CSS Georgia

History of CSS Georgia

Lacking the resources and finances of the Northern Confederacy, the Confederate states were forced to take other avenues in supplying war supplies. Several states, including Georgia and South Carolina, supported public funding, and over time Virginia eventually followed suit.

The "Ladies Gunboat Society" was created to raise funds for the construction of ironclad warships to defend the South, and the CSS Georgia gunboat was just a byproduct of that effort - by allocating tens of thousands of dollars to her construction the amount needed to be funded.

CSS Georgia was built in Savannah, Georgia in 1862, hence the name. She was launched sometime in 1863 and commissioned the same year. With a 250-foot barrel and 60-foot beam, her facility is run by a crew of about 200 from engines to controls to ammunition and weapons. Their weapons range from four to nine cannons in total. Her basic form follows established ironclad design principles, including an angular hull structure, a flat-top running deck and a low waterline, which contribute to her low profile on the horizon.

Weapons were stored in the hull superstructure (protected by armor plates) and fired outwards through rectangular openings along the sides, front and rear of the superstructure. Like most ironclad warriors of the day, she was steam-powered and progressed slowly even under ideal conditions.

With the Alliance advancing and lacking sufficient propulsion to fulfill her role as an armored gunship, CSS Georgia was moored on the Savannah River and abandoned to protect the city of Savannah itself and defend nearby Fort Jackson. In this way, the ship can still be used for tactical purposes as a floating turret.

The famous Confederate general William Sherman began his famous "March to the Sea" campaign on November 15, 1864, and ended in Savannah itself on December 21, 1864, when the city was seized by the Confederate Army occupation. Now in danger of falling into enemy forces, CSS Georgia was shot down by Confederates where she floated, ending her brief combat career in the bloody American conflict.

Despite her status and well-equipped, her guns were never fired in anger, and her career only lasted 20 months in total. Her hull rested at the bottom of the Savannah River and stood there for more than a century.

CSS Georgia remained in this state until a dredging operation in 1968 revealed its location. On November 12, 2013, under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, part of the ship was lifted to check on her current condition - hopefully bringing the rest of her to light.

January 2015, announced a month-long campaign to wake CSS Georgia from dormancy.

Specification

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Performance

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