The History of The Army Corps of Engineers in the Savannah District 1829 - 1989

The first vessels to be powered by something more than wind or muscle
used steam. Our rivers and creeks were the highways of commerce, and as soon
as commerce got underway, Army engineers were involved in making it better.

If you spend time on the waters in our area, you should know that the works of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are quite literally all around you. They are as active today in protecting the environment, and helping mankind work with nature and benefit from her, as ever.

Sidebar: When you pass by the oxygenation stations on the Savannah River - know that the Corps was involved in that...

The Dissolved Oxygen Injection System used to mitigate the effects of deepening the river 
for Post Panamax ships on endangered species. Although it's easy to think of it as a gigantic and uber-expensive aquarium-pump or, "bubbler," it's a bit more involved than that.

To download a PDF fact sheet on this project, click here.


And when you pass by Fort Pulaski, know that the Corps was involved in that project as well.

I came across a publication dated the year I came to Savannah, 1989. Although it (and I) are old now, it's still a fascinating source document for how things got to be the way they are around here.

From the text, "Because the passage through Parson's Cut suffered excessive shoaling, Congress, in 1890, called on the Corps to do a preliminary examination and survey of an alternative route in the area of Wassau and Skidaway islands. This site, Skidaway Narrows, was "a narrow, tortuous waterway formed by two creeks which united at their heads at the meeting place of the tides connecting Burnside River with Skidaway River..."

click here to download a pdf of the entire book. in PDF format.

"Blood Is Thicker Than Water!"

 As you cruise the Wilmington River north from Thunderbolt, you shortly come to Bonaventure Cemetery on the west bank. Bonaventure is a beautiful place, with grand and ancient live oaks that have Spanish moss dripping from their branches as they provide shade for the graves of countless characters and heroes. It is said that these trees were planted to form the letters M and T. While the M was for the Mullryne family, the T was to honor the Tattnalls. 

Wikipedia Image

Colonel John Mullryne founded Bonaventure Plantation near Savannah in 1762 after moving here from Carolina.  Josiah Tattnall Sr. had married Colonel Mullryne's daughter Mary, and they moved to Bonaventure as well. By 1771 Mullryne and Tattnall together owned 7000 acres of Georgia land, "stretching from Ebeneezer to Sunbury." (from "Historic Bonaventure Cemetery," Wilson and Johnson, 1998) Mullryne also built the third Tybee Lighthouse in 1773!

From Wikipedia, "The first house on the plantation, made of English brick, was destroyed by a fire on 7 January 1771. John Berendt wrote in his 1994 book 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' that a formal dinner party, held by either Mullryne or Tattnall, was in progress when one of the servants informed the host that the roof was ablaze and that nothing could be done to stop it. The host 'rose calmly, clinked his glass, and invited guests to pick up their dinner plates and follow him into the garden,' where they ate the remainder of their meals in the glow of the flames." (story continues below)

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Tattnall Sr's second son, Josiah Jr, was born in 1764 at Bonaventure and went on to become Governor of Georgia in 1801, He is also remembered for introducing a new strain of  "Sea Island" cotton from the Bahamas to Bonaventure's fields. Tattnall Jr. also had a son named Josiah Tattnall (the 3rd). This man had an amazing life and went on to become a national, rather than local or state figure. Oh, and he also married his first cousin! (see New Georgia Encyclopedia)

He joined the United States Navy in 1812, when America was at war with Britain. Tattnall fought in that war but, apparently, didn't harbor a grudge about this later. Josiah Tattnall the 3rd served in several more wars including the Barbary Wars (under Stephen Decatur), and the Mexican War of 1846-1848. In 1858 he was commanding the East India Squadron near Hong Kong. Britain was then engaged in the Second Opium War with China and Tattnall observed British ships in a gun battle against forts on Chinese soil. 

In violation of the United States' neutral status in that war, Tattnall entered the fray and assisted the British with American guns. When taken to task for this breach of military discipline and national protocol, he defended his actions with the phrase:

"Blood is thicker than water!" 

He was probably referring to the shared heritage of the United States and Great Britain, and perhaps had considered that his grandfather had come from England and, remaining a loyalist, had fled Georgia during the revolution. The Tattnalls had British roots!

Tattnall served on and commanded many vessels while in U.S. Navy service, including the frigates (original) Constellation and Constitution. The original Constellation's replacement, built with parts of her original framing, is moored today in Baltimore Harbor and open for tours. Click for a virtual tour.). 

