National Defense Reserve Fleet
![NDRF ships at Suisun Bay, California](/Images/godic/202501/29/Wfm_suisun_reserve_fleet5133.jpg")
![Inactive U.S. Navy auxiliary ships of the James River Reserve Fleet (1996)](/Images/godic/202501/29/James_River_Reserve_Fleet_source5133.jpg")
![Mothballed ships in Suisun Bay, California in 2010. The battleship Iowa can be seen at the far end of the first row](/Images/godic/202501/29/Mothball_fleet_Suisun_Bay_aerial5133.jpg")
The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.