The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
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The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
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Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#2I was just talking to my SO about the cement ship the other day. Not really so much about the ship itself, but the fact the pier is suffering the same fate as the ship. It was once a rather big fishing spot when I was growing up, but not it is completely closed off. Once it's gone it isn't going to be rebuilt.
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#3I grew up a few miles from the beach with the row of concrete ships sunken at Kiptopeake, Virginia that is pictured in the article.
Crappy ships, but they are fantastic artificial reefs. We used to kayak or boat right next to them and catch tons of fish. The area is now a state park.
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#4One of the more interesting materials proposed for shipbuilding to save steel, was ice/sawdust. Apparently not quite as impractical as it sounds.
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#5As kids back in the 60s, we loved to climb all around that ship when we'd camp in the park. It is amazing to me that we never got hurt or fell into the ocean, given there were holes in the deck that weren't fenced off. Rusted, flaking metal was all around, waiting to slice open a hand or a foot but, somehow, we survived. I never knew, until now, 50 years later, the history of that ship or its name.
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#6I had no idea we used concrete ships during WWII until I found out we sunk one during the atomic testing in the Pacific.
The US used a concrete ship (YO-160) [1] as one of the target/target vessels during the Operation Crossroads tests [2]. The ship had been used as an oiler/fuel barge during WWII and sunk not from the tests directly but from damage sustained when moving it after the Able test. Although the Baker shot served as a coup de grâce (ultimately sinking the vessel), YO-160 was already taking on water and probably would have sunk on its own.
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#7Reminds me of the Mulberry harbours from DDay
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#8The half-sunken SS Atlantus used to be quite visible off of Sunset Beach in Cape May, New Jersey. It's been steadily sinking over the years and not much is visible from shore anymore. Here's a view, probably from the sixties:
http://www.concreteships.org/ships/ww1/atlantus/postcard-bre...
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#9The half-sunken SS Atlantus used to be quite visible off of Sunset Beach in Cape May, New Jersey. It's been steadily sinking over the years and not much is visible from shore anymore. Here's a view, probably from the sixties: http://www.concreteships.org/ships/ww1/atlantus/postcard-bre...
Still is visible: https://goo.gl/1ghoUw
Re: The SS Palo Alto and the Surprising History of Concrete Ships
#10There's good information available on the early 20th C concrete tugs built in Britain which that article glosses over. Three are visible near the mouths of various Irish and English rivers.
http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-14...