Mallows Bay

Mallows Bay is an archaeological site on the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland, where over a hundred wooden ships lie underwater. The wrecks extend along the shallow shoreline and form dark outlines just below the surface.

The fleet was built in 1918 to carry troops to Europe, but the war ended before they were finished. A company bought the ships for scrap and sank them in this bay in 1925.

The shipwrecks draw kayakers who paddle between the wooden hulls and watch cormorants perch on exposed beams. Anglers cast their lines among the sunken structures where small fish gather.

A pier and a short walking trail lead to viewpoints along the shore where the wrecks are visible. Boats can be launched from the shore to approach the structures more closely.

At low tide, rusted steam boilers and curved wooden ribs rise from the water and reveal early twentieth-century shipbuilding methods. Bald eagles nest on some of the tallest wrecks and use them as lookout perches.

Location: Charles County

GPS coordinates: 38.47284,-77.26856

Latest update: December 14, 2025 20:04