Alanthus/Postage Stamp Wreck

Built in 1918 in Newark, New Jersey, for the U.S. Shipping Board, Alanthus was one of about 300 ships built during World War I as part of the shipbuilding effort. However, the war ended before the ship could be used. In 1922, Alanthus was one of the first ships purchased for scrapping. It was moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where it caught fire. The hull of the ship was saved and towed to the Widewater anchorage area near Washington DC. It was then moved to Mallows Bay, where it has been since 1929. In 2022, in a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, this wreck site was selected to represent Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.