She did n't have enough power to maneuver and effectively trade artillery rounds with enemy vessels in the swift Savannah River . Instead , the locally produced CSS Georgia , a one-of-a-kind ironclad produced for the Confederacy during the Civil War , became a stationary floating battery , bristling with artillery pieces . She did her job . The Yankees , intent on taking Savannah , Georgia , 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 murky river since , rarely disturbed and having weathered the indignity of being hit during dredging a couple of times over the years . Ironclad Civil War sailors laid to rest 150 years later . This week , U.S. Navy divers , working with archaeologists for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , retrieved a 64-square-foot section of the ironclad , a precursor to the long-anticipated removal and preservation of the shipwreck so the city 's vital shipping channel can be deepened . The Corps expects to spend an estimated $ 9.5 million on the project . The removal is expected to begin in summer 2014 , although funding has not been finalized . `` Over time the ship 's casemate , the iron-covered upper portion of the warship , came apart , '' the Corps ' Savannah District said in a statement Wednesday . `` The small portion removed Tuesday will give archaeologists the ability to assess the condition of the remainder of the ship . '' Shipwreck found on Gulf floor while thousands watched . That remainder includes remaining cannon , pieces of the ship 's power plant and propeller shaft and two chunks of the casemate . Officials are excited because the recovery of the casemates -- the compartments where artillery pieces were housed -- is believed to be the first of a Confederate ironclad . One of the surviving casemates is huge : 68 feet by 24 feet . Full moon gets partial blame for Civil War general 's death . Divers , who have only a few feet of visibility , have been assessing the CSS Georgia wreck , so they know what they will be facing next summer . The site is adjacent to Old Fort Jackson and the main shipping channel . `` This is just a small section . It was not cut off , '' Corps public affairs specialist Sandra Hudson said of the piece recovered Tuesday . `` It was a small piece they found that would be the most viable to pull up . '' Archaeologists have the challenge of preserving the CSS Georgia through chemical and other means , making her iron stable so that the remains one day can be displayed in museums . This 5,000-pound chunk of casemate , lifted by crane onto a barge , is being sent to Texas A & M University for archaeological testing , Hudson said . Civil War heirlooms bond families with past . 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 . Its wreckage straddles the borders of Georgia and South Carolina . According to the Corps , Savannah 's harbor will be deepened from 42 feet to 47 feet , `` greatly expanding its capability to handle larger cargo vessels . '' The ongoing expansion of the Panama Canal means bigger ships will need deeper water at ports around the United States . If things go as planned , the remains of the CSS Georgia and associated artifacts will be on the surface before the 150th anniversary of its sinking . 12 fascinating Civil War sites .
The CSS Georgia never fired a shot in anger during the Civil War . Comment: Now the ironclad must be moved so a shipping channel can be deepened .