Mallows Bay Ghost Fleet — Abandoned & Forgotten in Washington, D.C.

Entry No. 44 — the Washington, D.C. file — filed under: ghost fleet

Mallows Bay Ghost Fleet

Around 100 wooden WWI 'Ghost Fleet' steamships — part of a roughly 200-vessel wreck field, the largest in the Western Hemisphere — were built too slowly to ever see the war, then towed here, burned for scrap, and left to rot; their charred ribs now poke out of the Potomac shallows as a sunken armada you can paddle straight through.

The move: Bring or rent kayaks and paddle the marked route through the shipwreck reef at low tide, when the burned hulls show clearest above the waterline, then walk the 0.8-mile shoreline loop around the old salvage basin.

Where: 1440 Wilson Landing Road, Nanjemoy, MD 20662

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

#ghost fleet #shipwrecks #kayaking ruins #national marine sanctuary

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-19