The USS Constitution is still on the active rolls of the United States Navy and is the only active US Navy ship that ever sank another ship. She is preserved today in Boston. 

Commodore Tattnall had a walking stick made from the live oak of the Constitution, whose timbers came from our barrier islands, most likely Saint Simons. That scrap of wood went full circle, because it came from a Georgia barrier island and is back in Georgia now in the collection of the Georgia Historical Society. 

During his service to the Confederacy, Tattnall felt compelled to order the destruction of his flagship, the CSS Virginia (Merrimack) due to advancing Union Forces. He was eventually captured near Savannah by Union forces under Sherman, and made a prisoner of war. After the civil war, he spent four years in Nova Scotia before returning to Savannah, and Bonaventure, where he died and is buried, next to his kin. 

Next to his blood, which is thicker than water.

Destinations From Long Ago

 My earliest memories involve the water; a swimming hole with its own spring flowing into a river. 

Image courtesy John C. Karjanis

When I was two years old, my father died and my mother moved our family to Florida. By a lucky chance, she picked a place for us to live that offered cheap fun in close proximity; a place that fit the bill for recreation, employment, and generally kept her kids out of her hair. 

It was DeLeon Springs, near Daytona Beach. Today it is a State Park, but between 1953 and 1982, it was a privately-owned "roadside attraction."

Rusty Fleetwood mentions this spring by name in his book "Tidecraft," as it was here where the two oldest examples of dugout canoes in the western hemisphere were discovered! They are dated at 5000 and 6000 years old. This is the first topic in Tidecraft; page 1, paragraph 1. And I grew up there! Coincidence or what?

As a boy, I stood on the walkway at the spring and gazed down the run. Burt's Park stood on the left bank where the river turned left and ran out of sight, and like explorers since time out of mind, I wondered what lay around that corner. 

Adventure? Excitement? Danger? All the things to stir a young person's heart were waiting 'round the bend--if only I could get there. When I got a small plastic boat as a gift in those early years, I did paddle my way down and around that corner. 

My first command

When I went missing the lifeguard (who ended up marrying a sister) came and found me and asked if I needed help. 

"Nope, I'm going somewhere!" 

The headwaters of Spring Garden Run, Deleon Springs Florida

It is entirely possible and even probable that a steamboat departed Savannah in the 1800s, and by way of the inland passage (today's ICW) and the Saint John's river, reached the tributary that leads to this spring. They could have pulled up to a wharf and loaded cargo and passengers. 

From the web, 

"The first water-powered sugar mill in Florida was built here in 1832. (Some of the brickwork and machinery is preserved behind the on-site restaurant.) In 1835, Seminoles attacked the plantation, destroying the mill and stealing slaves and cattle. Troops under the command of General Zachary Taylor finally drove the Seminoles out two years later. The mill was rebuilt in 1849 and continued to produce cotton and sugar, with up to 100 slaves performing the work. During the Civil War, in April 1864, Union troops, upon hearing the owner was providing supplies to the Confederate Army, destroyed the plantation. This was known as Birney's Raid. By the late 1800s, Spring Garden became a tourist destination with a steamboat and the railroad providing transportation to the area.

The mill was in operation when I was young, grinding wheat into flour
for bread and...pancakes! They are served there to this day at 
The Old Spanish Sugar Mill. 

Click here for more about this area, originally known as Spring Garden and later as De Leon Springs. 

So, with a mill producing cotton and sugar in the 1800s, it stands to reason that these products would need to get to Savannah for export via ocean-going ship. And the steamboats working the river also worked the inland passage between Charleston, Savannah, and the St. John's River. Perhaps smaller locally-operated steamboats took the cargoes to Jacksonville, where they could be trans-loaded onto larger boats for Savannah.  

Sidebar: I would have loved to have made that journey by steamer. I have made several houseboat cruises on the St. Johns, even taking friends from Savannah and showing them new places, like Silver Glen Spring on Lake George. Jeanne and I took our Sea Ray from Savannah almost to Palatka before mechanical problems landed us back in Jacksonville. Even cut short, our journey was great fun. On separate trips with Shriner buddies, I've been as far south on the ICW as St. Augustine and as far north as Charleston. Traveling by water is tremendously fun.

Maybe, before I'm done, I'll be able to do the entire trip from Savannah to Deleon Springs. I think it would be a great adventure. There are lots of great spots to stop and get refreshed and rested along the way!

