SS Atlantus

Edit links
Coordinates: 38°56′40″N 74°58′19″W / 38.94444°N 74.97194°W / 38.94444; -74.97194
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Atlantus" redirects here. For the figure in Greek mythology, see Cercopes.
Not to be confused with Atlantis.
SS Atlantus the day she ran aground, 8 June 1926
History
United States
NameSS Atlantus
BuilderLiberty Ship Building Company, Brunswick, Georgia
Laid downMarch 1918[1]
Launched5 December 1918
In service1919
Out of service1920
FateWrecked, 8 June 1926
General characteristics
TypeCargo ship
Tonnage2,391 GRT
Length79.2 m (259 ft 10 in) p/p
Beam13.3 m (43 ft 8 in)
Speed10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)

SS Atlantus is the most famous of the twelve concrete ships built by the Liberty Ship Building Company[2] 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.[2]

The Atlantus was used to transport American troops back home from Europe and also to transport coal in New England.[3] After two years of service, the ship was retired in 1920 to a salvage yard in Virginia.[4]

In 1926, Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld purchased the Atlantus for use in the creation of a ferry dock (for a route now served by the

Sunset Beach.[3] Several attempts were made to free the ship, but none were successful.[5]

At one time there was a billboard painted on the side of the ship advertising boat insurance.

low tide
.

  • Postcard c.1940
    Postcard c.1940
  • Atlantus in July 2015
    Atlantus in July 2015

References

  1. ^ "Ten Thousand Ton Concrete Ships Be Built In Brunswick". Orlando Evening Star (Orlando, Florida). 18 Mar 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b "First Concrete Vessel Built on the Atlantic On Initial Trip Monday". No. 25 May 1919. The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia). 24 May 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 30 August 2018. 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).
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780811731348
    .
  4. ^ a b "S.S. Atlantus: Concrete Ship and Lead Balloon". Weird N.J. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  5. ^ Steele, Randy (February 2006). "Durable Goods". Boating: 26.
  6. ^ "Death of a Concrete Ship". concreteships.org. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Crumbling Wreck of a Concrete Ship". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 5 October 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlantus (ship, 1919).

38°56′40″N 74°58′19″W / 38.94444°N 74.97194°W / 38.94444; -74.97194

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SS_Atlantus&oldid=1204245967"