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C.S.S GEORGIA
Off the shore of Old Fort Jackson, two markers show where the C.S.S Georgia rests some forty feet
below the Savannah River's surface. In 1986, divers brought up two of the ship's cannons, a great
deal of ammunition, and other artifacts. These unique pieces of Civil War naval history are on
display at Old Fort Jackson and the Savannah History Museum.
Today, the Coastal Heritage Society and the City of Savannah are working together to provide a venue
to display the artifacts recovered from the Georgia. Future plans involve bringing the remains of
the Georgia to the surface, and preserving them as a learning tool for future generations.
PHOTOS
HISTORY
In 1862, the Ladies Gunboat Association raised more than $115,000 to build a new ironclad warship
to defend the rivers of Savannah. Unfortunately, the ship's propulsion system proved inadequate
for maneuvering the massive vessel. As a result, it was used more as a floating battery or
"floating fortress."
On the evening of December 20, 1864, the Georgia's Confederate crew scuttled her in front of Fort
Jackson to keep her from falling into Union hands. The Georgia sank quickly. As one Confederate
officer noted, he had just enough time to retrieve his sidearm and sword before the Savannah
River swallowed the ship.
In 1968, the Georgia was rediscovered when a dredge clearing the harbor bottom struck something hard
and unmoving. When operators brought the machinery up out of the water, they found rusted iron
rails wrapped around it. Divers visited the Georgia's wreck in the 1970's and 1980's, with hopes of
one day raising her remains for preservation and display, but at the time, technology was not up to
task.
In the early 2000's a push to deepen the harbor of Savannah created a new sense of urgency about
saving the Georgia's remains. The wreckage lies directly in the path of the deepening. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers and Georgia Ports Authority pooled their resources to fund a new series of dives on
the Georgia.
In the summer of 2003, hard-hat divers found that the bulk of the ship's wooden hull had rotted
away, though large pieces of iron armor were still intact. Using sonar and global positioning
satellite technology, underwater archeologists created a detailed computer map of the
wreckage.
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FUTHER RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION ON THE C.S.S GEORGIA
Links
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District's C.S.S. Georgia webpage
Downloads
(May require the latest version of
Adobe Acrobat Reader found here)
Corps of Engineers Archival Report on the CSS Georgia
CSS Georgia Archaeological Field Report
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