History of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF)

Section 11 of the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 established the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) to serve as a reserve of ships for national defense and emergencies. At its height in 1950, the NDRF consisted of 2,277 ships kept at eight anchorages: Stony Point, New York; Fort Eustis, Virginia; Wilmington, North Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; Beaumont, Texas; Benicia, California; Astoria, Oregon; and Olympia, Washington.

Today, the NDRF consists of three of its eight original anchorages located at Fort Eustis on the James River in Virginia; Beaumont, Texas; and Suisun Bay in Benicia, California. In addition to maintaining a fleet of active and inactive ships, the Maritime Administration is the Federal governments disposal agent for Federally-owned obsolete, merchant-type vessels and naval auxiliaries that are equal to or greater than 1,500 gross tons. Today's NDRF includes both retention and non-retention vessels, and primarily consists of dry cargo ships with some tankers and military auxiliaries.

You can learn more about the three active fleet anchorages below:

• Beaumont Reserve Fleet
• James River Reserve Fleet
• Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet

For photographs of all eight original NDRF anchorages, see: Historical Photographs