 SS Atlantus the day she ran aground | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | SS Atlantus |
| Owner | United States Shipping Board (1919-1925), unknown salvage company (1925), Jesse Rosenfeld (1925-1926) [1] |
| Operator | Clyde Steamship Company (1919-1920) |
| Builder | Liberty Ship Building Company, Brunswick, Georgia |
| Laid down | March 1918 [2] |
| Launched | 5 December 1918 |
| Commissioned | 1 June 1919 [1] |
| In service | 1919 |
| Out of service | 1920 [1] |
| Fate | Wrecked, 10 July 1926 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Concrete cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 3,000 DWT [3] |
| Length | 260 ft 2.5 in (79.312 m) (o/a), 250 ft (76 m) (p/p) [3] |
| Beam | 43 ft 6 in (13.26 m) [3] |
| Draft | 6.7 m (22 ft)[ citation needed ] |
| Depth | 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m) [3] |
| Installed power | 188 nhp (140 kW) [4] |
| Propulsion | triple-expansion steam engine, three cylinders [4] |
| Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) |
SS Atlantus is a concrete ship built by the Liberty Shipbuilding Company in Brunswick, Georgia, United States, during and after World War I. [5]
Contents
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 probably intended for service between New York and the West Indies. [5]
The Atlantus was used by the Clyde Steam Ship Co. to primarily (but not exclusively) transport coal from Norfolk, Virginia to New England. [6] After seventeen sailings, the ship was found to be unprofitable to operate, and she was returned to the Shipping Board to be laid up at Norfolk. [7]
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 other ships. [1] The plan was to dredge a channel into which the Atlantus would be towed, then submerged by filling it with sand, creating a bridge between the pier and the slips. [1] Afterward, the other two wooden ships would be anchored stern-to-stern with the Atlantus in a Y formation, which would also filled with sand and sunk to create the slips. [1] In March 1926, the groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the construction of the ferry dock. The Atlantus was towed to Cape May Point on June 10. [8] Before it could be placed, the ship was beached in a storm on 10 July 1926, refloated on 11 July, and then anchored. Several attempts were made to free the ship, but none were successful. [9] The wreck was used for a time by the United States Coast Guard base at nearby Sewell Point for breeches buoy training. [10]
At one time there was a billboard painted on the side of the ship advertising boat insurance. [11] Since her sinking, her slowly deteriorating hull has drawn tourists, although little of her is left visible above the water line. 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.[ citation needed ]