Mike Neal, owner of Bull River Cruises, has taken the Island Explorer (the 45' excursion vessel I crew and captain) to Jacksonville; he got a gig ferrying thousands of people across the river for a Super Bowl. He and the boat were over halfway...

Rivers And Rails?

Imagine a trip down and back, with two groups of passengers, each riding the boat one way and the train the other. The historic Deland Train Station is just a few miles from the park and the train passes right by the gate. It would let people experience two modes of travel that have largely gone by the boards. Overnight stops at Fernandina, Jacksonville, and Palatka, and an all-hands dinner and celebration at the state park would let both groups mingle and tell stories. And the first thing the next morning we'd be off on the return journey. What a cruise that would be!

Ah, idle speculation; but what the hell--it never hurts to dream right? Most great adventures start with a dream.

Now, where were we?

As I look for more information about steamboats traveling from Savannah to the St. John's River, I open JSTOR and sign in. (JSTOR.ORG). I am directed to "East Coast Florida Steamboating" 1831-1861 by Edward A. Mueller, published in the Florida Historical Quarterly in 1962. If you are familiar with Ruby Rahn's excellent history of steam on the Savannah, Mr. Mueller's name will come to mind. She credits him for his research and information in the opening of her book. 

Here's a link... to Mr. Mueller's article in the Florida Historical Quarterly. It's an entertaining piece of writing! 

By the second paragraph, Mr. Mueller is writing about Savannah and steamboats in Florida! We're onto something! 

Mueller next writes that the first steamboat to travel to Jacksonville from Savannah was "apparently" the George Washington, arriving on May 18th or 19th 1831, after a trip lasting 34 hours. Not bad time all things considered. By August of 1835, weekly service was available between Savannah and Picolata Florida (a small outpost on the river below Jacksonville, with overland carriage service to St. Augustine). This route included stops at Darien, St. Mary's, and Jacksonville. As I continue reading I realize that Mr. Mueller was having fun as he wrote this article circa 1962, and that he inevitably did some smiling and shaking of the head as he banged away on his typewriter. The true story of the rise of steamboating between Savannah and the St. Johns is stranger than fiction! 

One of the repeatedly mentioned and sought-after types of travelers for Florida was the "invalid." Northern winters gave people respiratory illnesses, and the Florida climate was thought to be the answer. That trend later led Henry Flagler to bring his invalid wife to Jacksonville. This would set in motion a chain of events that would change everything about Florida!

In 1843, the steamboat St. Matthews extended the service up the river (but down the peninsula) as far as Palatka. (Getting closer to the springs!)

A U.S. Mail contract led to twice-weekly service from Savannah to Jacksonville and then up the St. Johns in 1847. The farthest up the river commercial traffic went was Enterprise, on Lake Monroe. Enterprise is a sleepy little village today, but when the river was the highway for goods and people, Enterprise was happening. (If you somehow find yourself in Enterprise, don't miss Cassadega, the spiritualist center of the south.)

When the river was a matter of life and death instead of simply a playground as it is today, riverfront spots were part and parcel of life. For my money, they still are...

 

Any trip on the St. John's River requires a stop at Silver Glen Spring

A Wonderful Story From The Creek--The Peanut Butter Falcon!

Now available for viewing on Amazon Prime
Video and HULU, and filmed right here!

 I was trained to be a Captain by two friends, Michael Neal and Buddy Lee. Mike owns Bull River Cruises. Buddy and Mike have worked together for a long time. 

It's been like this; when Mike makes a movie I work the boat. Mike is a marine coordinator for the film industry and is the go-to guy in our area for water scenes. He hires boats and people for on-water filming. He get's dressed in survival-gear and ready to go in the water and save the talent.

When a movie crew comes to town--it means I'm going to work on a boat! I'm aware of the movies being made around me, without paying too much attention to them. (I got to do a day of production work for Council of Dads, and I think it sucks that the series got the ax.)

The best films work magic on you. They "reel" you in, slowly at first; with plausible storylines and settings. Once you are firmly hooked, they take you on a journey that always involves the willing suspension of disbelief. Fantastical scenes have you looking at the person sitting next to you and smiling as you share the moment. And a little child-like part of your brain is thinking "yeah, sure, it could happen!"

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In no particular order; The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Gift, Camilla, and Forest Gump are all examples of this that were filmed here. It's our willingness--indeed our desire-- to believe in something better, something magic, that makes these stories so powerful. They provide an endorphinous happiness that leaves us smiling and shaking our heads and wondering "How did that happen?"

