Posted on 07/30/2003 9:01:12 PM PDT by Ed Straker
History at 40 feet
Divers will study the CSS Georgia through the end of August as a prelude to possible recovery of the Civil War-era ironclad.
By Charles Cochran
912.652.0396
ccochran@savannahnow.com
She lay forgotten for more than 100 years in the murky waters of the Savannah River.
But Wednesday at Old Fort Jackson, state and local politicos gathered with historic preservationists to officially unveil a six-week study of the CSS Georgia, one of the Confederacy's earliest ironclad ships.
Some celebrated the old ship's value as a historical window into Confederate-era shipbuilding techniques -- and the lifestyles of sailors.
Others noted its potential value as a tourist attraction.
"This is a very significant event for our community, because I'm looking at the dollars," Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams Jr. said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has set aside up to $13 million to possibly raise the ship, an effort that for some would evoke memories of the CSS Hunley, a Confederate-era submarine that was lost just outside Charleston harbor, along with her eight-man crew, following a Feb. 17, 1864 attack on the USS Housatonic.
The Hunley has been a public relations bonanza for Charleston since its recovery in August 2000.
But in several key ways, experts say, the Georgia is no Hunley.
The Hunley was recovered in one piece. The Georgia lies broken into two major sections, the victim of dynamite blasts during a failed salvage operation in 1868 -- and the passage of 138 years.
The Hunley was relatively small, at 45 feet.
The Georgia was a comparative behemoth, with reports of its length taken from Civil War-era newspapers varying from 150 to 260 feet. It was so big -- and slow -- that the Confederates anchored it near Fort Jackson to deter Union attacks up-river after the fall of Fort Pulaski in April 1862.
Still, Scott Smith, director of the Coastal Heritage Society, has big plans for the Georgia, envisioning it as a major draw at the city's proposed Battlefield Park complex.
The preservation effort will require money that hasn't been raised yet from government and private businesses.
"Savannah will need a great deal of help to take the artifacts through the exhibition stage," Smith said. "It is more than the city can do by itself. It is also more than the state can do by itself -- although both will have a significant share.
"It will take a public-private partnership."
The Corps and the Georgia Ports Authority are splitting the costs of the $375,000 archaeological study, a prelude to a proposed river-deepening project that would open up Savannah's port to the world's largest cargo ships.
"Everyone involved in this project has a common goal: to preserve this precious national resource," said Col. Roger Gerber, head of the Corps' Savannah office. "The bottom line is we're committed to doing the right thing for the CSS Georgia."
Divers working in one-hour shifts have examined one of the ironclad's six-pounder cannons, and explored parts of its casemates, which lie in two sections.
They'll work through the end of August, diving from a research ship anchored at Fort Jackson.
Remote sensors have detected signs in recent years that the wreck is deteriorating, said Judy Wood, a Corps archaeologist who has championed the Georgia.
The wreck, last visited by divers 20 years ago, has earned a spot on the National Register of Historical Places.
CSS Georgia, a 250-foot long ironclad floating battery, was built at Savannah, Georgia, in 1862. She was used to protect the river approaches to Savannah during 1863-1864. On 21 December 1864, Georgia was destroyed to prevent capture when Union land forces threatened to take the city.
Thanks for the ping Stainless, a very good read and a very worth while project.
That's HUGH!
Seriesly ;o)
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