Chattanooga Engineers Club
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
12:00 noon
Due to field day now scheduled for Dr. Smith, please understand a rare meeting date change to Tuesday!
Presentation:
U.S.S. Chattanooga
Speaker:
Dr. Morgan F. Smith, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
In 1863, toward the end of the Civil War (1861-1865), according to historical records, supplies had dwindled until there was only one loaf of bread left for Union soldiers. U.S.S. Chattanooga is a steamship that brought supplies to the starving army of U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant outside Chattanooga.
After the war, the ship sat on the northern side of the Tennessee River across from what is now the Tennessee Aquarium and Riverfront. Eventually, it fell apart and sank.
UTC's “Underwater Anthropology” Spring 2021 class found pieces of the ship sitting on the muddy river bottom.
“It had a big role in American history and it is unrecorded as far as archaeological sites go. The state of Tennessee was not aware that this was even here before we did this survey today,” Dr. Morgan Smith told a group of students on April 14 before they pulled away from the Riverfront fishing pier on a pontoon boat.
Along with the U.S.S. Chattanooga, sonar also detected five or six other wrecks, probably barges.
Join us for an exciting program.
Online access information will be provided to registered participants before the meeting date.
This event should qualify for 1 PDH.