Bayport, Florida - Remains of a CSA Blackade Runner

FLauthor

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Aug 22, 2004
770
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Minneola, FL
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Excalibur 800; Fisher F5; White Beachmaster VLF
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Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
These remnants of a Confederate blockade runner are the steam boiler tubes. These small boats were used to try to break the Union blockade, which kept goods and supplies from entering or leaving the port. The remains from this Confederate boat lie just off the beach at Bayport. Photos and caption by Jeff Cannon (2007).

See photos: http://fivay.org/bayport.html

This was found on the website covering the History of Hernando County. The owner of that property does not like TH'ers. His property where the sandbag Fort was located near the entrance to Bayport harbor had been dug up by trespassing TH'ers. I interviewed the owner about 20 years ago in Brooksville seeking permission and caught his wrath. The area is now a county park with a fishing pier.
According to Hernando County history, the two gun emplacement engaged a Union gunboat until it was knocked out. Union soldiers and sailors went in by whale boat and burned a sidewheeler blockade runner and 3 schooners. Though the field guns were knocked out, they were still under a fusillade of musket balls whizzing through the air from the rifle pits that lined the south shore. I always wondered if there were any strong box's on board with gold and silver in them. Hard money was the currency of Smugglers. The harbor area is now filled with sawgrass though some navigational channels exist as there might be old bottles on the bottom. There is Mud Spring, a freshwater spring located somewhere back there, aerial photos might pin point the location. Picnics and 4th of July festivals were done there in the early 1900's.
Good luck.
 

divewrecks

Bronze Member
Sep 7, 2004
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Down South - Marietta, GA
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Minelab Explorer SE (land), Aquapulse AQ1B (sea), Fisher CZ-20 (water, beach), Fisher 1266X (woods)
Yes, thanks, I will add that info to my large library of civil war naval books.

Stan Dilcher
 

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