AH-WR-1049

Old Savannah

Gunboat · Confederate States · Lost 1863 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

An early Confederate gunboat, ex-steamer Everglade, that foundered near Savannah in 1863 before the famed ironclad took its name.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Before the Confederate ironclad CSS Savannah was completed, an earlier wooden steamer, the former Everglade, served the Confederate Navy at Savannah and was informally known as 'Old Savannah.' This vessel foundered in the Savannah River vicinity in 1863. Documentation distinguishing her clearly from other similarly named Confederate craft is limited.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam
Owners: Confederate States Navy

Loss

Date: January 1, 1863
Cause: Mechanical failure
Location: Savannah River, near Savannah, Georgia
Water: Savannah River
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Savannah River, Savannah, Georgia
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

Evidence

Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (25/100)

Identity, dimensions, and precise date and circumstances of loss are not firmly established in the sources reviewed.

Confederate States Navy vessel compilations
Reference to an early steamer named Savannah, ex-Everglade, foundering near Savannah prior to the ironclad's completion.