If you’ve been in the concrete industry for even a short amount of time, you’re probably familiar with the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC). But did you know that concrete rode the waters long before the NCCC began? With World War II raging on two fronts, U.S. steel resources were heavily committed to providing aircraft and armaments. In 1942, the United States Maritime Commission contracted McCloskey and Company of Philadelphia to build a fleet of 24 concrete ships. Three decades of improvements in concrete technology made this new fleet lighter and stronger than its WWI predecessors, which had been somewhat of a failure. Known as The McCloskey Ships, they were constructed in Tampa, FL, beginning in July 1943 and were named after pioneers in the science and development of concrete. The ships were built quickly and launched at a rate of one a month. They were primarily used as army training ships and as store ships in the South Pacific. However, two were sunk as blockships in the Allied invasion of Normandy.

In December 1948, nine McCloskey ships were partially sunk to form a ferry breakwater off the coast of Kiptopeke Beach, VA. After the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel, the ferry was put out of business; however, the breakwater still protects the beach and provides a home for coastal fish and birds. Of the remaining ships, two are wharves in Yaquina Bay in Newport, OR and seven are still afloat in a giant breakwater on the Powell River in Canada.