The Iona II was built in Glasgow in 1863 and used as a River Clyde ferry. It's twenty-foot paddle wheels and twin oscillating engines supposedly could give the ship a top speed of24 knots, one of the fastest vessels around.
After a year's operation, it was bought by the Confederate government and fitted out to run the blockade. Unfortunately, it was lost on its way to the southern states on Jan. 19,1864, when it encountered a bad storm and sank east of Lundy Island, Britain. It reportedly was heavily salvaged at the time.
In 1976, it was rediscovered by John Shaw and sits upright where a large part of its hull is buried.
One That Didn't Get Home. --Old B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
