M. V. AccomacThe Accomac is one of the newest ships, and is the only steel-hulled ship present at Mallows Bay. Built in 1928 in Quincy, Massachusetts, she was originally called the Virginia Lee. At a length of 291 feet, she served to ferry cars across the Chesapeake Bay from Norfolk to Virginia's Eastern Shore. She was later acquired by the U.S. Navy for use as a transatlantic convoy vessel in WWII. After returning to civilian use, she was converted from coal and given a diesel engine. She became mostly obsolete after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel's construction in 1964. The Accomac continued to run run for a short time as a ferry until she suffered a fire during repairs in the same year. In 1973, the remains of the Accomac were left in Mallows Bay, where the majority of her hull remains intact.
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BenzoniaLaunched in 1919 from the Columbia River in Washington state, the Benzonia was intended to be used as a cargo transport in WWI. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the war ended before she could see much service. In 1922, the Benzonia, along with many other similar ships, was sold to the Western Marine and Salvage Company for the steel she contained. In 2003, Hurricane Isabel lifted the Benzonia on top of another ship, the Caribou. In 2013, a mysterious fire started in her stern section. Of the original WWI Emergency Fleet, the Benzonia is by far the most intact.
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S. S. Boone |
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