The images presented were taken in the 1990's. Taken as prints, there is degradation when going from print to digital images. Also, where we were traveling sometimes delayed processing for weeks or months and humidity played havoc with the undeveloped film. Still, I wanted to share our experiences through the pictures we took.
 Fall 1996. As the summer drew to a close, we headed south. This time stopping in Annapolis for only a few nights. We needed to decide if we would stop there for the winter or go on to new stomping grounds in Norfolk, VA. We even rented a car and drove to Norfolk to take a look. Although Annapolis called to us with its beauty and good friends Val and Greg on Grimsby, who were wintering there again, we couldn't dismiss the harsher winters we had experienced. In the end, Norfolk, VA. became our new place to winter. One positive was that friends Bob and Lori on Endless Weekend were also there, although at a different marina. We ended up staying in Norfolk from the fall of 1994 to the spring of 1996. ABOVE: the ship traffic coming and going into the Hampton Roads (Norfolk) area.
The Ghost Fleet on the James River has a long history. It began right after World War II when the government needed a place to mothball surplus ships. At its peak after WWII, the fleet grew to over 700 ships. When we went through in July of 1995, there were still quite a few ships. As of January 2018, there were only 98 ships left.
Over the years, the fleet has had many uses. The ships were used in the Korean War and the Vietnam war. They have been used for bomb testing, reef building, scrap metal, and wheat silos, to name a few uses. The mooring area for these ships is really spooky at night. |
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