From K-QED.

If you've driven on 680 across the Benicia Martinez Bridge, you may have seen them.

Ten old military ships are anchored side by side out in the Sassoon Bay.

Most of them are decades old and their gray hulls are spotted with rust.

On some, the paint has faded or flaked away entirely. They kind of

look abandoned. To be honest, they kind of look haunted. Why is this creepy old fleet out here anyway?

This is Bay Curious, a podcast exploring the Bay Area one question at a time.

Today we visit the Bay Area's Ghost Fleet.

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Bay Curious Listener Steve Yeager has spent a long time wondering about these ships.

He grew up in Sunnyvale and would pass them on drives up to Lake Tahoe with his family.

Now he's in his 40s and he passes them on his weekly commute from Lincoln.

The question is, why are there ships, mothball type ships out there and you know also what

is it doing to the environment with that with the ships you know they're made of steel

they have paint it rust you, what's happening with those.

We'll let KQED science editor Craig Miller pick it up from there.

Turns out his question is very timely. Officially known as the Sassoon Bay Reserve Fleet.

It's a place for the Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine to park ships that they've taken out of service but

might one day need again kind of like taking those sweaters out of the cedar chest

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