The Archaeology of Civil War Naval Operations and Shipwrecks
in South Carolina

A rich and important maritime archeological legacy reflecting Union and Confederate naval endeavors during the Civil War resides in the rivers and coastal waters of South Carolina. Union naval strategy during the war evolved from simply blockading Confederate ports to launching offensive naval actions and acting in concert with land forces in combined operations to bring the battle to the Confederacy. Confederate naval strategy for the most part was defensive in nature to keep the enemy at bay, their ports open for blockade runners, and to launch an occasional strike at the Union blockading fleet.

This illustrated presentation will discuss the naval strategies used by both sides of the conflict and interweave the shipwrecks, including Federal and Confederate ironclads, warships, a submarine, and blockade runners, that represent these various operations in the waterways of South Carolina, with an emphasis on actions and shipwrecks occurring in Winyah Bay and along the northern coastline of the state.