The concrete ship, U.S.S. Atlantus viewed from Sunset Beach, Cape May Point, New Jersey.

Hello and thanks for checking out my video, on the concrete ship...yes, concrete! Due to a shortage of steel, during World War I, the federal goverment turned to experimental design concrete ships. An emergency fleet of 38 concrete ships were planned by the United States Shipping Board. Only 12 of the concrete ships were ever put into service. Two others had construction begun, but they were never completed. The "Atlantus" was the second prototype, a 3,000 ton 250 foot long freightliner. it was built with 5 inch thick hull of special concrete aggregate, to correct shattering and brittleness problems found in the first concrete ship. It was built by the Liberty Shipbuilding Corporation of Brunswick, Georgia. She was launched on November 21st. 1918, at Wilmington, North Carolina. Commissioned June 1st. 1919, the "Atlantus" served for a year as a goverment owned privately operated commercial coal steamer in New England. With the end of the war, the more efficent steel ships were again available. The "Concrete Fleet" was decommissioned. The "Atlantus" was sent to the "Bone Yard" at Pigs Point, in Norfolk, Virginia in September of 1920. A year later the "Atlantus" was stripped after being purchased by a salvage company. In 1926, the "Atlantus" was towed to Cape May, New Jersey. A Baltimore firm was attempting to start a ferry service from Cape May, New Jersey to Lewes, Deleware. It was planned to have a channel dredge well into shore. The "Atlantus" would then be forced into the channel. A special drawbridge type of device was to be mounted on the exposed end. two other hulls would be sunk at angles creating a "Y" shape. The ferry would dock by wedging in and cars and passengers would load and unload by use of the drawbridge. While awaiting positioning the "Atlantus" broke loose of her moorings duning a storm June 8th. 1926 and went aground. Several attempts were made to free the "Atlantus", but they were futile. Interesting history, I hope you enjoyed it! Watch in HD if you can. Please add me to your friends list and subscribe! Thanks, Enginenut :-)

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Concrete
• Ship
• New
• Jersey
• NJ
• Beach
• Cape
• May
• USS
• Atlantus
• History
• Sunset
• World
• War

[ledamianded]

I was born here and still live here I remember when you could still tell it was a ship it seemed to start to rapidly deteriorate from the time I was a kid and through the photos I've seen of the ship from when it first sunk to when I 1st saw it as a little boy prob 27 years ago it seems to have sped up in it's erosion weird?

[llaboy2000]

My grandfather told me about this and my father dismissed it as an old man's crazy tale. How about that?

[timberwolf84]

@805ROADKING sure is. sad now that it's gone.

[scomyo3]

very interesting

[smoken6spd]

I was just there this weekend ,,,and saw all these sites ,also the airplane museum had b17 and b24 bombers it was the coolest things ive ever been..

[805ROADKING]

There was alot more of it there when I first seen it as a kid. 15-20 years from now it will be gone completely. Great video!!

[Bevoin1970]

Interesting... :-)

[propanemower13]

thats cool i used to go there all the time when i had my beach house in cape may nice place