Rising from the Chesapeake Bay, nine concrete ships form one of Virginia State Parks’ most recognizable—and least understood—landmarks.
Their story begins in 1942, when a wartime steel shortage prompted the U.S. Maritime Commission to commission concrete vessels. Built by McCloskey and Co. in Tampa, Florida, starting in 1943, two dozen ships were constructed. Some even saw combat—the S.S. David O. Saylor and S.S. Vitruvius sailed to Normandy, where they were deliberately sunk to create artificial harbors for D–Day supply operations. Their hulls remain there today.
The nine ships at Kiptopeke served as transport and training vessels in the South Pacific. After the war, they were scuttled in 1948 to protect a thriving ferry terminal. When the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened in 1964, the ferry became obsolete, but the breakwater remained.
Today, visitors can kayak around these remarkable pieces of living history. DCR.Virginia.gov
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