SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) – United States Navy divers have finished the job of removing all the unexploded shells and cannon balls from the CSS Georgia, the Civil War Ironclad that has been sitting at the bottom of the Savannah River since 1864.
They recovered more than 150 cannon balls and shells, in all.
The Corp. of Engineers says it is now working on recovering all four of the ship’s cannons, some weighing more than 7,000 pounds. But, those too are thought to be packed with explosives.
“I can tell you we are in the process of recovering actual live munitions; discarded military munitions from the Civil War era. They are, in fact, charged with black powder. And yes, they do all present an explosive hazard,” said CW3 Jason Potts, U.S. Navy.
The hope is that everything salvaged from the CSS Georgia will one day be part of an exhibit at a Savannah History museum.
