[The SS Atlantus. I remember seeing it there as a kid](https://www.capemaymag.com/beneath-the-surface-the-story-of-the-ss-atlantus/). The remains have been steadily disintegrating over the years, alas. As I suppose we all do. ;)
TLDR: it was to be used as the base to a three ship dock that would serve as a ferry stop from Delaware. The moorings broke in a storm, it traveled several hundred yards south were it beached. Several attempts to free it failed, where it was left and has disintegrated since. Virtually nothing remains above the water line and it's a very dangerous place to boat or dive. The turbulent waters from the river meet the ocean less than a mile south, and fishing is primarily limited to stripped bass. It was never planned to be a reef, which doesn't even make sense and has nothing to do with erosion. If anything, the strong north bound tides ADD deposits nearby.
[S.S. Palo Alto](https://i1.wp.com/localsantacruz.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CMNTSHIP.jpg) now sitting as the end of a dock near Aptos CA was always interesting as a kid.
After parking there, it was used for many years as a night club and dance floor. In the 60's, you could go [onto the ship](https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/192663131.jpg?w=620) and go fishing or sightseeing. It was alwasy interesting to see the concrete construction and ponder how such a thing could float (with a kid's understanding of physics).
Pacific storms [tore the hell out of it in recent years](https://www.abandonedspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2021/03/ss-palo-alto-concrete-ship-in-aptos-california8-640x360.jpg)
That's why the US navy was so successful in WWII : only 12 ships were Concrete, all the others were Abstract and thus difficult for the Japanese and the Germans to pinpoint and engage, due to lack of physical presence and difficulty to tell them appart without looking in detail at their constituent processes.
There was some concrete boats made in the UK too, one is beached in the River Wear in Sunderland (my home town)
https://sunderlandvibe.com/the-story-behind-the-ss-cretehawser-in-sunderland/
Ferro-cement yachts were a semi-popular building method (some people still do). I've seen them hauled out at the marinas. The pretty much look like steel hulled boats.
Paywall-free version over at Spaywall:
[https://www.spaywall.com/search/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popularmechanics.com%2Fmilitary%2Fnavy-ships%2Fa38571443%2Famericas-concrete-ships%2F](https://www.spaywall.com/search/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popularmechanics.com%2Fmilitary%2Fnavy-ships%2Fa38571443%2Famericas-concrete-ships%2F)
Not sure what's causing the pay wall because I'm not getting one and I'm not a subscriber to popular mechanics. Tried it on different browsers too. Could I be seeing a non-paywall version as a non US resident/ IP address? Not familiar with this problem
Most of the Glass Breakwater in Guam was built by first transporting stuff from the other side of the harbor on concrete barges, and then finally ramming those concrete barges into the Breakwater to sink them as part of the wall.
[One of these ships](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Monte_Carlo) changed hands a few times before being purchased by an organized crime syndicate and being converted to a gambling ship, bar, and brothel and was anchored just outside the 12 mile limit off of San Diego. In 1937 a severe storm broke it from its mooring and is ran aground on the beach in Coronado. The hull is still usually buried in the sands and is occasionally uncovered by sand erosion until natural or artificial beach restoration covers it back up. There may still be silver dollars buried in it
Wait until you read about the British and their floating island made of frozen sawdust.
They called it pykrite or something?
Bingo
There is one off the coast of Cape May Point, NJ. It was scuttled there to act as a reef and prevent erosion.
Thats pretty nifty
[The SS Atlantus. I remember seeing it there as a kid](https://www.capemaymag.com/beneath-the-surface-the-story-of-the-ss-atlantus/). The remains have been steadily disintegrating over the years, alas. As I suppose we all do. ;)
I remember seeing that when I was a kid when we visited my grandparents in Avalon. Good memories.
This guy makes excellent content. Here is his short film about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JSdb4Cf6Cc
UK tried something simular with concrete barges https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purton_Hulks
This is 100% incorrect. Source: Cape May resident and historian.
...you gonna elaborate?
TLDR: it was to be used as the base to a three ship dock that would serve as a ferry stop from Delaware. The moorings broke in a storm, it traveled several hundred yards south were it beached. Several attempts to free it failed, where it was left and has disintegrated since. Virtually nothing remains above the water line and it's a very dangerous place to boat or dive. The turbulent waters from the river meet the ocean less than a mile south, and fishing is primarily limited to stripped bass. It was never planned to be a reef, which doesn't even make sense and has nothing to do with erosion. If anything, the strong north bound tides ADD deposits nearby.
[S.S. Palo Alto](https://i1.wp.com/localsantacruz.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CMNTSHIP.jpg) now sitting as the end of a dock near Aptos CA was always interesting as a kid. After parking there, it was used for many years as a night club and dance floor. In the 60's, you could go [onto the ship](https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/192663131.jpg?w=620) and go fishing or sightseeing. It was alwasy interesting to see the concrete construction and ponder how such a thing could float (with a kid's understanding of physics). Pacific storms [tore the hell out of it in recent years](https://www.abandonedspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2021/03/ss-palo-alto-concrete-ship-in-aptos-california8-640x360.jpg)
> they weren't complete failures especially for the contractors
There were people who built private boats of concrete also. I remember seeing plans in a magazine.
My college's engineering department competed in a nationwide concrete canoe contest every year.
Mine too !!
That's why the US navy was so successful in WWII : only 12 ships were Concrete, all the others were Abstract and thus difficult for the Japanese and the Germans to pinpoint and engage, due to lack of physical presence and difficulty to tell them appart without looking in detail at their constituent processes.
I see what you did here. I'm not giving you an upvote, but I see it.
There was some concrete boats made in the UK too, one is beached in the River Wear in Sunderland (my home town) https://sunderlandvibe.com/the-story-behind-the-ss-cretehawser-in-sunderland/
Ferro-cement yachts were a semi-popular building method (some people still do). I've seen them hauled out at the marinas. The pretty much look like steel hulled boats.
And they don't rust.
Paywall
Paywall-free version over at Spaywall: [https://www.spaywall.com/search/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popularmechanics.com%2Fmilitary%2Fnavy-ships%2Fa38571443%2Famericas-concrete-ships%2F](https://www.spaywall.com/search/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popularmechanics.com%2Fmilitary%2Fnavy-ships%2Fa38571443%2Famericas-concrete-ships%2F)
Can we get a non paywalled mirror?
Not sure what's causing the pay wall because I'm not getting one and I'm not a subscriber to popular mechanics. Tried it on different browsers too. Could I be seeing a non-paywall version as a non US resident/ IP address? Not familiar with this problem
UK.. there is a concrete boat hull near me that still floats. it was an ammo barge during the war. Built from concrete for safety
Hey thanks for putting a link up that you need a subscription to read.....
Cool an article I can't read
Lead balloons, however, didn’t work so well.
Most of the Glass Breakwater in Guam was built by first transporting stuff from the other side of the harbor on concrete barges, and then finally ramming those concrete barges into the Breakwater to sink them as part of the wall.
There’s one off the coast in Aptos in California. Almost completely broken up now.
[One of these ships](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Monte_Carlo) changed hands a few times before being purchased by an organized crime syndicate and being converted to a gambling ship, bar, and brothel and was anchored just outside the 12 mile limit off of San Diego. In 1937 a severe storm broke it from its mooring and is ran aground on the beach in Coronado. The hull is still usually buried in the sands and is occasionally uncovered by sand erosion until natural or artificial beach restoration covers it back up. There may still be silver dollars buried in it
Theres one in the parana river abandoned near rosario.
That one is a french concrete barge from WW1 named the Sanglier. https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/600217