Jessica Tandy wasn't just fantastic in "Driving Miss Daisy" and 
"Fried Green Tomatoes." She also starred in "Camilla" which had scenes filmed in Isle of Hope.
She made being old look beautiful.

Peanut Butter Falcon is such a film. It has parallels to all "life as a journey" stories, such as The Odyssey, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, The Wizard of Oz--heck, there's too many to name but we're always glad to be along for the ride. 

In this film, when the raft gets built you realize that you are getting ready to see some Huck Finn stuff, and you can't wait! And it doesn't disappoint! Any kid with salt in their blood has dreamed of building that raft!

When you spend a day on these creeks and the rivers into which they flow, you sense the wonder and beauty that has enchanted us since the first Europeans came here (and probably the native Americans who were here first.) It's no wonder that Hollywood comes here to expose so much film, and so many miracles.

Enjoy the show!

www.SavannahBoater.com

But For The Grace of God...

A safety professional attempts to anticipate the next loss and prevent it. She reviews event-reports about near-misses, accident reports, orders for replacement parts, and any other trend-indicators at hand.

A sinking, collision, injury, or drowning is a loss. Our proximity to the event determines the effect on us individually; but to an extent, we are ALL affected by anyone's disaster.

I spent the last decade thinking about who would crash a medical helicopter next and why--and writing about it to try and prevent it. I experienced some success as evidenced by the number of people killed while working in HEMS.

That work is available here. If you want to know the most common sequence of events that lead up to a fatal crash in HEMS check out "No One Rings a Bell."

As I eased out of the cockpit and behind the console I sensed similarities between helicopter emergency medical services and boating. I thought to write about what might hurt you.

This picture from the Callawassie Island causeway at low tide is meant to highlight the sandbars and oyster rakes that lie in our waterways. When the incoming tide puts more than a few inches of water over them they are invisible. But they are still there, waiting to damage your boat and injure you. 

Imagine hitting one of those oyster-covered humps at speed!

It happened. A crowd in a boat experienced a high-speed grounding. The boat stopped and passengers kept going. Several were ejected from the boat. There was blood everywhere. (I spoke with a Coast Guardsman who responded to the call and he told me that it was terrible. The flesh wounds and bleeding were significant)

Boating is fun, but like aviation, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect. This isn't something that "happens to those other people." This happens to people just. like. you. And me too. 

I don't care how long you've been running these waters; no one, absolutely no one is immune to tragedy. I can't tell you how many smug, complacent, aviation-experts have expressed surprise at learning this, with a second or two left to live; and registered this dreadful realization with an "Oh Shit!" on the voice recorder. Smarter people than you and me have been killed in both aviation and boating accidents. (Note to self)

We've suffered a mishap in our midst. Beyond that we've seen a rash of mistakes lately. Anecdotally: groundings, damage, and carelessness are up--big time!

In the aviation world, this is when you have a safety stand--down. Maybe we should have a virtual one in our world. You can have your own safety-stand down right now. All it takes is a paper and pen or a keyboard.

Write down every mistake you made on your last couple of boating trips. What contributed to those mistakes? How will you make sure you don't repeat them. What will you do differently? This is your own S.O.P. you are writing. Your own "standard operating procedure." It will save you money and may save your life.

Write down your recent near-misses; you know, when you were saved by luck, not skill. Decide what you learned from them.

Review the latest charts of this area and refresh your memory on where hazards and bars are. 

You can download a chart booklet for Savannah's waters here in PDF format. It's not for commercial use.

For extra-credit review the latest Notice-To-Mariners for our area.

You can see the latest notice for our area by clicking here.

In this latest local accident, people were seriously hurt. Let's learn from history--from their mistake-- so that we don't repeat it.

Our rivers and creeks are full of hazards. Read that last sentence again, please!

Imagine hitting this at speed. It's a prop-stopper and might remove your lower unit.
Stay vigilant, friends!

Speed Versus Your Wallet

I have been performing orientation training lately for members of Savannah's Freedom Boat Club in the new 28' twin-engine NauticStar offshore fishing boat. This is a beautiful machine with two Yamaha 300 horsepower motors. It is "fly-by-wire" with computerized monitoring systems, so we can see exactly how much fuel we are consuming at any speed, with an additional miles-per-gallon readout.

