Shipwrecks in the Mississippi River

I live in Baton Rouge, LA close to the mighty Mississippi and I was wondering if somehow all the water was drained away how many Civil War era ships would we find?

Considering it is fresh water how well woud the ships be preserved?

It must be incredibly difficult to dive in the Mississippi considering the swift current and near zero visability. I have read that the river has changed course a lot since the 19th century and some wrecks have been found in farm land a mile or two away from the river…

Well, there’s the Arabia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia_Steamboat With lots of well preserved artifacts. She was found about one-half mile from the river.

The USS Naiad, and Saluda are also mentioned, but not that they were ever raised.

Thanks for that Gary!

We’ve got the War Eagle. It burned and sank while docked and now sits on the bottom right at the confluence of the three rivers (La Crosse, Black and Mississippi).

Check this out.

http://www.timelesstimber.com/

Now, the 100+ year old timber they are recovering and using was in water that was likely deeper and colder, but that’s some evidence that yes, wood can be very well preserved under some conditions in freshwater.

Similar vein: Wired Magazine piece about underwater timber harvesting.

Clive Cussler has a book or two documenting him and some friends attempt at finding civil war shipwrecks, they found several.

http://www.cusslermen.com/seahunters.htm

There’s the Sultana, the sinking of which is claimed to be the “greatest maritime disaster in United States history”. It’s one of those wrecks where the debris was found some distance from the river, according to the Wiki article: