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Forgotten Fleet: The Mothball Navy
A pictorial history of the U.S. Navy's mothball fleet, this handsome book takes a rare look at the so-called fleet behind the fleet, from the end of World War II to the present. Through photographs of the ships and shipyards where they were laid up and brief ship histories, it tells the story of how these ships were paid off and preserved, how some were reactivated, and how most left the reserve fleet to be broken up. Additional photos of the ships in action remind readers that forgotten though they were while in mothballs, many made their marks on history.
Year after year the warships lay quiet and lifeless, like boarded up old houses once full of activity that had outlived their usefulness. The row upon row of mostly now-anonymous vessels, hatches sealed shut, offer a bleak contrast to the drama of their wartime operations. You can almost hear the wind whistling through the masts and superstructures stripped of radars. Below decks there is only the sound of the dehumidifiers, removing moisture from the air, retarding the buildup of rust and deterioration. Berthing areas, repair shops and radio rooms have been frozen in time, looking exactly as they did when sealed decades before. Among them are such well-known ships as the Enterprise and the Midway, as well as little-known ones like the Fall River, and some that were laid up almost as soon as they were completed, like the Oregon City. Here too are the frigates and nuclear submarines of a later age. These are the ships of the forgotten fleet, built for war but resting at peace in coastal parking lots on both sides of the country, their story told for the first time.
Year after year the warships lay quiet and lifeless, like boarded up old houses once full of activity that had outlived their usefulness. The row upon row of mostly now-anonymous vessels, hatches sealed shut, offer a bleak contrast to the drama of their wartime operations. You can almost hear the wind whistling through the masts and superstructures stripped of radars. Below decks there is only the sound of the dehumidifiers, removing moisture from the air, retarding the buildup of rust and deterioration. Berthing areas, repair shops and radio rooms have been frozen in time, looking exactly as they did when sealed decades before. Among them are such well-known ships as the Enterprise and the Midway, as well as little-known ones like the Fall River, and some that were laid up almost as soon as they were completed, like the Oregon City. Here too are the frigates and nuclear submarines of a later age. These are the ships of the forgotten fleet, built for war but resting at peace in coastal parking lots on both sides of the country, their story told for the first time.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 27, 2014
If there is anything that you may learn from Daniel Madsen's book is the massive ebb and flow of material in the military complex and in this case the United States Navy. World War 2 ended with the United States possessing a massive navy including ship's still under construction at various sites but with the surrender of Japan they were unneeded. Madsen's story opens up a world that most Americans never knew. What happened to all those ships when there was no longer a need for war? Many of the ships were put out in a watered pasture and demobilized.
This is where the book "Forgotten Fleet" exemplifies itself is how demobilization was imposed with the understanding that a portion of the navy would not be scrapped or stricken from the naval register. There would be two navy's an active and reserve. This reserve navy would be a select group of ships that would be carefully dismantled and sealed. The process of demobilization and reasoning for picking some ships over others along with how they buttoned up the ships was interesting and surprising.
The book fails in organization. This interesting story of demobilization and what happened to certain ships at different times are presented all over the place. In one paragraph you may be learning of the destroyer Spence's history and after war fate and the next he takes you to the escort carriers battle star performance during World War 2.
This sporadic collection of information became a headache. Maybe if the book had been set-up by ship types or historical timeline that ebb and flow that the navy went through after the war could have been transported to this book.
This is where the book "Forgotten Fleet" exemplifies itself is how demobilization was imposed with the understanding that a portion of the navy would not be scrapped or stricken from the naval register. There would be two navy's an active and reserve. This reserve navy would be a select group of ships that would be carefully dismantled and sealed. The process of demobilization and reasoning for picking some ships over others along with how they buttoned up the ships was interesting and surprising.
The book fails in organization. This interesting story of demobilization and what happened to certain ships at different times are presented all over the place. In one paragraph you may be learning of the destroyer Spence's history and after war fate and the next he takes you to the escort carriers battle star performance during World War 2.
This sporadic collection of information became a headache. Maybe if the book had been set-up by ship types or historical timeline that ebb and flow that the navy went through after the war could have been transported to this book.
March 5, 2013
This book may, at first glance, not be about what you think it is. True, it is about great warships and boneyards, but it's not really about warship boneyards. The author shows a crowded peir a reserve naval yard and givs a summary of how the ships are preserved. The real treat is that he says "These ships have untold, or "Forgotten" stories of how they served in the fleet. He presents us with stories of ships that never made the headlines, and honors all men that served in the fleets, not just the one that made the front pages of newspapers or that are recounted in scores of other books like Enterprise, Alabama, and New Jersy. This is a great book to have in conjunction with Warship Boneyards. They compliment eachother and it's highly recomended they be purchased as a set.
May 14, 2009
The premise of this book is very good, but the actual content is disappointing. Too many dream sequences, not enough actual history or technical details.
August 13, 2012
It spent a lot of time looping back and forth trhough several ships' histories, zigzagging through time. In my opinion, bigger pictures and maybe a bit less text would have been more interesting.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews