During normal operations and maintenance dredging in preparation for continued deepening of the Savannah River, dredgers under contract to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discovered several historical artifacts that do not appear to be related to the CSS Georgia.
“In an abundance of caution to adhere to the letter and spirit of federal and maritime laws, all dredging in the area ended,” said USACE.
According to their latest announcement, this work suspension at the discovery area will give officials and scientists time to evaluate the find and determine the best course of action.
Savannah District officials contacted other agencies that may have insight into the artifacts and their origin and their proper disposition.
The USACE Savannah District will provide the public additional information as the investigation progresses.
Dredging and deepening the Savannah harbor continues as scheduled. The deepening of the harbor will return $7.30 to the nation for each $1 spent on the project for a net benefit of $282 million annually.