CARIBOU

3D Model

Caribou is a Ferris-type wooden cargo vessel built by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Co., South Jacksonville, Florida, for the United States Shipping Board. Ferris-type ships like Caribou were built for the U.S. 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 a massive wartime effort that drove the expansion and economic development of communities and related maritime services. Although nearly 300 wooden warships were built, the war ended before the ships could be used. Many of them were scuttled to the Potomac River for the purpose of salvaging scrap metal, such as engines, steam boilers, and propellers. They became known as the Ghost Fleet, which was partially dismantled through three separate shipbreaking and metal salvage periods from the 1920s through the 1940s. Caribou now sits within Mallows Bay - Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary and has a well preserved hull. Model by Allyson Ropp/NOAA.