Confederate gunboat May Have been found

"GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA—Bruce Terrell of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ Maritime Heritage Program announced that the Planter, a ship commandeered in Charleston Harbor by a 23-year-old enslaved man named Robert Smalls, may have been found buried in ten feet of silt with scanning sonar and a magnetometer. Smalls and other African-American crewmembers took control of the transport steamer, picked up Smalls’ wife and children, and headed to the Union blockade in 1862. He surrendered the vessel, which was transformed into a Union gunboat with Smalls as its captain. The Planter eventually sank off Cape Romain in 1876."
http://www.archaeology.org/news/2042-140418-planter-gunboat-smalls?

 

Union Gunboat... I've never heard of this. A fascinating slice of history.

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Planter_%281862%29

 

Recently watched a BBC programme about blockade running paddle steamers made on the Clyde during the Civil War. Production went into overdrive and many made fortunes, including the crews and shipbuilders. Although Great Britain was apparently neutral they turned a blind eye to this. A lot of factories relied on cotton from the southern states and many people were made redundant. Bermuda was first visited to refuel the coal driven steamers and the island became like a pirates paradise with at least one mega street running battle that lasted two days between the multi national crews. Ships from all over the world stopped there to take advantage of the lucrative trade. Confederate contacts would meet in an obscure town in Central Scotland and organise the cargos as they were being sought by the British Government. After the war the USA demanded x million dollars or Canada from the British as compensation. They came to an agreement and some compensation was paid. There is one remaining sea going paddle steamer 'The Waverley' which sails out from the Clyde. I have been on it a few times and I did not like the fact that it lies very low in the water. I certainly would not want to cross the Atlantic in one but they were very stable ships and could outrun any sailing vessel. Some captains had the stokers shovelling coal frantically in order to get more speed often the decks were red hot. As usual in war there are plenty of people who make money from it. My fathers family worked in the shipyards at the time so they may have helped build the steamers though I doubt they made much money. Well, I saw no sign of I anyway!
http://www.bbc.uk/programmes/01n8jf6 I hope this connection works.