Stone Fleet

They were to be deliberately sunk at the entrance of Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, in the hope of obstructing blockade runners, then supplying Confederate interests.

Although some sank along the way and others were sunk near Tybee Island, Georgia, to serve as breakwaters, wharves for the landing of Union troops, the majority were divided into two lesser fleets.

[1] Various old ships, specifically purchased by the Navy for this purpose, were loaded with stone and sand, or filled with dirt, then towed to a designated spot and sunk as a hazard to all craft that passed.

The operation was under the direction of Samuel Francis DuPont, Flag Officer commanding the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

[citation needed] Confederate general Robert E. Lee called the measure "an abortive expression of the malice and revenge of a people", and correctly deduced that the decision to try to block the harbor meant that the Union was not planning to attack Charleston in the near future.