AH-WR-0603

Celt

Blockade Runner · Confederate States of America · Lost 1865 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A Charleston-built blockade runner loaded with cotton, run aground near Fort Moultrie in the final weeks of the Confederacy's hold on the city.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Celt was built in Charleston in 1863 and used by the Confederate quartermaster before attempting a blockade run loaded with cotton in February 1865. She grounded near Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island, and most of her crew abandoned her to surrender rather than fight. A well-known Library of Congress photograph is believed to depict her wreck. Modern surveys suggest her remains are now buried on land as the shoreline shifted.

Vessel

Built: 1863
Builder: Not established
Yard: Charleston, South Carolina
Material: Wood
Length: 160 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels
Owners: Confederate States Quartermaster

Loss

Date: February 14, 1865
Cause: Grounding
Location: Bowman's Jetty, near Fort Moultrie, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
Water: Charleston Harbor
Voyage: Charleston, South Carolina → Open sea (blockade run)
Cargo: Cotton
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Grounded in shallow water; now believed buried on land at Sullivan's Island
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 32.76° N 79.86° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

General area only: coordinate of Fort Moultrie from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel (Bowman's Jetty, near Fort Moultrie), not a surveyed wreck position.