be required."
Many of the MARAD ships at Suisun Bay are reported to "still have bunker oil, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products in their fuel and storage tanks" (115) and that some of these vessels have become so deteriorated that their hulls would need to be wrapped in neoprene before they could be moved without leaking bunker oil and other petroleum by-products (115, 117).
A Google Image search for "Suisun Bay" reveals many images of ships, but not all of them are to be scrapped. Some of the vessels at Suisun such as the USS New Orleans (which looks like a small aircraft carrier) are not to be scrapped, as they are not on MARAD's list of obsolete ships in February 2005 (see p. 7-10 of 47). For example, the San Francisco Chronicle's Tony Cooper wrote in 2003 (78) about the Suisun Bay fleet (boldface added):
"Still, for the bulk of the 94 ships that make up the fleet, the only action they'll be seeing is being docked at the bay, awaiting a possible date with the scrap heap, although any serviceable parts will be removed for use on other ships. About $19,000 per year is spent maintaining each ship, although some are in such bad shape they have to be dry-docked for repairs. There have been instances in which ships in the poorest shape can cost up to $800,000 a year to maintain. Four ships in the Suisun fleet are part of the Ready Reserve Force, which means they can be ready for service in as little as five days. More than a dozen are in what's called "retention status," meaning they could ready for use in 60 days. Ships in those two categories receive rigorous maintenance from a team of 59 civilians, although regular painting of these ships' exteriors above the waterline has been discontinued, as this was deemed mainly cosmetic and a waste of labor and money."
Thus, even some of the ships that are not to be scrapped are not being regularly painted. Because many of the ships have been moored for many years, the ships have organisms growing on the hulls, though such growth has not been studied.
Accordingly, it is unclear which, if any, of the ships will be scrapped in the reduced image below from "Suisun Bay Mothball Fleet #2 (Suisun Bay, CA, 5/30/05): Tankers and Cargo Ships of the Mothball Fleet of Naval Vessels Anchored in Suisun Bay off Martinez, CA" by Richard Gingras. (The full-size image on his web page shows much more detail but requires scrolling.)
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Below are the few pictures that I have found of MARAD vessels at Suisun Bay that are identifiable as being scrapped and that show the outer hull. These photos suggest that some vessels that are to be scrapped look cosmetically OK on the outside while others are rusting or have peeling paint.
Image and Its Caption ("Vessels Awaiting Disposal at Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet") from a U.S. Dept. of Transportation Report in 2000 (p. 3 in 73).
Scroll down the page "USS Florikan" page at http://www.nafts.net/sr9.htm to see "USS Florikan ASR 9 in Suisun Bay mothball fleet (center). (Circa 2004) (Contributed by Ed Loebs)" image given below that shows part of three vessels, with the USS Florikan in the center. The USS Florikan is listed as Priority #81 of all MARAD ships (p. 8 in 47).
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Scroll down the page "USS Clamp" page at http://www.nafts.net/clamp.htm to see "USS Clamp ARS 33 at Suisun Bay mothball fleet (Circa 2004) (Contributed Ed Loebs)" image given below. The USS Clamp is listed as Priority #82 of all MARAD ships (p. 8 in 47).
Scroll down the page "USS Bolster" page at http://www.nafts.net/bolster.htm to see "USS Bolster ARS 38 in Suisun Bay mothball ships (center). (Circa 2004) (Contributed by Ed Loebs)" image given below that shows part of three vessels, with the USS Bolster in the center. The USS Bolster is listed as Priority #90 of all MARAD ships (p. 9 in 47).
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47. U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). 2005. Obsolete Non-Retention Vessels for Standing Quotations. February 8. This is at https://voa.marad.dot.gov/programs/ship_disposal/standing_quot/docs/Obsolete%20Non-Ret%20Vessels%20for%20SQ%2002-8-2005.pdf. (P. 7-10 lists 60 MARAD ships at Suisun Bay that are "obsolete," and gives their lengths, weights, and order of priority for disposal. On 30 November 2005, the status of one of these ships was changed to "Historic Review" and four of the ships were listed with a "Homeport" of Brownsville and a Status of "Disposal" (49).
73. Howard, Thomas J. 2000. Maritime Administration: Limited Progress In Disposing of Obsolete Vessels. May 24. Statement of Thomas J. Howard, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Maritime and Departmental Programs, U.S. Department of Transportation, Before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives. Report No. MA-2000-097.
78. Cooper, Tony. 2003. Barely Shipshape: Devoted Volunteers Provide TLC for Retired - Not 'Mothballed' - Navy Vessels on Suisun Bay. February 7, San Francisco Chronicle.
115. Arc Ecology. [no date] Project: The Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay, Toward Job Development & Preventing Future Bay Contamination. Arc Ecology.
117. Anonymous. 2005. Editorial: 'Ticking . . . Time Bombs' and Dangerous Cargo: Newport Needs to Know How Yaquina Bay Can be Safe from Invasive Organisms and Wastes on Mothballed Ships. December 22 Portland Oregonian.
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