( CNN ) The deepening of the shipping channel in Savannah , Georgia , wo n't be dredging up just mud and sand . It will be raising up a link to the past : an ironclad that protected the city during the Civil War until the vessel met its undignified demise . For about the next nine months , divers will be working to bring up the CSS Georgia , piece by rusted piece , from nearly 40 feet down in the Savannah River . The $ 706 million harbor deepening officially began Thursday with speeches and the firing of an old cannon at Old Fort Jackson near the wreck site . The removal of the CSS Georgia is necessary for the state and federal project , which will see the channel go from 42 to 47 feet so massive cargo container ships can use the port without relying on the tide . While some material from the Confederate vessel was recovered after the war , four artillery pieces , parts of the propeller and propulsion system , a boiler and two casemates , which housed the artillery pieces , remain in the swift , dark waters . One of the casemates is huge : 68 feet by 24 feet . `` She is really in large sections scattered throughout the bottom down there , '' Julie Morgan , archaeologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah , told CNN affiliate WSAV . The CSS Georgia did n't have enough power to maneuver and effectively trade artillery rounds with any enemy vessels that might approach from the Atlantic Ocean . Instead , the vessel became a stationary floating battery , bristling with artillery pieces . The Yankees refused to take on the CSS Georgia or other nearby defense obstructions . The CSS Georgia won the battle , but lost the war : The vessel was scuttled in December 1864 shortly before Union forces took Savannah and presented the city to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present . The shipwreck has rested in the river since , rarely disturbed and having weathered the indignity of being hit during dredging a couple of times over the years . Recovery of the ironclad will cost between $ 14 million and $ 15 million , Corps officials said . Contract divers have been at the site and are first mapping , tagging and putting a recovery grid in place . A network of ropes connects wreck site artifacts and helps divers navigate the river floor . They will be recovering small artifacts , such as fasteners or small personal items . The second phase , expected to begin in May or June , will be the recovery of the large pieces . U.S. Navy and other divers will take special care because of the possibility of live ammunition and powder . Gordon Watts of Panamerican Consultants told affiliate WTOC that in at least the first phase , only one diver will be underwater at a time . `` For every person we have on the bottom , there 's four more people up on the surface that are tending him , talking to him and being sure that whatever he is doing is safe , '' said Watts . Archaeologists have the challenge of preserving portions of the CSS Georgia through chemical and other means , making her iron stable so the remains one day can be displayed . Conservation of selected artifacts and parts of the CSS Georgia will be done at Texas A & M University and will take about two years to complete . The remains of the CSS Georgia may answer some mysteries , including its dimensions and the manner of construction . The casemates were made of railroad iron . The vessel could handle 10 guns , though fewer were onboard when it was destroyed . There are no known blueprints for the ironclad , which was produced in Savannah in 1862 as part of a defensive naval squadron . Former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia , speaking at Thursday 's kickoff , said the harbor deepening is important for the state 's economy , jobs and recognition of its history . While officials have made no determination of where CSS Georgia artifacts may eventually reside , Kingston believes they should stay in Savannah , perhaps at Old Fort Jackson . `` We need it to stay here . It will help Savannah in terms of tourism . It will help tell our story . It will enhance our reputation from an historical viewpoint . We need to make sure it does stay local , '' he said , reported WSAV . Besides deepening the channel of the Savannah River , the Corps will extend the shipping lane an additional 7 miles in the Atlantic Ocean off Tybee Island . On the river-based portion , the Corps will be installing a dissolved oxygen injection system to protect marine life .
$ 100 million harbor deepening officially begins in Savannah , Georgia . A Civil War ironclad will be built so the shipping channel can be deepened . The CSS Savannah never fired a shot in anger during the Civil War .