Staten Island boat graveyard

The Staten Island boat graveyard is a ship graveyard in Rossville on Staten Island, scattered along the shallow waters of the Arthur Kill near the former Fresh Kills Landfill. Around 100 rusted and decaying vessel hulls lie half-submerged in mud and jutting from the water.

John J. Witte founded this ship graveyard in the 1930s as a scrapping facility for decommissioned vessels. After World War II, the site grew by accepting numerous old military and civilian ships that were left here for dismantling.

The collection holds the USS PC-1264, a submarine chaser from World War II crewed mainly by African-American sailors. This vessel marked a turning point in the history of the US Navy and now stands as a reminder of the struggle for equal service in the armed forces.

Reaching the site requires a kayak or rubber boots at low tide, as the wrecks lie in shallow water and mud. The area is remote and difficult to access, so visitors should prepare for muddy and uneven conditions.

Among the wrecks lies the fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which served as a command post during the 1904 General Slocum passenger ferry disaster. Over 1,000 people died in that tragedy, one of the worst maritime disasters in New York history.