The band was formed in 2002 by vocalist Derek Pardoe, drummer Chad Kent, and guitarist Nathan Slade in southern Mississippi. The band was originally called Watership Down, after Richard Adams’ classic tale of the same name but was renamed "Atomship" later that year. Derek Pardoe, who was a founding member and lead vocalist, was not featured on The Crash of '47 and remains uncredited for his role in the production of the album, and his role in the band overall. Joey Culver took over the vocals on The Crash of '47 because Derek's Pardoe's anxiety issues made him unable to record with the band. 10 of the 11 tracks on The Crash of '47 were written by Slade and Pardoe while Chad Kent was recovering from shoulder problems.

It has been said by some that Joey Culver helped form the band; this is not the case. Culver was given credit on the album but only wrote the song "Plastic People".

Nathan Slade played the bass on 5 songs, with Cordell Crockett played bass on the rest. The band had a falling-out with Joey Culver in late 2004 over "irreconcilable differences".