By its very nature, coastal Georgia affords a gateway to world trade, commerce and communication. The Savannah River is considered one of the major direct routes into the heartland of the southeastern United States. Since the 16th century, the river's tributaries and an intricate network of inland waterways, sounds and natural harbors have offered refuge, subsistence, commercial opportunities and strategical possibilities. The high probability of the existence of nautical archaeological resources, resulting from the ever-common disasters associated with maritime travel and war, prompted a brief literary search for references that might include records of such mishaps. Several sources were found to include data concerning shipwrecks directly associated with the Savannah area and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway of coastal Georgia.
The sources investigated revealed 136 recorded maritime disasters occurring in waters associated with the Georgia coast. It can be assumed that the number of past mishaps will increase through an intensive archival search and investigation.
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