The Fourth Arm · Episode 9 of 11 · 21 min
The Mothball Fleet: How America's Merchant Fleet Collapsed
After World War II, America parked its surplus ships in the mothball fleet, 2,277 of them at the 1950 peak, and let its merchant marine wither for half a century. The episode traces the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, the James River and Beaumont, and the collapse of the U.S.-flag oceangoing fleet under flags of convenience.
Who's who
- James CaponitiFormer MARAD official who calls the merchant marine the neglected fourth arm
Where it happens
- Suisun Bay, CaliforniaReserve fleet anchorage with toxic paint debris found in 2007
- James River, VirginiaReserve fleet anchorage
- Beaumont, Texas+1 more episodeReserve fleet anchorage
Timeline
- 1946Merchant Ship Sales Act creates the National Defense Reserve Fleet
- 1950Reserve fleet peaks at 2,277 ships
- 1976Ready Reserve Force created as a rapid-activation subset
- June 2007About 21 tons of toxic paint debris found in Suisun Bay sediment
- December 2021Reserve fleet down to about 91 ships; about 4% of U.S. foreign trade moves on U.S.-flag vessels
Still debated
Critics say the Jones Act's build-and-crew mandate drove shipping to foreign flags, while defenders say the fleet and shipyards would have vanished without it. How much reserve sealift is enough, and whether the shrinking fleet caused the mariner shortage or the reverse, remain disputed.