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National Defense Reserve Fleet

Coordinates: 38°04′18″N 122°05′48″W / 38.07161°N 122.09673°W / 38.07161; -122.09673
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Rafts of anchored Reserve Fleet ships at Suisun Bay, California

The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) was established under Section 11 of the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 to serve as a reserve of ships for national defense and national emergency purposes. It is a different entity than the United States Navy reserve fleets, which includes warships. Under the custody of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, the NDRF consists primarily of merchant ships, with fewer warships. Merchant ships can be activated within 20 - 120 days for a military or non-military emergency, such as commercial shipping crises.

At its peak in 1950, the NDRF had 2,277 ships in lay-up. As of July 2007, it held 230 ships, primarily dry cargo ships with some tankers, military auxiliaries and other types, down from 274 in 2003.

NDRF vessels are now located at the James River, Virginia; Beaumont, Texas and Suisun Bay, California, fleet sites and at designated outported berths. Former anchorage sites included Stony Point in New York; Wilmington, North Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; Beaumont, Texas; Astoria, Oregon and Olympia, Washington.

A Ready Reserve Fleet component was established in 1976 as a subset of the NDRF to provide rapid deployment of military equipment and later became known as the Ready Reserve Force, which numbers 72 vessels. An additional 28 ships are held under United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) custody for other Government agencies on a cost-reimbursable basis including the 1943 vintage battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) at Suisun Bay.

USS Iowa (BB-61) has been in the custody of MARAD in the NDRF at Suisun Bay since April, 2001. The vessel was officially struck from the naval register in March 2006, to eventually become a museum ship.

Vessels with military utility or logistic value are held in retention status and are in a preservation program that is designed to keep them in the same condition as when they enter the fleet. Dehumidification of the internal spaces is an effective means of controlling the corrosion of metal and the growth of mold or mildew. A cathodic protection system uses an impressed current where DC power is distributed through anodes to the exterior underwater portions of the hull, resulting in an electric field that suppresses corrosion and preserves the surface of the hull. External painting and other cosmetic-appearance work is generally deferred since it is not detrimental to the ability to activate and operate the vessel.

MARAD is authorized as the government’s disposal agent through the NDRF program for merchant type vessels equal to or greater than 1500 gross tons. A state agency can file an application to request title to a vessel "as-is where-is" from the NDRF for the purpose of creating an artificial reef. A total of 51 vessels have been transferred to 10 states under the program including: Texas (12), Florida (10), North Carolina (7), Virginia (6), Alabama (5), Mississippi (5), Georgia (2), South Carolina (2), California (1) and New Jersey (1). Of the 132 non-retention vessels in the NDRF, there are 117 that are being prepared for disposal.

Prior to RRF operations, NDRF vessels supported emergency shipping requirements in seven wars and crises. During the Korean War, 540 vessels were broken out to support military forces. A worldwide tonnage shortfall in 1951-1953 required over 600 ships to be reactivated to lift coal to Northern Europe and grain to India. From 1955 through 1964, another 600 ships were used to store grain for the Department of Agriculture. Another tonnage shortfall following the Suez Canal closing in 1956 saw 223 cargo ships and 29 tankers activated from the NDRF. During the Berlin crisis of 1961, 18 vessels were activated and remained in service until 1970. The Vietnam conflict caused 172 vessels to be activated.

Heritage operations

The NRDF program has authority to give and lend historic artifacts to worthy maritime-heritage organizations. It can also transfer entire ships to memorial associations through special legislation.

Inactive U.S. Navy auxiliary ships of the James River Reserve Fleet (1996)

Inactive naval ships of merchant design, including amphibious ships but not ships maintained in a mobilization status by MARAD for Military Sealift Command (MSC), may be laid up in the NDRF when overcrowded berthing conditions exist at a Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility. Battleships, cruisers, and aircraft carriers which have been stricken or those awaiting final disposition may be transferred to MARAD locations for berthing.

Initially, these ships will be transferred to MARAD for caretaking in accordance with the Economy Act of 1932.

Ships transferred to the NDRF may be retained in Navy Mobilization Plans and maintained by MARAD under priorities set by the Department of the Navy. If the Navy decides it no longer needs the ship, the Secretary of the Navy strikes the ship from the Naval Vessel Register and transfers the title to MARAD. When possible, MARAD gets first disposition rights, which allows it to convert merchant ships to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) or to sell the ship for scrapping in connection with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, Sect. 510 (i) and use the proceeds to buy more supply ships.[1]

See also

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Images

38°04′18″N 122°05′48″W / 38.07161°N 122.09673°W / 38.07161; -122.09673

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