S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
N 38° 56.667 W 074° 58.199
18S E 502601 N 4310612
150 feet off the coast of Sunset Beach in Cape May, New Jersey, a strange structure sticks out of the water. This historic sign marks this curiosity. Simply park your car where NJ ends and after reading the sign, look out at the water.
Waymark Code: WM3TR2
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 05/17/2008
Published By:Groundspeak Charter Member briansnat
Views: 73

A sign by the edge of the road says that it is the remains of the S.S. Atlantus, one of twelve experimental ships built of concrete during the First World War, but "proven impractical because of weight." This brown sign replaces the old blue sign.

The concrete ship experiment was not quite the failure that the sign implied - another fleet was built during World War II.

History:
The S. S. Atlantus is probably the most famous concrete ship. She was built by the Liberty Ship Building Company in Brunswick, Georgia and launched on December 5, 1918 and was the second concrete ship constructed in the World War I Emergency Fleet.
The war had ended a month earlier, but the Atlantus was used to transport American troops back home from Europe and also to transport coal in New England. In 1920, the ship was retired to a salvage yard in Virginia.

In 1926, the Atlantus was purchased by Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld to be used as ferry dock in Cape May, New Jersey for a proposed ferry between Cape May and Cape Henlopen, DE. The plan was to dig a channel into to the shore where the Atlantus would be placed. Two other concrete ships would be purchased to form a Y-shape where the ferry would 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 8th, 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.

Since then the Atlantus has become a tourist attraction seen by millions. People used to swim out to the ship and dive off, until one young man drowned. At one time, a billboard was also placed on the ship. Starting in the late 50's, the ship began to split apart in the midsection.

Source: (visit link)


Marker Name: S.S. Atlantus

Marker Type: Local? Unofficial

Marker text:
Remains of experimental concrete ship. One of twelve built during World War I. Proven impractical after several Trans-Atlantic trips because of weight. In 1926, the Atlantus was purchased by Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld to be used as a ferry dock in Cape May, New Jersey for a proposed ferry between Cape May and Cape Henlopen, DE. On June 8th, a storm hit and broke the ship 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


Dedication Date: 01/01/2007

City: Cape May

County: Cape May

Group responsible for placement: Historic Prints, Ltd. (Private)

Web Link: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
A photo of the 'Marker' or 'Plaque' is required to identify the location, plus a picture of the 'Historic Site', please ALSO provide a detailed description of your visit so we can form a 'mental image'
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest New Jersey Historical Markers
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
tnwave visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 06/25/2018 tnwave visited it
jiggs11 visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 03/01/2018 jiggs11 visited it
Mychell visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 10/08/2017 Mychell visited it
Janila visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 10/22/2016 Janila visited it
siff visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 09/15/2016 siff visited it
Rattrak visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 06/30/2015 Rattrak visited it
Searcher28 visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 07/09/2014 Searcher28 visited it
urpickle visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 09/24/2013 urpickle visited it
kayakingdog visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 11/27/2011 kayakingdog visited it
iwasthere visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 09/22/2010 iwasthere visited it
bpom visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 06/12/2010 bpom visited it
SquirtGunn visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 10/02/2009 SquirtGunn visited it
TheWildRoots visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 07/03/2009 TheWildRoots visited it
CanToo visited S.S. Atlantus - Cape May, NJ 05/18/2009 CanToo visited it

View all visits/logs