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Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet Assessment Project
The U.S. Maritime Administration maintains a fleet of vessels that serve as a reserve of ships for national defense and national emergency purposes. The reserve fleet program was begun in 1946 at the end of World War II. At its peak in 1950, the program had more than 2,000 ships in lay-up. One of the reserve fleet storage sites is in Suisun Bay, the northern portion of San Francisco Bay. More than 70 vessels currently make up the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet.
The State of California and several environmental groups have raised concerns about the environmental impacts of the fleet. Potential concerns include heavy metals and antifouling agents in the paint that is peeling off of the vessels, as well as PCBs and other hazardous materials that may have been released. Congress responded to these concerns by funding NOAA to design and implement a study of contaminants in the vicinity of the fleet.
NOAA will be conducting a field investigation and preparing documents to help address these concerns.
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