Seventeen iron cannons that lay on the Savannah River floor for almost 240 years were delivered to the Savannah History Museum on June 3, 2026. The weapns, scuttled by British forces in 1779, will ancchor a Fourth‑of‑July exhibit celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

June 3, 2026: Cannons Arrive at Savannah History Museum

According to the museum’s press release, the massive pieces—each weighing up to 1,500 pounds—were off‑loaded from a flatbed truck and positioned on custom‑built mounts that resemble giant wine racks. Curator Samantha Moss oversaw the installation, noting that two of the guns will be shown in their original, mud‑encrusted state while the remaining fifteen will appear cleaned and stabilized.

2021 Dredging Project Unearths 19 Cannons, 17 Survive

The cannons were first discovered during a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging operation aimed at deepening the Port of Savannah’s shipping channel. The dredge’s metal scoop pulled the first iron cannon from the riverbed, followed by two more,prompting a systematic recovery of a total of nineteen pieces downstream of the city.

Radiocarbon Dating Places Cannons in 1779 British Scorched‑Water Tactic

Scientists at Texas A&M University performed radiocarbon dating on wooden plugs sealing the barrels and concluded the guns were submerged in the late 1770s, just before the October 9, 1779 Battle of Savannah. The British, occupying the city, deliberately sank vessels armed with these cannons to block French warships from supporting a joint American‑French assault.

Conservation at Texas A&M: From Mud‑Caked Relics to Museum Stars

As reported by the conservation team, professor Chris Dostal and his specialists spent years removing a concrete‑like crust of river mud and mineral deposits.. They uncovered original wooden plugs, cannonballs, and even gunpowder charges, describing the condition as “pretty exceptional.” Archaeologist Andrea Farmer of the Army Corps remarked the pieces could “pretty much be fired if someone wanted to,” underscoring their rarity.

Who Still Holds Questions About the Cannons?

While the exhibit will explain the British scuttling strategy, it remains unclear whether any of the recovered guns were ever actually fired during the 1779 siege, and whether the two missing cannons were lost to corrosion or remain undiscovered downstream.