--- title: "The US Navy built 12 concrete ships for World War I" description: "Concrete, while cheap and readily available, is expensive to build and operate when it comes to ships. 12 concrete ships were built for WWI." date: "2021-09-03" modified: "2022-12-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/the-us-navy-built-12-concrete-ships-for-world-war-i/" categories: - "History" - "Navy" - "Ships" - "Tactical" - "War History" --- # The US Navy built 12 concrete ships for World War I ![]() During World War I, steel for building ships was in short supply. While American President Woodrow Wilson was determined to keep the U.S. out of the war, he didn't want America's Merchant Marine to be left unbuilt. So he approved the construction of 24 ships made from concrete to the tune of $50 million ($11.4 billion adjusted for inflation) to help build American shipping capacity. Concrete, while cheap and readily available, is expensive to build and operate when it comes to ships. They need thick hulls, which means less room for cargo. Only 12 were ever built and by the time they were ready, the Great War was over. A website dedicated to this "experiment in ship building," [ConcreteShips.org](), keeps track of what happened to these 12 innovations. ## Here are the 12 concrete ships built for World War I ### SS Atlantus The *Atlantus* was a steamer that was sold as a ferry landing ship. Before she could ever be used for that, she broke free during a storm and grounded near Cape May, New Jersey, in 1926. ![atlantus concrete ships]() *The Atlantus in 1926.* She's been falling apart ever since but what's left can still be seen from shore. ### SS Cape Fear A good example of the drawbacks of using concrete for shipbuilding, the *Cape Fear* ran into a cargo ship in Rhode Island, shattered, and then sank with 19 crewmen lost. ### SS Cuyamaca The *Cuyamaca* was stripped down in New Orleans after she was built. She was then converted into an oil barge. Like other concrete ships hauling oil in the Gulf of Mexico, not much is known about her final resting place. ### SS Dinsmore Artificial structures sunk in coastal areas protect the coasts from negative effects due to weather and the spread of sediment. The *Dinsmore* is living on in this regard. She was sunk to be a breakwater in the Gulf of Mexico. ### SS Latham The *Latham* also became an oil barge, storing oil pumped in the Gulf of Mexico. While transporting oil pipes, she hit a jetty and nearly sank. She's now floating around the Gulf somewhere, storing oil. ### SS Moffitt ![ss moffitt]() *SS Moffitt being launched.* *Moffitt* is another oil barge off the coast of New Orleans. ### SS Palo Alto This ship was turned into a dance club and restaurant in California. It featured an arcade and a swimming pool before the company that ran the place collapsed in the Great Depression. ![palo alto concrete ships]() *The Palo Alto (used by permission)* When a storm cracked her across the middle, the *Palo Alto* became a fishing pier. ### SS Peralta Now in British Columbia, Canada, the *Peralta* spent time as a floating fish cannery and is now a floating breakwater. She's the only one of the 12 still afloat. ![ss peralta]() *The SS Peralta (photo by Scott J. Lowe)* The *Peralta* is also the largest concrete ship still afloat anywhere in the world. She protects the log storage pond of a Canadian paper company. ### SS Polias After hitting an underwater ledge, *Polias* shattered and sank off the coast of Maine. Fourteen crewmen died trying to abandon ship. ![ss polias concrete ships]() *(Public domain)* A 1924 hurricane further shattered her wreck. What remains is off the coast of Port Clyde, Maine. ### SS San Pasqual When the *San Pasqual* ran aground off Cuba, no one was inclined to dig her out. She stayed there and became a depot ship and then a prison. Now, she's a 10 room hotel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXdSWB89Q08 ### SS Sapona Originally sold for scrap, *Sapona* was converted into an offshore liquor warehouse during Prohibition. She was grounded off the coast of Bimini, an island of the Bahamas, during a hurricane. The stern broke off, destroying the rum running owner's stock and leaving him penniless. ![sapona concrete ships]() *The Sapona in 2009* The Army Air Forces and Navy used *Sapona* for target practice during WWII. ### SS Selma Called the "Flagship of Texas," the *Selma* was an oil tanker that hit a jetty off the coast of Tampico, Florida. The government sent *Selma* to Galveston for repairs, but the shipwrights had no experience with concrete. She was taken to Pelican Island, Texa in 1922, where she sits today. ![ss selma concrete ships]() *The SS Selma in Galveston (photo by John Wiley)* The [Texas Army]() named her its flagship 70 years later. ### NOW WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrRodO9Xk0w ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()