AH-WR-0601

Presto

Blockade Runner · Confederate States of America · Lost 1864 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A Confederate blockade runner discovered ashore under Fort Moultrie's guns and pounded to destruction by Union monitors over three days.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Presto was a Confederate blockade runner attempting to reach Charleston when she was found aground near Fort Moultrie on 2 February 1864. Union monitors and shore batteries on Morris Island shelled the wreck for three days until satisfied she was destroyed. Modern surveys suggest the site has since become buried under shifting sand on Sullivan's Island.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: February 2, 1864
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Near Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Water: Charleston Harbor
Voyage: Nassau, Bahamas (likely) → Charleston, South Carolina
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Destroyed by prolonged shelling; later reported buried on land as the shoreline shifted
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, not a surveyed wreck position.