We have all heard of the concrete ship (aka SS Atlantus) but not many of us know what she looked like when she was beached there on June 8th 1926.
The SS Atlantus was one of the twelve concrete ships built for World War I for their World War I Emergency Fleet.
She was built out of concrete due to the low cost and because they were fast to build. The SS Atlantus was finished a month after WWI ended but she was used to transport troops back to the United States.
You can check out how concrete ships were launched by clicking the link below.
I will go into more detail when I do a full blown article about the SS Atlantus, but for now lets jump to June 8 1926. She was ripped off her moorings during a storm and ran aground at Sunset Beach, Cape May. When Cape May residents woke up on June 9th they found the SS Atlantus right at their door step.
For years afterwards the bell of the SS Atlantus had gone missing. Finally in 2018 we were able to find out what happened to it. Click the link below for that story.
Multiple attempts took place to rescue her which ended in failure. Over time the ship started to crack making any kind of saving her unlikely.
Check out this rare video below of the ship, one year after it was beached. The US Coast Guard filmed a video of how their new life-line (yes a legit life-line) system worked.
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Check out these other Cape May videos and articles.
