Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility

File:Aerial Bremerton Shipyard November 2012.jpg

Aircraft carriers stored at the NISMF in Bremerton, 2012. From left to right: , , and .

A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is a facility owned by the United States Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate. All ships in these facilities are inactive, but some are still on the Naval Vessel Register (NVR), while others have been stricken from the register.

The ships that have been stricken from the NVR are disposed of by one of several means, including foreign military sales transfer, ship donation as a museum or memorial, domestic dismantling and recycling, artificial reefing, or use as a target vessel. Others are retention assets for possible future reactivation, which have been laid up for long-term preservation and are maintained with minimal maintenance (humidity control, corrosion control, flood/fire watch) should they need to be recalled to active duty.

The Navy has been reducing the number of inactive ships, which numbered as many as 195 in 1997, but was down to 49 by the end of 2014.

The Naval Sea Systems Command's Inactive Ships Management Office (INACTSHIPOFF) is based in Portsmouth, Virginia.

There are three NISMFs:

• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard – Bremerton, Washington
• Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam – Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• Philadelphia Naval Shipyard – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In addition, parts of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, South Gate Annex Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard are designated for the storage of inactive nuclear powered vessels.

Inactive ship facilities in Suisun Bay, James River and Beaumont, Texas are owned and operated by the Maritime Administration under the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Vessels moored at NISMFs

Following is a list of vessels currently being stored at the facilities as of 28 November 2023.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

File:Aerial view of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Reserve Basin on 19 May 1955 (80-G-668655).jpg

Philadelphia NISMF in 1955

File:Philadelphia Naval Shipyard2.jpg

Philadelphia NISMF in 1995

File:USS Boulder (LST-1190), USS Mobile (LKA-115), USS Charleston (LKA-113) and USS El Paso (LKA-117) laid up at the Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Pennsylvania (USA), 21 October 2017.jpg

Of these four ships, only the LKA-113 remains in the basin.

Ship	Class	Type	Status
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Fleet Ocean Tug	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Gunboat	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Frigate	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Amphibious Cargo Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Frigate	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Frigate	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Dock Landing Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Salvage Ship	Out of service, in reserve.
		Frigate	Stricken, final disposition pending. (possibly on hold for donation)
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Frigate	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Frigate	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Patrol Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Frigate	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Patrol Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Dock Landing Ship	Out of commission, in reserve.
		Patrol Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.

Bremerton, Washington

File:AERIAL VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD IN DOWNTOWN BREMERTON, AND UP RICH PASSAGE.... - NARA - 556946.jpg

The mothball fleet at Bremerton, Washington, in 1974

Ship	Class	Type	Status
		Fast Combat Support Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Littoral Combat Ship	Out of commission, in reserve.
		Littoral Combat Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Littoral Combat Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Fast Combat Support Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

File:Mothballed ships at Pearl Harbor NSIMF in July 2016.JPG

View of the ships in the Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 2016

Ship	Class	Type	Status
		Amphibious Transport Dock	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Fleet Ocean Tug	Stricken, final disposition pending.
	Tarawa	Amphibious Assault Ship	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Cruiser	Stricken, final disposition pending.
		Salvage Ship	Out of service, in reserve.
		Fleet Ocean Tug	Stricken, final disposition pending.

Past Facilities

• United States Naval Station Orange, Orange, Texas (1966-1975)
• Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Bayonne, Bayonne, New Jersey
• NISMF at Naval Base San Diego, San Diego, California

See also

• National Defense Reserve Fleet
• List of current ships of the United States Navy
• List of Military Sealift Command ships
• List of Ready Reserve Force ships

External links

• U.S. Navy Inactive Ships Program Office
• Official List of Inactive U.S. Navy Ships
• Official List of Stricken U.S. Navy Ships
• NavSource