Concrete Ship
by Bev Conover
Title
Concrete Ship
Artist
Bev Conover
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The scarcity of steel during World War I forced America to build ships out of a counter-intuitive substitute -- concrete. Concrete actually floats when it's shaped like a boat. The S.S. Atlantus was one of a dozen concrete ships that were built, and it criss-crossed the Atlantic several times, hauling cargo and troops. But when steel again became available, the S.S. Atlantus was mothballed.
In 1926 she was docked in Cape May when a storm broke her loose and ran her aground, just off of Sunset Beach. She couldn't be pried off of the bottom because she was made of, well, concrete. For the last 80+ years her slowly crumbling hulk has been a tourist attraction, although not much of her is left to see.
Uploaded
July 8th, 2013
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