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CSS Georgia (battery)
Encyclopedia
CSS Georgia, also known as State of Georgia and Ladies' Ram, was an ironclad floating battery
built at Savannah
, Georgia
in 1862–1863. Funding in the amount of $115,000 for her construction was provided by the Ladies' Gunboat Association.
Placed under command of Lieutenant
Washington Gwathmey, CSN
, she was employed in defending the river channels below Savannah, training her batteries against the Union
advance. Since she lacked effective locomotive power, the Confederates found it necessary to burn and destroy her during the evacuation of Savannah on December 21, 1864.
After settling to the bottom of Savannah Harbor, the wreck was noted as an obstruction, and several years later a survey of the wreck was completed. This survey found that the Georgia had settled slightly into the bottom, was covered by 11 feet of water at low tide. A sandbar was rapidly building up around the wreck, which ensured that the Georgia would be buried relatively quickly.
Unfortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers undertook a dredging and expansion of the channel several times since the Civil War, with the effect that the wreck was uncovered, and gradually destroyed over the years. Today all that remains are a portion of the forward and after casemate, along with remnants of the ship's engines including boilers, shafts, propellers, and condensers. Several cannon were found near the wreck as well, along with assorted ordinance.
A survey completed in 2006-2007 confirmed that by and large, the bulk of the CSS Georgia had been destroyed by a combination of manmade and natural forces since the ship's sinking. The remains have been scoured repeatedly over time by dredging and anchored ships, to the effect that scattered remains extending into the channel are the only remnants of the ironclad.
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
built at Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in 1862–1863. Funding in the amount of $115,000 for her construction was provided by the Ladies' Gunboat Association.
Placed under command of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Washington Gwathmey, CSN
Confederate States Navy
The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...
, she was employed in defending the river channels below Savannah, training her batteries against the Union
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
advance. Since she lacked effective locomotive power, the Confederates found it necessary to burn and destroy her during the evacuation of Savannah on December 21, 1864.
After settling to the bottom of Savannah Harbor, the wreck was noted as an obstruction, and several years later a survey of the wreck was completed. This survey found that the Georgia had settled slightly into the bottom, was covered by 11 feet of water at low tide. A sandbar was rapidly building up around the wreck, which ensured that the Georgia would be buried relatively quickly.
Unfortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers undertook a dredging and expansion of the channel several times since the Civil War, with the effect that the wreck was uncovered, and gradually destroyed over the years. Today all that remains are a portion of the forward and after casemate, along with remnants of the ship's engines including boilers, shafts, propellers, and condensers. Several cannon were found near the wreck as well, along with assorted ordinance.
A survey completed in 2006-2007 confirmed that by and large, the bulk of the CSS Georgia had been destroyed by a combination of manmade and natural forces since the ship's sinking. The remains have been scoured repeatedly over time by dredging and anchored ships, to the effect that scattered remains extending into the channel are the only remnants of the ironclad.