Back on Oct. 9th I started this entry and will do some more of it.
FIRST STONE FLEET
The Main Ship Channel and Maffitt Channel were the ones used most by blockade-runners, so it was determined by the Union Navy to obstruct them. Forty-five ex-whaling ships were filled with rocks in New England and sent to Charleston for that purpose. Being old and decrepit, some sank en route and others were diverted elsewhere.
Between Dec. 17th and Dec. 21st, 1861, sixteen were sunk in the Main Ship Channel and another thirteen were sunk Jan. 20-25 in the Maffitt Channel.
Locating large mounds of rocks is key to locating these wrecks today. They were sunk in an organized checkerboard pattern. Underwater archaeologists found 15 such ballast mounds with 14 being packed closely together. They couldn't find the Second Stone Fleet at Maffitt's Channel.
They did find four wrecks with large stones, but they think they were flat-bottom boats used to construct the Charleston Harbor jetties from 1878 to 1896.
More to Come Monday. --Old B-R'er
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