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The ''Georgiana'' was a
brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...
-rigged, iron hulled, propeller steamer belonging to the
Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...
during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. Reputedly intended to become the "most powerful" cruiser in the Confederate fleet once her guns were mounted, she was never used in battle. On her maiden voyage from Scotland, where she was built, she encountered Union Navy ships engaged in a
blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...
of
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, and was heavily damaged before being
scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...
by her captain. The wreck was discovered in 1965 and lies in the shallow waters of Charleston's harbor. Due to the secrecy surrounding the vessel's construction, loading and sailing, there has been much speculation about her intended role, whether as a cruiser, merchantman, or
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
.


Specifications

''Georgiana'' was a
brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...
-rigged, iron hulled, propeller steamer of with a jib and two heavily raked masts, hull and stack painted black. Her
clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were generally narrow for their len ...
bow sported the
figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...
of a "demi-woman". ''Georgiana'' was reportedly pierced for fourteen guns and could carry more than four hundred tons of cargo. She was built by the Lawrie shipyard at
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
– perhaps under subcontract from
Lairds Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gent ...
of
Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...
(
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
) – and registered at that port in December 1862 as belonging to N. Matheson's Clyde service. The U.S. Consul at
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
was rightly apprehensive of her as being "evidently a very swift vessel." Captain Thomas Turner, station commodore, reported to Admiral S. F. du Pont that ''Georgiana'' was evidently "sent into Charleston to receive her officers, to be fitted out as a
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...
there. She had 140 men on board, with an armament of guns and gun carriages in her hold, commanded by a British naval retired officer."


Loss

The ''Georgiana'' was lost on the night of 19 March 1863, while attempting to run past the Federal Blockading Squadron and into Charleston, South Carolina. She had been spotted by the armed U.S. Yacht (of the famed
America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...
racing trophy) which alerted the remainder of the blockade fleet by shooting up colored signal flares. The ''Georgiana'' was sunk after a desperate chase in which she came so close to the big guns aboard the that her crew even heard the orders being given on the U.S. vessel. With
solid shot A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the caliber, bore of the gun barrel, barrel from which it is shot. A round s ...
passing entirely though her hull, her propeller and rudder damaged, and with no hope for escape, Capt. A. B. Davidson flashed a white light in token of surrender, thus gaining time to beach his ship in of water, three-quarters of a mile (1200 m) from shore and, after first scuttling her, escaped on the land side with all hands; this was construed as "the most consummate treachery" by the disappointed blockading crew, who would have shared in the proceeds from the prize. Lt. Comdr. John L. Davis, commanding ''Wissahickon'' decided to set the wreck afire lest
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
bands from shore try to salvage her or her cargo: she burned for several days accompanied by large black powder explosions. ''Georgiana'' and her cargo were owned by banking and shipping magnate George Trenholm of Charleston, who was Treasurer of the Confederacy and the primary historical figure behind the fictional Rhett Butler in ''
Gone With The Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...
''.


Discovery

The wreck was discovered by underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence in 1965. Today the ''Georgiana'' sits on the bottom with her huge boiler only under the surface. She is now covered with a wide array of
sea fan Alcyonacea is the old scientific order name for the informal group known as "soft corals". It is now an unaccepted name for class Octocorallia. It became deprecated . The following text should be considered a historical, outdated way of treat ...
, sea whips, and living
coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...
s. Large sections of the hull are still intact. In places the starboard side of the hull protrudes over from the sand. The ship's deck was white pine and has long since been eaten away.
Sea urchins Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body covered by a spiny p ...
and
sea anemone Sea anemones ( ) are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemone ...
s abound on the wreck. The wreck is frequented by
sea bass Sea bass is a common name for a variety of species of marine fish. Many fish species of various families have been called sea bass. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, the fish sold and consumed as sea bass is exclusively the European bass, ''Dic ...
,
grouper Groupers are a diverse group of marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, in the order Perciformes. Groupers were long considered a subfamily of the seabasses in Serranidae, but are now treated as distinct. Not all members of this f ...
,
flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuary, estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related speci ...
,
stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...
s,
seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine Osteichthyes, bony fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. The genus name comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meanin ...
s, and
toadfish {{short description, Common name used for fish Toadfish is the common name for a variety of species from several different families of fish, usually because of their toad-like appearance or calls using their swimbladder. File:OysterToadfish.jpeg, ...
. Near the forward cargo hatch Spence found boxes of pins and buttons. Spence recovered sundries, munitions, and medicines easily worth over $12 million (equivalent to $ million in ) but he never found the of gold believed to be hidden on the wreck. The gold could have a
numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...
value of over $15 million (equivalent to $ million in ) . Other cargo could bring the ''Georgianas total value to $50 million (equivalent to $ million in ). Resting on top of the ''Georgiana''s shattered wreckage is the remains of the sidewheel steamer '' Mary Bowers'', which struck the wreck of the ''Georgiana'' while attempting to run the blockade into Charleston.


