The mothball fleet around SF is my wet dream for years already, but i probably never get there in time.
The good thing is that we have our own little mothball fleet in Europe, and it was one of my best experiences.

I found 1 set of a few pictures on the net and the weekend after we drove 750 miles to our target. With only some info that the marine patrols around the ship we investigate the surroundings and check where's the best place to get close to the ships. We walked around campings, bushes, etc. and finally found the best spot.We got delayed a lot of times because there was a party nearby and a man showed up investigating us when we were just packed all our stuff, woops.
At 02:00 AM nobody was around anymore and we were set.
While inflating the boats, one of the 2 boats seemed to be broke already.
While the others are changing clothes, i take the boat and paddle to the ships. The huge shadows of the ships come closer and i am really flabbergasted by the size.
The entrance seems more easy than i guessed and i return to the others.
All gear ends up in the boat and we have to swim in the cold water with a strong tide. Because it was ebb-tide it was a hell to get in the water. Our feet got deep cuts from sharp oysters which were laying in the mud. Exhausted we reach the ships. The first ship in the row is a small one and we decide to stay there for the night. We put our clothes back on and start exploring the exterior of the ships, climbing from the one to the other (and bigger) ships.
Once on the deck of a Destroyer, we realize how epic this adventure is. It was the perfect night with a clear sky full of stars and a full moon so flashlights are not needed. After peeking inside one ship, we drink some beers and try to sleep for a few hours. But it was extremely cold ! After some hours of shaking i decide to photograph again. The ships were fully covered in mist and with the sunrise it gave a very nice atmosphere. After walking around i suddenly hear powerboats arriving at 08:00 exactly. I also hear some people shouting in a language i don't understand really well. Inside i saw some demolition signs on the walls... Are they coming to work on the ships? The fact it was monday increased that chance. I wake my other friends, grab our boat and try to flee from the ships. But the water was so cold and the tide was so strong we decided to surrender. A tiny motorboat comes in our direction. We are shaking from the cold in our swimming pants and wait patiently....( the boat was very slow_ When the boat finally passes us we put on a big smile and wave. He looks like why the fuck are these people standing there in a line waving at me. Ok...it's just a fisherman. The other boats must be fishermen also. Relieved we explored the inside of the ships. IT was way better as we expected, because we discovered a lot of rooms which we didn't see on the internet. One ship took up to 7 hours exploring!


The trip turned out so well we decided to go back 2 weeks later and explored one of the other ships which was locked before. This time we had to rescue a friend who was exhausted from swimming.


Pictures taken several years ago, they look a bit shitty :\
A small selection again:






















If you like this, don't forget to look at my other posts ;)

This is amazing stuff, in my opinion, nothing it more scarey than abandoned ships

Abandoned Ships...with Missiles!

ummm coolest shit i have seen in a long time.

Posted by Dr. Baab Pictures taken several years ago, they look a bit shitty :\ AMAZING.

Fixed that for you. What an adventure!

Nice! This must have been before they welded all the doors shut and cut off the stairs from deck to deck. Thanks for sharing these. Your pics were part of my inspiration to make it to this location.

Is it bad form to add a pic to someone else thread?

From February:




-free

Posted by freeside Nice! This must have been before they welded all the doors shut and cut off the stairs from deck to deck. Thanks for sharing these. Your pics were part of my inspiration to make it to this location. Is it bad form to add a pic to someone else thread?

What a bummer if you come from the US !
My pics date back from spring/summer 2011
Almost all doors are welded indeed, but after some climbing we found an open door.
(It still should be open these days, seen recent pictures)
You also have been to the ships in SF?

Woah what an amazing location. I'm surprised they haven't done anything with those missles.

Simply amazing no doubt!

Those ships are great,I've always loved exploring the ones around Boston and Battleship Cove.Which country are those from?

Posted by jb7821 Those ships are great,I've always loved exploring the ones around Boston and Battleship Cove.Which country are those from?

Are there any reports online of those ships? Guess i never heard of them...
The one i visited are in France, but perhaps they are already towed away for demolition ( The good news: new ships will arrive at the same place)

Every post is from a guy. Am i the only girl that appreciates these ships!?!? All of these photos are outstanding! Very Cool. Thanks for posting these! Dr. Baab i would frame #9 and put it on my wall!

Wowwww thats about the coolest location I've ever seen.

Posted by Dr. Baab What a bummer if you come from the US ! My pics date back from spring/summer 2011 Almost all doors are welded indeed, but after some climbing we found an open door. (It still should be open these days, seen recent pictures) You also have been to the ships in SF?

Dr. Baab:
I'm one of three people who did the ships in the San Francisco area and I planned a similar trip for this site. I came from the US for a UE roadtrip and this was one of the destinations. We drove 7 hours to get to this location. Full moon caused the tide to be way way out revealing deep mud and sharp oyster shells sticking out of the mud and under the mud. It was after a very large storm as well. We went in barefeet since our shoes were coming off in the mud. We very badly cut our feet just trying to get to the water's edge and immediately popped our boat on the sharp shells. After patching the boat, we walked to the water's edge again, further cutting our feet. I was literally bleeding all over the boat once we were able to get in it with our gear. We climbed around for about 90 minutes looking for an entry and couldn't find one. I'm not one that is easily turned away. I shot exteriors for about 3 hours and we had to leave before the sun rose. We planned on sleeping on board during the day but couldn't get in we had to leave.

It was still worth it. I have more photos but they are not online yet.
-free

Posted by freeside Dr. Baab: I'm one of three people who did the ships in the San Francisco area and I planned a similar trip for this site. I came from the US for a UE roadtrip and this was one of the destinations. We drove 7 hours to get to this location. Full moon caused the tide to be way way out revealing deep mud and sharp oyster shells sticking out of the mud and under the mud. It was after a very large storm as well. We went in barefeet since our shoes were coming off in the mud. We very badly cut our feet just trying to get to the water's edge and immediately popped our boat on the sharp shells. After patching the boat, we walked to the water's edge again, further cutting our feet. I was literally bleeding all over the boat once we were able to get in it with our gear. We climbed around for about 90 minutes looking for an entry and couldn't find one. I'm not one that is easily turned away. I shot exteriors for about 3 hours and we had to leave before the sun rose. We planned on sleeping on board during the day but couldn't get in we had to leave. It was still worth it. I have more photos but they are not online yet. -free

Awesome man ! LOVED these reports,respect ;)
With the full moon, mudd, bare foot and cuts...exact same experience !

It's a miracle i didn't get any disease, walking with those bad cuts in rust, pigeon shit and the dirty mud.

Thanks a lot for the comments !

Why I didn't I go there till now...!?

Awesome report.

Wow. Just wow. Amazing a pictures and a awesome story to go along with it!! Keep it up with these great adventures Dr. Baab!!

amazing. especially that last one.

so awesome!