Chesapeake Conservancy

Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary

The Accomac, part of the Ghost Fleet at Mallows Bay
Photo by Kyle Smith

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Chesapeake Conservancy was a lead partner in the community-driven effort to designate the Chesapeake Bay’s first national marine sanctuary at Mallows Bay-Potomac River. Officially designated by NOAA in July 2019, Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary, steeped in history, wildlife and recreational opportunities, is located along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (Chesapeake Trail) approximately 30 miles south of Washington, D.C., on the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland.

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Explore Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary
Photo by Peter Turcik

Mallows Bay is famous for its “Ghost Fleet,” which includes more than 100 wooden steamships built for the U.S. Emergency Fleet during World War I, an effort that propelled America to the forefront of shipbuilding, as well as many other wrecks from the Revolutionary War through the 1900s. The wrecks are largely submerged during high tide but are revealed to the naked eye during low tide, which is where the term Ghost Fleet originates. Today, these wrecks support diverse ecosystems teeming with marine life and attracting recreational fishing and ecotourists to the area. In addition to unique natural resources, this section of the Potomac River is part of the traditional lands and cultural landscape of the Piscataway Indian people and a site of significant archaeological findings.

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Explore

Chesapeake Conservancy can help you explore this special place—both virtually and physically!

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Paddler's Guide

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Together with our partners, we’ve produced a downloadable Paddler’s Guide to Mallows Bay, a self-guided tour to help you explore the Ghost Fleet by kayak.

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Click here to download the two page Paddler's Guide

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StoryMap

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Explore Mallows Bay-Potomac River online through this StoryMap.

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Click here to explore the Mallows Bay-Potomac River StoryMap.

Virtual Tours

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While nothing beats seeing the beauty of Mallows Bay–Potomac River in person, we’ve also created a few ways that you can tour the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay from your computer or mobile device. Check out our virtual tour produced in partnership with Terrain360, similar to a Google Street View, but from the perspective of the water, that takes you through the shipwrecks as if you are in a kayak paddling the bay. We also offer a bird’s eye view with 360-degree virtual tours using drone and 360 video technology.

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3D Video Tours

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Take flight and see history from a whole new perspective… from all perspectives!

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Maryland Public Television Profile

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Discover the history and present day conditions of Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary in this informational video from Maryland Public Television.

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Feature Photo by Donald Shomette

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2024

Chesapeake Conservancy Seeks Funding through America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative: America the Beautiful Challenge
Advocated for a Land and Water Conservation Fund allocation of $750,000 for Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in the annual appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2025

2023

Chesapeake Conservancy and partners worked to conserve 178 acres in Delaware and Maryland (in progress)

2022

Participate in master planning process for Nanticoke Crossing Park (ongoing)
Advocated for congressional earmark of $1.2million in funding for a new sewer pipe at Oyster House Park in Seaford

2021

The City of Seaford, Chesapeake Conservancy and partners celebrate the grand opening of Oyster House Park along the Nanticoke River
Nanticoke Crossing Park is opened in Sussex County, DE, along the Nanticoke River through REPI and Mt. Cuba Foundation funding
On the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, Chesapeake Conservancy along with many valued partners welcomed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks in Vienna, Maryland, as she visited the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape to highlight this Sentinel Landscape partnership
Partnership preserves 270 Acres in Wicomico County
Partnership Conserves 318 Acres in Dorchester County

2020

Partnership Conserves 438 Acres in Wicomico County

2019

USFWS, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Mt. Cuba Center Add 27 Acres to National Wildlife Refuge
Partnership Conserves 233 Acres of Farmland in Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area
Grand opening of Woodland Wharf’s improved public access to the Nanticoke with boat dock, canoe/kayak launch and other amenities

2018

USFWS, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Mt. Cuba Center Conserve 155 Acres through Two Projects on the Nanticoke River
Partnership Conserves 230-acre Farm, Linking Protected Areas to Create a 7,730-acre-Corridor of Conserved Lands

2017

Chesapeake Conservancy raised $1.5 millionto protect an additional 533 acres of land farmland that will helppreserve the rural character of the Sentinel Landscape and furtherthe mission of the federal, state, and non-profit partners

2016

The Department of Defense (DoD) nationallycompetitive REPI Challenge awarded $1 million to helpconserve lands located within the newly designated Naval Air StationPatuxent River and Atlantic Test Ranges Sentinel Landscape inSouthern Maryland and along the Nanticoke River

2015

The Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior designated the Nanticoke River and its surrounding areas as the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape
Chesapeake Conservancy raises $1.65 million to protect additional key properties along the Nanticoke River
USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) selects the Chesapeake Bay is one of eight Critical Conservation Areas, including $5 million for a public-private conservation partnership in the Delmarva region

2014

Chesapeake Conservancy’s Nanticoke River proposal was awarded $1 million through the Department of Defense’s nationally competitive REPI Challenge to protect property along the Nanticoke to protect Naval Air Station Patuxent River readiness
Chesapeake Conservancy processed 1 m x 1 m, high resolution land use land cover data for the Nanticoke River watershed, enhancing decision making options for all of our partners
Chesapeake Conservancy, in partnership with Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) and The Conservation Fund, conserved 17.7 acres of land along Chapel Branch, a tributary to the Nanticoke River near Seaford, DE
Chesapeake Conservancy Hosts National Conference on Landscape-Scale Conservation Initiatives

2013

Chesapeake Conservancy raised $1.5 million to protect key properties along the Nanticoke River

2012

Chesapeake Conservancy supports Delaware’s acquisition of Woodland Wharf, expanding public access to the Nanticoke River

2008

On the heels of the establishment of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail, the U.S. Department of the Interior, states of Delaware and Maryland, and the Chesapeake Conservancy signed an agreement to work together to protect the Nanticoke River

2006

Congress establishes the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail which includes the Nanticoke River