Coordinates: 50°45′58″N 1°12′58″W / 50.766°N 1.216°W / 50.766; -1.216 The Motherbank is a shallow sandbar off the northeast coast of the county Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. It lies in The Solent between Cowes and Ryde.
The Motherbank is located near historically significantly ports and anchorages such as Portsmouth, Spithead, Southampton, and St. Helen's Bay, and has long served as an important anchorage itself. Merchant ships have anchored at the Motherbank for centuries.
The Royal Navy for many years anchored old, decommissioned warships at the Motherbank while they awaited disposal. An old warship might be anchored there for anything between several weeks and several years before being sold, scrapped, or sunk as a target.