Civil War-era cannon goes on display

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A 5-ton cannon recovered from a sunken Civil War-era gunboat was displayed at Texas A&M University Thursday, school officials said.

The 11-foot-long cannon was raised Nov. 22 along with the USS Westfield, which was deliberately sunk in the Texas City Channel during the 1863 Battle of Galveston. The gunboat, originally built as a Staten Island (N.Y.) ferry, was intentionally destroyed by Union forces to prevent capture after it grounded in the channel during the battle.

The recovery was part of a $71 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to deepen the channel along the Texas coast to keep waterways open for navigation.

The cannon, which fired 9-inch shells, and five recovered cannonballs, will be preserved at the university's Conservation Research Lab on the Riverside campus.

Restoration of the cannon will be an ongoing process, said the lab's Jim Jobling. The cannon's crusty outer shell will be peeled away during the next several days. The weapon will then be moved to an electrolysis bath for up to two years to remove any remaining salt and to preserve the metal.

"When it is uncovered is when the cannon comes alive," he said. "You can see this cast iron is beautiful, but wait until we're done with it."

Other items such as belt buckles, ceramics and glass items, are expected to be recovered within the next few days.