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.
Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the entrance to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta. To the west, Suisun Bay is drained by the Carquinez Strait, which connects to San Pablo Bay, a northern extension of San Francisco Bay. Grizzly Bay forms a northern extension of Suisun Bay. Suisun Bay is between Contra Costa County to the south and Solano County to the north.
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.
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".
SS Mission Santa Ynez was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission Santa Ynez (AO-134). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission Santa Ynez (T-AO-134). A Mission Buenaventura-class oiler, she was named for Mission Santa Inés located in Solvang, California.
SS Mission Purisima was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war, she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission Purisima (AO-118). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission Purisima (T-AO-118). She was a member of the Mission Buenaventura-class oiler and was named for Mission La Purísima Concepción near Lompoc, California.
SS Mission San Diego was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission San Diego (AO-121). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission San Diego (T-AO-121). She was a member of the Mission Buenaventura-class oiler and was named for Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
SS Mission San Jose was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission San Jose. Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission San Jose. She was a Mission Buenaventura-class oiler and was named for Mission San José, located in Fremont, California.
USNS Mission Santa Ana (T-AO-137) was a Mission Buenaventura-class oiler that served in the United States Navy. The ship was originally intended as USS Concho (AO-102) for the U.S. Navy but her acquisition was canceled. The ship, a Type T2-SE-A3 tanker, was completed as SS Mission Santa Ana and delivered after the end of World War II. The tanker was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1948 as USS Mission Santa Ana (AO-137), but was transferred to the Military Sea Transport Service upon its creation in 1949. The ship was named for the Santa Ana Estancia, she was the only U.S. Naval Vessel to bear the name.
SS Mission San Luis Rey was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission San Luis Rey (AO-128). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission San Luis Rey (T-AO-128). She was a Mission Buenaventura-class oiler and was named for Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, located in Oceanside, California.
SS Mission San Rafael was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission San Rafael (AO-130). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission San Rafael (T-AO-130). She was a member of the Mission Buenaventura-class oiler and was named for Mission San Rafael Arcángel, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
SS Mission Santa Clara was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission Santa Clara (AO-132). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission Santa Clara (T-AO-132). She was a Mission Buenaventura-class oiler and was named for Mission Santa Clara de Asís in Santa Clara, California.
USNS Comet (T-AK-269), later T-LSV-7, later T-AKR-7, later SS Comet, was a vehicle landing ship built for the United States Navy. The lone ship of her class, she was named for the comet, and was the fourth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USNS Sea Lift (T-LSV-9) was a roll on/roll off (Ro/Ro) cargo ship built for the United States Navy's Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), currently the Military Sealift Command (MSC). She became the first ship of Ro/Ro-type to deliver cargo to Vietnam during the war in Indochina.
The SS Arcadia Victory was a Victory ship built during World War II for cargo shipping. She was launched by the California Shipbuilding Company on 1 July 1944 and completed on 22 September 1944. The ship's United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2- S- AP3, hull number 41.
USS Mispillion (AO-105) was an Ashtabula-class oiler that served in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1974. She was then transferred to the Military Sealift Command to continue in non-commissioned service as United States Naval Ship USNS Mispillion (T-AO-105), in which capacity she served until 1994. Thus far, Mispillion has been the only U.S. Navy ship to bear the name.
USS Scanner (AGR/YAGR-5) was a Guardian-class radar picket ship, converted from a liberty ship, acquired by the United States Navy in 1955. She was obtained from the National Defense Reserve Fleet and reconfigured as a radar picket ship and assigned to radar picket duty in the North Pacific Ocean as part of the Distant Early Warning Line.
MV Charles L. Gilliland, formerly USNS Gilliland (T-AKR-298), is a Gordon-class roll on roll off vehicle cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was originally built as a merchant vessel but later acquired and converted by the Navy, and assigned to the United States Department of Defense's Military Sealift Command. Gilliland was built in 1972 as MV Selandia. After some time spent in commercial service she was lengthened by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 1984, and later went on to be acquired by the US Navy under a long term charter. She was converted to a US Navy Vehicle Roll-on/Roll-off Ship at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia, in a contract dated 23 May 1997 and on completion was assigned to the Military Sealift Command under the name USNS Gilliland, after Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Charles L. Gilliland. Gilliland is one of 28 Strategic Sealift Ships operated by the Military Sealift Command. She was assigned to the MSC Atlantic surge force, and is maintained in Ready Operational Status 4.
Pacific Reserve Fleet, Alameda was a part of the United States Navy reserve fleets, also called a mothball fleet, that was used to store the many surplus ships after World War II. The Pacific Reserve Fleet, Alameda was part of the former Naval Air Station Alameda in Alameda, California, in the San Francisco Bay. Some ships in the fleet were reactivated for the Korean War and Vietnam War.
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.
