Posted on March 15, 2022
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Army Corps of Engineers has completed maintenance dredging near the mouth of the Savannah River and recovered more centuries-old cannons.
That brings the total to 19.
Several were brought up from the river bottom in recent investigations, but others were missed by remote sensing and divers because of sediment.
The dredging uncovered them, however.
These cannons and related artifacts are now in storage until decisions can be made on conservation efforts.
Analysis confirmed the cannons were made during the mid-1700s, but officials don’t have a definitive conclusion on their origins.
Research points to the HMS Savannah as their origin.
The HMS Savannah, HMS Venus and other troop transports were sunk with their armaments intact in an area called Five Fathom Hole. These obstructions blocked Savannah from the advance of the French fleet in September 1779, shortly before the Siege of Savannah in October 1779.
Experts will try to identify marks on the cannons and a ship’s bell fragment that may tie them to a specific vessel or wreck.