Wreck site

This wreck site is extremely important both historically and archaeologically. Historically because of the emphasis both sides (the Confederates and the Federals) correctly or incorrectly placed on the ''Georgiana'' as a potential threat to United States shipping, and archaeologically due to the site containing two distinct types of ships. Both ships were constructed of iron, but one was built with extra reinforcing and relatively deep draft such as would be needed for operation as a privateer on the high seas and the other of extremely light weight and shallow draft that was perfectly suited for the purpose of running the blockade, which required crossing shallow shoals to evade the deeper draft vessels of the blockade fleet. One (the ''Georgiana'') is a screw steamer and the other (the ''Mary Bowers'') a sidewheel steamer. The two ships were built and lost in a time span of about two years, making their design differences even more significant. It was for the ''Georgiana''/''Mary Bowers'' wreck that the first salvage license in South Carolina was granted in 1967. Hundreds of thousands of individual artifacts were recovered from the site. The first dives by State officials on the site were made in 2010.


Confederate Cruiser, Privateer or Merchantman?

Due to the secrecy surrounding her construction, loading and sailing, there is considerable question as to whether the ''Georgiana'' was simply a merchantman or if she was intended as a
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
or
blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usua ...
. One contemporary report described the ''Georgiana'' as so lightly built that "she would shake from stem to stern if a gun were fired from her decks." Historian Stephen Wise describes her as a merchantman and writes "While loading in Liverpool, the Union consul Thomas Dudley carefully investigated the vessel and reported her to be too frail for a warship. He felt her only purpose was to run the blockade." A United States consular dispatch dated 6 January 1863 stated: "The steamer ''Georgiana'', just arrived at
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
from the Clyde. She is new and said to be a very superior steamer. ··· Yesterday while lying here she had the
Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...
flag flying at her mast." The
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
''American'' took special note of her in its 28 January 1863 edition as a ''powerful'' steamer and remarked that her officers wore gold lace on their caps, considered a sure indication she was being groomed for a
man-of-war In Royal Navy jargon, a man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a powerful warship or frigate of the 16th to the 19th century, that was frequently used in Europe. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually rese ...
. After the ''Georgiana''s loss on 19 March 1863, the United States Secretary of Navy wrote: "the destruction of the ''Georgiana'' not only touched their (the Confederate's) pockets, but their hopes. She was a splendid craft, peculiarly fitted for the business of privateering." The ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' of 31 March 1863 gave a spy's description of the craft as "a superior vessel, ··· built expressly for the rebel navy." The spy reported that she was "altogether a faster, stauncher, and better vessel than either the ''Oreto'' () or ." The London ''Times'' of 8 April 1863 described her as follows: "There is not the least doubt of her being intended as a privateer." Thomas Scharf (who had served in the Confederate navy), in his post-war reference work ''History of the Confederate Navy,'' stated: "Apart from her cargo, the loss was a serious one to the Confederacy, as she was a much faster and stronger ship than any one of its cruisers afloat and would have made a superb man-of-war." Underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence, who discovered the wreck and identified it as the ''Georgiana'', believes that she was indeed intended as a privateer or
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...
due to the naval guns found aboard, her deep draft hull construction, her heavier than standard iron planking, and the closer than normal, doubled up, Z-beam, framing used throughout the vessel.''Treasures of the Confederate Coast: The "Real Rhett Butler" & Other Revelations'', by Dr. E. Lee Spence, pp. 430-436


See also

*
Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...
*
Blockade runners of the American Civil War During the American Civil War, blockade runners were used to get supplies through the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America that extended some along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines and the lower Mississippi River. The ...


References

*


Bibliography

*''Spence's Guide to South Carolina'', by E. Lee Spence (Nelson Printing, Charleston, SC, 1976, ), pp. 1–5 *''Treasures of the Confederate Coast: The "Real Rhett Butler" & Other Revelations'', by Dr. E. Lee Spence (Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995, , ) *"Wreck Chart," map by E. Lee Spence (Shipwreck Press, Sullivan's Island, SC, 1978, ) *''Shipwrecks of South Carolina and Georgia, 1520–1865'', by E. Lee Spence ( Sea Research Society, 1984, ), pp. 47–55, 634, 635, 656, 657, 722–736 *"The Confederate Navy in Europe", Warren F Spencer ULAP, p. 66 *''A Look at South Carolina’s Underwater Heritage'', by E. Lee Spence, (Nelson Southern Printing, Charleston, SC, 1974), pp. 6–9 *''Spence’s Guide to South Carolina'', by E. Lee Spence, (Nelson Southern Printing, Charleston, SC, 1976), pp. 1–5 *''Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War'', by Stephen R. Wise, (University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 1983), pp. 226, 229–232, 568, 569 *''Charleston’s Maritime Heritage 1670–1865'', by P.C. Coker III, (CokerCraft Press, Charleston, SC, 1987), pp. 214, 274, 286, 303 *''Warships of the Civil War Navies,'' by Paul H. Silverstone, (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1989), p. 212 *''The Blockade Runners'', by Dave Horner, (Florida Classics Library, Port Salerno, FL, 1992), Chapter 14, pp. 207–209, 223, 225 {{DEFAULTSORT:Georgiana Cruisers of the Confederate States Navy Privateer ships Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Disasters in South Carolina Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in March 1863 Archaeological sites in South Carolina Treasure from shipwrecks Ships built on the River Clyde Charleston County, South Carolina 1863 ships