The May 19th Tampa tribune reports that at low tide in the Hillsborough River near Lowry Park, wooden beams are evident in what at first looks like an old dock, but it is the remains of an 80-100 foot ship.
Archaeologists are taking measurements and checking records. It fits what is expected to be a 19th century sloop.
During the Civil War, Union troops attacked and burned three blockade-runners in the Tampa area.
In 2007, divers from the Florida Aquarium discovered the wreck of the USS Narcissus which sank off Egmont Key after a boiler explosion June 3, 1866. It was an 82 foot Union tugboat that fought during the Civil War and was on her way to decommissioning. Twenty-nine crew members dies and were never found. It took part in the Battle of Mobile Bay.
The Hillsborough River ship might be recreated in diagrams or rebuilt as a full-scale replica. There are no plans to excavate or raise it, however.
Interesting Story. --B-R
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
