Mallows Bay

Saturday was 80 degrees and beautiful, so I asked a friend if he wanted to go (take me) to Mallows Bay to go canoeing among World War I wooden-shipwrecks in a shallow area of the Potomac River across from Quantico.  We noticed that we were going to pass Fort Washington on the way, so we decided to stop off and waste some time before low tide.

Fort Washington Interior

Fort Washington Light

The fort you see today was finished October 2, 1824, and you can climb all over the place - exploring creepy dark tunnels, climbing up for great views over the old cannon mounts and then down to the shore to see the lighthouse.  The park is huge, we only explored the main fort on the river, there are batteries and old building scattered for acres.  This is the park service page: http://www.nps.gov/fowa/historyculture/index.htm.

Fort Washington Gate

The views from the walls are impressive, we couldn't agree exactly on everything you can see, but it was pretty clear and the view was nice. There is also a cute Visitor House with rocking chairs, real bathrooms and a water fountain, which was convenient before hitting the road again.



The road to Mallow's Bay isn't marked, you will need to plug the address into GPS or map it before you go.  The site has a big parking lot, some informational signs and a kayak and regular boat launch. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but we only saw a few kayaks the whole time we were there.  You can see the wrecks from the dock, we were so excited. 

Mallows Bay Boat Launch with S.S. Accomac Car Ferry Visible

The largest and closest ship is a more recent wreck of a car ferry that was abandoned here in the 1960s.  It is a rusted hull with half broken off and sunk.  We decided to poke around the wooden hulls from WWI and they scatter across the bay poking up everywhere. 

 You are paddling over the wrecks, since it was low tide we actually scraped the canoe several times.  There are a few prominent hulls that you can see an outline for, but metal spike bundles are all that remain usually.  Once ship was run on top of another and enough dirt was landed in the remains to allow vegetation to grow. These wrecks have been here since the 1920s and I found a couple interesting websites with more history and old photos: http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/04/18/the-ghost-fleet-of-mallows-bay/ & http://www.dnr.state.md.us/naturalresource/winter2001/ghostship.html .

 I will not lie, when you get out in front of the wrecks on the Potomac side the waves and wind were rocking the canoe pretty good.  We never dumped the canoe, but the thought crossed my mind several times.

SS Accomac Car Ferry in Mallows Bay

We paddled back by the Accomac on our way back to the dock and I was talked into landing and exploring the old wreck.  Ironically, there is a great rusted deck almost perfect for landing a canoe - just really slippery at times. 

 The interior of the ship is completely rusted, with water in the inside and bird nest on top.  My friend was brave enough to climb a half rusted away staircase and explore the top deck, while I stayed with the canoe.  I loved these old gears that are still on the ship.

My friend has a plane, so he suggested we head to the air and check out the view of the bay from the sky.  It is still funny to think these wrecks are just about 30 miles from Washington, DC, and so few people have heard of them. 

Aerial View of Mallows Bay

Since Mallows Bay is so close to Reagan National Airfield and Quantico, you can only fly near it, not over, so this is the best shot we got.  Funny to think we were just down there a couple hours before this shot was taken.  We had heard there is a Naval target ship near Smith's Island, so we headed there next. 

American Mariner Target Ship in Potomac

 I googled the story (http://bearboat.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/targetship-may08_sndgs_sb.pdf) and American Mariner is the second target ship in about the same location, Hannibal used to be here until the Navy finally destroyed it.  This target ship has been proudly serving since 1966, and it shows, it is full of holes; however, the water here is only about 20 feet deep and it is resting on the bottom so it will be a sitting duck for a while longer. 

American Mariner Close Up

 Tangier Island is nearby, so we flew and landed just as the sun was setting.  Tangier Island is tiny, and the Potomac appears to be reclaiming even more.  Golf carts are the primary source of transportation on the island, but we walked 2 blocks to the main street to grab some dinner.  Fisherman's Corner was closing, but they were nice enough to make us some clam strips to go.  We finished up with a stop at Spanky's Place - a fun 50's themed ice-cream parlor. 

Tangier Island at Sunset

The flight back was mainly after sunset, so we tried picking out the lights of known landmarks and Washington, DC monuments.  The highways are easy to find - lots of red taillights stretching forever.  I was exhausted by the time I got home, but this was a really unique day.