The U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving supplied salvage help to get well the primary cannon from the Civil War-era Confederate States Ship Georgia on July 21. The cannon was rigged by U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal divers in Savannah, Georgia harbor and deposited in a moist storage container for transport ashore and conservation
JULY 23, 2015 – The U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) is offering important salvage help to get well historic artifacts, together with cannon, from the wreckage of the Civil War-era CSS Georgia in Savannah, GA, harbor, stories Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
Built in Savannah, Georgia in 1862 (with the assistance of $115,000 in funding from the Ladies’ Gunboat Association) the CSS Georgia, was designed to be an ironclad warship and was deployed to defend the river channels under Savannah, utilizing her cannons to forestall a Union advance on town from the ocean. However, her steam engines turned out to lack adequate energy for offensive use and she or he was then anchored within the Savannah River as a floating battery, defending each town and Fort Jackson. When the Georgia had been in service about 20 months, Savannah was taken by land on December 21, 1864, the crew scuttled her to forestall her seize.
In 1866 many of the ship’s railroad iron armor was salvaged, utilizing underwater fees that shattered her picket hull.
A proposed channel modification for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project will influence the ship’s wreckage and prompted a request from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for restoration help. Sections of the hull, armor, parts of steam equipment and ordnance are the main surviving items of the ship.
“In addition to our personnel, we have unique equipment capabilities through our East Coast salvage contractor, Donjon Marine, and access to highly trained divers from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Six and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two,” stated Rick Thiel, SUPSALV program supervisor. “To support a project of this magnitude, two barges are on site, one to serve as a diving and equipment platform and one to support artifact storage, sorting and transport. Our expertise allows us locate and safely recover artifacts and unexploded ordnance in such challenging conditions.”
To date, divers have efficiently situated and recovered 128 items of unexploded ordnance on the wreckage web site. The staff is presently concentrating on recovering the 4 cannons that surveys have proven to be on the web site. The first cannon was raised July 15 and the second cannon was retrieved on July 21. Once all are dropped at shore, technicians will help subject inerting of the unexploded ordnance.
The SUPSALV staff can be on web site by means of October persevering with to gather artifacts.
SUPSALV is answerable for Navy ocean engineering, together with salvage, in-water ship restore, towing, diving security and tools upkeep and procurement.
