In early 2021, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge crews working on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project unexpectedly lifted a cannon from the riverbed during dredging operations. Another scoop, and two more followed. At that point, dredging work was halted and archeologists and divers were called in to investigate.
The discovery led to a coordinated recovery effort that ultimately uncovered 21 cannon and additional artifacts, including anchor fragments and pieces of a ship’s bell, from the bottom of the Savannah River, where they had remained hidden for nearly 250 years.
Some of the cannon were brought up in pieces, and two of the fragmented cannon have been on display at the Savannah History Museum as place holders and unintentionally demonstrated the effects of corrosion without proper conservation. Fortunately, 17 cannon and a few other artifacts were sent to the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University in February 2023. They remained there for more than three years while experts carefully removed corrosion, stabilizing the iron, removed wood plugs, paper wads, cannon balls and intact gunpowder wads from inside 14 of the cannon. They also conducted scientific analysis on the artifacts.
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2026 13:00 |
| Category: | B-Roll |
| Video ID: | 1016530 |
| VIRIN: | 260702-A-HT663-4843 |
| Filename: | DOD_111867358 |
| Length: | 00:37:04 |
| Location: | SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, US |
| Downloads: | 1 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 1 |
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