Ghost Fleet Site

The Ghost Fleet or Tensaw Fleet was an armada of mothballed Liberty Ships and other Navy crafts were parked on the Tensaw after World War II. During its peak, there were 347 ships in port. President F. D. Roosevelt made plans to refurbish the vessels so the merchant marine fleet would be better equipped for merchant marine service, which during 1945-1973 was considered a viable military resource. Consequently, the Ghost Fleet supplied many jobs for Mobile and Baldwin County residents, especially for people in Spanish Fort, Bay Minette and other surrounding areas near the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. The last ships were given the state conservation departments in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and many were sunk to create fishing reefs.