Divers discovered the remains of a Civil War steamship in the bottom of the Hillsborough River in Tampa Tuesday.

A research team from the Florida Aquarium used advanced sonar technology to find the wreck of the Scottish Chief in 15 feet of murky water. The vessel hadn’t been seen since Union troops burned and sank it in 1863.

“It’s a fantastic feeling going under the water and actually putting hands on a wood piece of a shipwreck that you know was involved in historic civil war battles 150 years ago,” said Casey Coy with the Florida Aquarium.

Part of the Scottish Chief in the murky waters of the Hillsborough River.

The Scottish Chief is believed to be one of the dozen ships that kept Tampa afloat during the war, sailing through Union blockades to Cuba to trade cotton in exchange for medicine, liquor, food and other supplies.

The relic has been lodged underwater near an Interstate 275 overpass.

“As Tampa changed around it, this thing has been preserved nicely underwater,” said Florida Aquarium diver Mike Terrell.

This is the third Civil War era shipwreck discovered by divers in the past three years. Eventually, the public will get a glimpse of this piece of the past. The aquarium hopes to create shipwreck exhibits.

“To be able to not only exhibit this at the aquarium or at least tell its story at the aquarium enriches people’s understanding of the underwater ecosystem but also the people that interact with it and lived on the water,” Terrell said.

The Florida Aquarium divers say the shipwreck belongs to James McKay. McKay was one of the first entrepreneurs in Florida.

His contributions to the state even predate Henry Flagler and Henry Plant. Both men made significant developments in Florida, including railroads and hotels in the mid- to-late 1800’s.

Source: http://www.wtsp.com/

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