The CSS Georgia Makes a Reappearance

From the Nov. 14, 2013, Atlanta Journal Constitution "Civil War ironclad surfaces in Savannah" by Marcus K. Garner.

A section of the top the CSS Georgia was recovered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Navy divers. The whole ship needs to either be removed or destroyed in the near future because of plans to expand the navigation channel of the Savannah River.

A 64 square foot section of the CSS Georgia's casemate, the part that you see above a Confederate ironclad's waterline, is recovered as a test and will be taken to Texas A&M University where it will be assessed to determine its condition to decide on whether the rest of the wreck is to be recovered.

The ship was sunk at its moorings by Savannah's Fort Jackson to prevent capture by Gen. Sherman's advancing army near the end of the war. An 1869 dredging of the area struck part of the ship. Over the years, the ships has deteriorated. In the 1980s a recovery effort was made on some of the ship's cannons and cannonballs.

At low tide the ship is as much as 42 feet deep in the river. Diving and recovery is especially dangerous because of the near-zero visibility.

Here's Hoping the Whole Thing Can Be Recovered. --Old B-Runner