Since returning from deployment, US Sailors assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 have been nothing but busy, with their schedules packed with training evolutions in preparation of salvaging a 150 year-old captured enemy vessel.
The Civil War ironclad CSS Georgia has resided at the bottom of the Savannah River in Georgia, since she was intentionally scuttled in 1864 by the Confederates to prevent capture and an attempt to obstruct the river. It wasn’t until more than 100 years later that it was rediscovered and plans were made to begin the process of removing her from the river for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP).
MDSU-2 divers have been assigned to assist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) during SHEP June 1-July 20 to bring up parts of the ship’s armor systems, steam engine components, small structure pieces and all her weapons, which include four cannons and upwards of 50 projectiles, which are either rifle shells or the standard cannon ball.
The divers started the week-long training May 11, by going to Williamsburg, Virginia, to familiarize themselves with the gear they will be using in Georgia. In the following days, they conducted dive operations at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia. Each diver was given an opportunity to rehearse which roles they will be conducting during the actual event, as well training in a murky-water environment similar to the conditions in which the CSS Georgia rests.
In only a few weeks, MDSU-2 divers will make the trip to Savannah, Georgia, to begin salvaging the ship, but due to the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the Georgia’s wreckage they won’t be alone. Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians from EOD Mobile Unit 6 Shore Detachment King’s Bay, Georgia, will also aid in the recovery of cannons and cannonballs. Once the items are recovered, Navy EOD will work alongside their Marine Corps EOD counterparts to render the items safe at an offsite location.
The remainder of the wreckage and artifacts the divers recover will become the responsibility of U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) and will be curated at one of NHHC’s repositories and Conservation Research Laboratory (CRL) located at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
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Image: US Navy