James River - James River Reserve Fleet

James River Reserve Fleet

The James River is the anchorage (37°07′13″N 76°38′47″W / 37.120393°N 76.646469°W / 37.120393; -76.646469) for a large portion of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, called the "James River Fleet" or the "Ghost Fleet," consisting of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.

The fleet is managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD). It is a different entity from the United States Navy reserve fleets, which consist largely of warships.

Read more about this topic:  James River

Famous quotes containing the words james, river, reserve and/or fleet:

    Mr. James Joyce is a great man who is entirely without taste.
    Rebecca West (1892–1983)

    Ask me no more: thy fate and mine are sealed;
    I strove against the stream and all in vain;
    Let the great river take me to the main.
    No more, dear love, for at a touch I yield;
    Ask me no more.
    Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)

    Common experience is the gold reserve which confers an exchange value on the currency which words are; without this reserve of shared experiences, all our pronouncements are cheques drawn on insufficient funds.
    René Daumal (1908–1944)

    A city on th’ inconstant billows dancing;
    For so appears this fleet majestical.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)