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Post by peterd on May 5, 2012 11:02:27 GMT -8
Civil War shipwreck creates hurdle for government's $653M plan Before government engineers can deepen one of the nation's busiest seaports to accommodate future trade, they first need to remove a $14 million obstacle from the past -- a Confederate warship rotting on the Savannah River bottom for nearly 150 years. Confederate troops scuttled the ironclad CSS Georgia to prevent its capture by Gen. William T. Sherman when his Union troops took Savannah in December 1864. It's been on the river bottom ever since. www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/05/civil-war-shipwreck-creates-hurdle-for-government-653m-plan/ |
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Post by Sailor on May 5, 2012 16:33:10 GMT -8
After this much time I have to wonder how much is left of her worth preserving. The story mentioned dredges have already damaged the wreck. Dredges don't leave a hell of a lot intact.
Union gunboat USS Carondelet sank in the Mississippi shortly after the end of the Civil war. She lay undisturbed for more than a century.
Besides being a writer Clive Cussler is also a naval historian and he sought Carondelet. He found her, two hours after a dredge ran over her. All that was left was part of her keel and a few timbers. The story can be found in the book "The Sea Hunters," a collection of stories of his searches which also include the successful hunt for CSS Hundley.
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Post by peterd on May 5, 2012 17:35:27 GMT -8
I think it would be neat to raise the ship and somehow preserve it so public could see. Story could help some to learn a history of US.
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Post by Sailor on May 18, 2012 17:20:25 GMT -8
There probably isn't a lot left worth raising Pete. Any wood in the wreck, unless it was covered by silt would have either rotted away or been eaten by shipworm or other maritime fauna.
Metal would deteriorate and require extreme care to preserve it just as care is being taken with CSS Hundley and the bits and pieces recovered from Monitor.
This assumes of course that the wreck hasn't suffered under a dredge or being hit by barges or ship hulls.
I'd like to see what remains of the sloop of war USS Cumberland which Virginia rammed and sunk. Her wreck was never moved and is still on the bottom of the Roads near the Newport News ship channel. Word is that Virginia's ram is still embedded in what is left of her hull. Even though being iron bound wood the ram may still be in good shape, protected within Cumberland's wreck.
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