Confederate vessels that slipped cargo past U.S. naval ships blocking Florida’s seaports were called blockade runners. They faced a constant threat of capture or destruction.

Two such vessels, discovered in the Hillsborough River near Tampa, highlight the risks these smugglers took.

In the early morning light of October 17, 1863, two ships used as Confederate blockade runners—the Kate Dale and Scottish Chief --burst into flames after a federal raiding party slipped into the shipyard and set the two anchored vessels ablaze.

“Billy Ray” Morris and his team of underwater researchers found the charred remains of both vessels one year apart as part of an archaeological survey.

Excavations of the Kate Dale revealed the remains of a badly burned shoal draft sailing vessel, but little else. However, Morris and his team did locate structural remains, coal, and iron assemblies of the Scottish Chief still resting at the bottom of the Hillsborough River.

Written and Produced by the University of West Florida, the Florida Public Archaeology Network and the WUWF Public Media.