At 30 miles per hour with full fuel and 3 on board, total fuel consumption is at or near 14 gallons per hour. This is pretty amazing, as a single engine 24' boat running the same speed burns a comparable amount of fuel. But what is REALLY amazing is what happens to that fuel consumption number when I have a customer advance the throttles during training.

A relatively small increase in speed increases fuel burn--in a word--significantly! At one point during training yesterday I pointed to the consumption indicator and we noted 52 gallons per hour being turned into speed, noise, and excitement.

"Okay, that's enough of that! Back it down to 30 miles per hour..."

Speed, noise, and excitement are expensive! Because marinas are few and far between with limited competition, they can charge much higher prices for fuel than a corner gas station does. They do have to pay more for fuel from the supplier, and the fuel is higher quality, but today's marina fuel price is $3.50 per gallon versus less than $2.00 per gallon for fuel from a gas station. 52 gallons per hour at 3.50 per gallon comes to $182.00 dollars per hour for fuel costs. Maybe you have "different money," but if you're the average boater, the fuel bill matters.

If fuel cost does matter, check your speed and consumption. Every planing hull has a planing speed at which fuel consumption is least per mile traveled. This corresponds to the minimum drag speed for the hull in conjunction with the engine's power-production characteristics. It's usually between 25 and 30 miles per hour for all the boats I operate. Go faster than that and you are just burning money!

Safe Boating!

SavannahBoater

It's all fun and games until the boat rolls over!

Some stories are better heard than told...

Thanks to friend and fellow FBC member Keith P. for sharing this story. We can either learn from history or repeat it. 

Here is a Savannah Boater challenge. The next time you are on your boat with passengers, do a drill. 

With everyone on board and the life vests in their normal storage location, see how long it takes for every person on board to don a vest and prepare for going in the water. Ready, Set, GO! You are going to be surprised, and better prepared.

While stationed at NAS Kingsville, two buddies and I decided to rent a boat from the base motor pool to fish in Baffin Bay. We got more than we bargained for...

The bay is about 3 miles wide at it’s widest and around 10 miles long. None of us had any formal training in operating a boat in open water. We all just assumed it was not much different than a large lake. The boat was 18 feet long and well designed. Like any other boat, it possessed strengths and limitations.
I can't recall the horsepower, but it also had a small trolling motor on it that we used my car
battery to power.

We arrived early in the morning and launched the boat into the bay. We motored around
to various areas near the shore for several hours, with none of us was really paying attention to the
boat's position because we were all 3 drinking and fishing. Eventually, we noticed that we were
roughly ¾ - mile from any shoreline. We decided that we should head back after seeing a storm building off to our east and realizing we could probably not outrun it.

In those days, we didn’t have GPS or apps to warn us of predicted winds and tide. As one would
expect, the seas started getting rough and water was entering the boat from the rain and waves.
Ironically, we were all in the Navy but not one of us knew exactly how to navigate the waves and
they were growing more intense. At the time we were running parallel to the waves – big
mistake.

We were quickly swamped by the waves and the boat capsized in an amazingly short
period of time.

One person in our party did not know how to swim, so we secured him to the boat with a
piece of anchor line. None of us had life jackets on and I couldn’t swear that there were any on board to begin with. We lost everything – my car battery, wallets, tackle and gear, and the trolling motor.

We clung to the capsized boat for what seemed an eternity and were all stung at least once by jellyfish. It was miserable and terrifying because the waves were still very choppy and the wind was not helping anything.

Fortunately, the storms there are similar to the storms here, it came in ferocious but
didn’t last too long. After an hour or so we saw another boat and got help. We
towed our capsized boat slowly to shore and had to leave it on a rocky beach because the ramp
was quite the distance around the bay.

We retrieved that boat once a wife brought us some keys for the truck. We attached a winch and pulled the boat up that embankment along the beach. Needless to say, the boat was badly damaged.

I cannot stress strongly enough that a person should not attempt using a watercraft
without some sort of formal training. I also cannot stress enough to inspecting the boat ahead of
time to ensure there are lifejackets onboard, and that they are readily accessible if not being
worn.

Also, one should always check forecasts and ensure someone knows where you are going.
A person should be cognizant of their surroundings at all times and tides as well as
understanding the limits of the equipment which you are operating. I tell this story to people
today in a joking manner, but I can assure it was terrifying at the time. All of us survived but the
story could have ended very differently. We were very lucky and I would advise others to get
educated on safe-boating practices and not just rely on luck.