Dana Vacca's Blog: Freedom Calling A Civil War Slave Escapes By Sea - Posts Tagged "stone-fleet"

The Union's STONE FLEET was a group of old and nearly-derilect sailing ships (merchant ships and whaling ships that were no longer of use.) They were filled full of ballast stone and sunk in Charleston Harbor to make it difficult for Confederate vessels and blockade runners to enter and exit the harbor without hitting the sunken wrecks and damaging their hulls.

The plan was only partially successful, though. Many of the small packet steamers had shallow drafts and were able to pass over the wrecks without hitting the sunken wreckage!

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Freedom Calling: A Civil War Slave Escapes by Sea