Speaker Series: Mothball Fleet on the Hudson with Tony Musso

As part of our speaker series, the Wappingers Historical Society presents Tony Musso, local historian and author of the “Mothball Fleet on the Hudson: The Post-World War II National Defense Reserve”. Discover the purpose and fate of the fabled “mothball fleet”, which many locals referred to as “the ghost ships”.

In 1946, the National Naval Defense Reserve Fleet was established and eight sites around the nation were selected to store ships from World War II, and keep them ready for action in the event of a national emergency. One of the locations chosen was the Hudson River.  Hudson River Defense Reserve Fleet (also known as the Mothball Fleet) remained active at Jones Point, just south of the Bear Mountain Bridge, from 1946 through 1971. At its peak, 189 vessels were anchored there, side-by-side in neatly arranged rows that spanned the river for several miles south. Tonywill discuss his new book, Mothball Fleet on the Hudson, which covers the fleet’s time on the Hudson and the popularity it generated from locals.

This event is open to non-members as well as Members. Members admission is free, non-members donation is suggested to be $5.00. 

About Anthony Musso:

 Anthony Musso was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Following a tour of duty in the US Army, he attended Nassau Community College and Hofstra University while at the same time beginning a 38-year career with the US Postal Service. A writer/editor for several publications throughout his career, working for Postal Headquarters he also served as a media spokesman and editor of a 85,000-circulation monthly magazine distributed in the northeast corridor of the country. 

In addition to his government service, Musso worked as a freelance correspondent for the Times-Herald Record in Middletown, NY and later as a journalist and weekly columnist with Gannett Newspapers, a position he still maintains.

His first book “FDR and the Post Office” was released in 2005 and was followed by a two-volume book, “Setting the Record Straight; the music and careers of recording artists from the 1950’s and 1960’s…in their own words.” The later project was based on personal interviews Musso conducted with 100 top recording artists from that era. His next books, “Hidden Treasures of the Hudson Valley” Volume One and Two each feature 55 sites throughout the upstate New York region that, while not widely known boast significant tie to, among other things the American Revolution, early American industry and local and national politics. He released “Staatsburg: A Village Lost in Time” in fall 2014. “Hidden Treasures of the Catskills” was released in October 2015 and his eighth book, “Hidden Treasures of the Hudson Valley” Volume Three in August 2018.

Musso has resided in the Hudson Valley since 1986.