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A SHIP MADE OUT OF CONCRETE?

As impossible as it seems, the ocean once carried a fleet of ships built mostly of concrete. But, as you might expect, the fleet didn’t float for long. For over 50 years, just off Sunset Beach, in Historic Cape May Point, New Jersey, lays the concrete ship Atlantus.

Concrete, a mixture of sand and gravel bonded together with a cement to form a solid, heavy mass similar to stone, seems an unlikely substance to be used in ship construction. Wood, which floats, seems a better medium for building vessels and indeed was the preferred material for shipbuilding for thousands of years. Due to a critical shortage of steel during World War I, the federal government turned to an experimental design--concrete ships. An emergency fleet of 38 concrete ships was planned by the United States Shipping Board. Only 12 concrete ships were ever put into service. Construction was begun on two others, but was never completed. The Atlantus was the second prototype, a 3,000-ton, 250-foot long freighter, built with a 5-inch thick hull of special concrete aggregate to correct shattering and brittleness problems found in the first concrete ship.

The Atlantus was built by the Liberty Shipbuilding Corporation, of Brunswick, Georgia, and was launched on November 21st, 1918, at Wilmington, North Carolina. Finally commissioned on June 1st, 1919, the Atlantus served for a year as a government-owned, privately-operated commercial coal steamer in New England. It also was used to transport American troops back home from Europe .

When the war ended, the more efficient steel ships were available again. The Concrete Fleet was de-commissioned, and the Atlantus was sent to the Bone Yard at Pigs Point, in Norfolk, Virginia in September of 1920. A year later, the Atlantus was purchased by a salvage company and was stripped.

In 1926, the Atlantus was purchased by Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld to be used as ferry dock in Cape May, New Jersey for a proposed ferry between Cape May and Cape Henlopen, DE. The plan was to dig a channel into to the shore where the Atlantus would be placed. Two other concrete ships would be purchased to form a Y-shape where the ferry would dock.

In March 1926, the groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the construction of the ferry dock. The Atlantus was repaired and towed to Cape May. On June 8th, a storm hit and the ship broke free of her moorings and ran aground 150 feet off the coast of Sunset Beach. Several attempts were made to free the ship, but none were successful.

Since then the Atlantus has become a tourist attraction seen by millions. People used to swim out to the ship and dive off, until one young man drowned. At one time, a billboard was also placed on the ship. Starting in the late 50s, the ship began to split apart in the midsection.

The Atlantus can now be seen at Sunset Beach in Cape May, NJ. Unfortunately the ocean has taken its toll on the ship and she has broken apart. It's only a matter of time before the last of her remains crumble beneath the waves. Additional information about the Atlantus and other concrete ships can be found at www.concreteships.org.

Article provided by www.southjersey.com