SC Historical Society:Confederate Shipwrecks

Confederate Shipwrecks
By Karen Stokes and Michael Coker

Right: The Hunley practiced attacking and diving under The Indian Chief.

On May 10, 1929, the dredger Hallendale, while working in the waters near Charleston, South Carolina, accidentally collided with the wreckage of a submerged vessel. Henry F. Rivers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee overseeing the work being done on Town Creek, wrote this description of the find in his logbook.

"Its ribs were 12' x 12' mahogany timbers, butting each other on the keel. They were solid but as usual when sunken timbers are exposed they dry rot in a short time... Beautiful handmade brass spikes & long copper drift bolts hold the hull together."

This wreckage turned out to be the remains of a ship dating back to the War Between the States, the Confederate receiving ship The Indian Chief.

Left: Cover of Henry F. Rivers logbook, donated to the SCHS archives by a descendant.

"The Indian Chief was a 3-mast schooner of heavy timber construction sheathed with Muntz metal. Appearances indicated it to be 150' long. Removal completed July 7, 1929," Rivers notes in his logbook.

As the dredging operations continued, so did the discoveries. Between July and August of 1929, three more wrecks were found. These were identified as former Confederate navy vessels The Palmetto State, The Chicora, and The Charleston. There is an interesting link between these vessels and another Civil War era-ship still very much in the news today-the H.L. Hunley.

Practically from the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 to its closing days in 1865, Charleston harbor endured a blockade of Federal ships. This blockade prevented much-needed supplies from coming into the Confederate port. In an effort to break this blockade, new technology was tested against the Federal naval might--floating mines, ironclad ships, torpedo boats, and eventually the submarine H.L. Hunley.

The H.L. Hunley's history, its successful attack on the USS Housatonic, its disappearance, and its recovery still make headlines today. Less known is the connection that three of the four wrecks recovered in 1929 have with the world-famous submarine.

Back in October 1863, the Hunley practiced numerous dives under The Indian Chief and engaged in mock attacks against the ship for training purposes. During one of these mock attack exercises the Hunley sank, resulting in the death of the crew and inventor Horace Hunley, although the submarine itself was recovered. In November of the same year, Lieutenant George Dixon, commander of the Hunley's last mission, obtained permission from General Beauregard to ask for volunteers for the submarine from the crew of The Indian Chief. Despite the fact that only a month before these sailors had witnessed the fatal sinking of the Hunley, there were volunteers. The Chicora and The Palmetto State also supplied volunteers for the earlier crews of the Hunley.

Unable to defend Charleston any longer, the Confederates forces evacuated the city on February 17, 1865. Any military equipment that could not be carried, as well as any excess munitions stores, were destroyed so that they would not fall into the hands of the Federals. Out in the harbor, anything that might be of value of the occupying army was also scuttled. Among the ships sunk were The Chicora, The Palmetto State, The Charleston and The Indian Chief.

Sixty-four years later these ships were finally discovered and brought back to the surface. In his journal Mr. Rivers gives this information about the recovery efforts.

"Congress appropriated $25,000 for the removal of The Charleston alone; by use of a clamshell bucket, with manganese steel teeth and plenty of dynamite, we removed all four wrecks for $15,00."

The artifacts recovered included pieces of the ship structures, shells with "blunt ends, some with conical points, and some with pyramid shaped points," and a amber-colored whiskey flask indented to make it comfortable to hold in one hand. These pieces and others were divided among the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, VA, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

Above: As a Confederate port, Charleston harbor was subjected to a strong Federal blockade for much of the Civil War.

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Last modified: 11/05/01/MDC.

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