SS Atlantus

{{Short description|Early twentieth-century concrete ship}}

{{Redirect|Atlantus|the figure in Greek mythology|Cercopes}}

{{Distinguish|Atlantis}}

File:EFC Design 1040 - 3000 DWT Concrete Cargo Ship (1).jpg

File:EFC Design 1040 - 3000 DWT Concrete Cargo Ship (2).jpg

SS Atlantus is the most famous of the twelve concrete ships built by the Liberty Ship Building Company{{cite news |title=First Concrete Vessel Built on the Atlantic On Initial Trip Monday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/26922895/ |accessdate=30 August 2018 |issue=25 May 1919 |publisher=The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) |date=24 May 1919 |page=5 |quote=The steamship Atlantus the first concrete vessel ever to be built on the Atlantic coast and the first under the supervision of the United States shipping board will leave Brunswick Monday on her initial trip to Wilmington, Delaware. N. C. the headquarters of the Liberty Shipbuilding company builders of the Atlantus. The contract for installing the machinery was then awarded to the American Ship building company in this city (Brunswick).}} in Brunswick, Georgia, United States, during and after World War I.

The steamer was launched on 5 December 1918, and was the second concrete ship constructed in the World War I Emergency Fleet. The war had ended a month earlier, and so work on completing her was put on slow. She completed her sea trials (a 400-500 mile trip) and sailed to Wilmington, Delaware on her maiden voyage on 26 May 1919 for final touches, prior to sailing for New York. The Liberty Ship Building Company had their headquarters in Wilmington. She was built for service between New York and the West Indies.

The Atlantus was used to transport American troops back home from Europe{{Citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=This claim, while frequently repeated, needs a more reliable source than a field guide to birds. It doesn't agree with the timeline of the ship's construction, or its design as a freighter.}} and also to transport coal in New England.{{cite book|last1=Sutton|first1=Patricia|last2=Sutton|first2=Clay|title=Birds and Birding at Cape May|year=2006 |publisher=Stackpole Books|isbn=9780811731348|pages=241}} After two years of service, the ship was retired in 1920 to a salvage yard in Virginia.

In 1926, Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld purchased the Atlantus for use in the creation of a ferry dock (for a route now served by the Cape May – Lewes Ferry) out of her and two of her sister ships.{{cite web|title=S.S. Atlantus: Concrete Ship and Lead Balloon|url=http://weirdnj.com/stories/mystery-history/s-s-atlantus-concrete-ship/|website=Weird N.J.|accessdate=26 January 2016}} The plan was to dig a channel to the shore where the Atlantus would be placed, and the other two ships would be placed in a Y formation, creating a slip for a ferry to 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 8 of the same year, 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.{{cite journal|last1=Steele|first1=Randy|title=Durable Goods|journal=Boating|date=February 2006|pages=26}} The wreck was used for a time by the United States Coast Guard base at nearby Sewell Point for breeches buoy training.{{Cite web |title=FOR THOSE IN PERIL |url=https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/62402/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=British Pathé |language=en-GB}}

At one time there was a billboard painted on the side of the ship advertising boat insurance.{{cite web|title=Death of a Concrete Ship|url=http://www.concreteships.org/ships/ww1/atlantus/death.html|website=concreteships.org|accessdate=8 August 2020}} Since her sinking, her slowly deteriorating hull has drawn tourists, although little of her is left visible above the water line.{{cite web|title=Crumbling Wreck of a Concrete Ship|url=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/6838|website=RoadsideAmerica.com|accessdate=5 October 2015}} The wreckage is currently split in three pieces. The stern is the most visible section, the middle is completely submerged, and the bow can only be viewed at low tide.