AH-WR-1723

South America

Bark (or Barque) · United States · Lost Early December 1861 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

South America was scuttled off Tybee Island in early December 1861 to serve as a Union jetty and wharf.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

South America was a bark of 606 tons purchased at New Bedford for Union wartime service. She carried 650 tons of stone. Gaines’s individual entry records sinking off Tybee Island in early December 1861 to serve as a jetty and wharf for Union troops. This loss was in Georgia, not in Charleston Harbor.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Not established
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 606 tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: Early December 1861
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Off Tybee Island, Georgia
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: 650 tons of stone
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: Tybee Island, Georgia
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

Exact sinking day, individual wreck position, dimensions and present condition are not established.

W. Craig Gaines — Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks, Louisiana State University Press (2008)
Individual South America entry: vessel type, tonnage, Union service and completed sinking at the named location with qualified date.