Mallows Bay boasts a diverse collection of historic shipwrecks dating back to the Revolutionary War, but is most renowned for the remains of more than 100 wooden steamships, known as the “Ghost Fleet.” These ships were built for the US Emergency Fleet between 1917–1919 as part of America’s engagement in World War I. Their construction at more than 40 shipyards in 17 states reflected the massive national wartime effort that drove the expansion and economic development of communities and related maritime service industries. At the end of WWI, the now obsolete ships were brought to Mallows Bay to be burned. Bethlehem Steel later built a salvage basin during World War II to recover metal to support the war effort.