Navy divers to help raise confederate warship CSS Georgia artifacts from Savannah River

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Navy diver 1st Class Fernando Almazan, right, assists Navy diver 1st class Travis Arneson, assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, don a Kirby Morgan 37 dive helmet during training at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va. During this training divers are preparing for an upcoming assignment to salvage of the Civil War ironclad Confederate State Ship (CSS) Georgia in the Savannah Rive in Savannah, Ga. (Petty Officer 2nd class Heather Brown/U.S. Navy via AP) (The Associated Press)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Navy diver 1st class Jason Geissler, left, assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, performs a front-step water entry during training at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va. During this training divers are preparing for an upcoming assignment to salvage of the Civil War ironclad Confederate State Ship (CSS) Georgia in the Savannah Rive in Savannah, Ga. (Petty Officer 2nd class Heather Brown/U.S. Navy via AP) (The Associated Press)

NORFOLK, Va. – The Navy is preparing to send one if its premier diving teams to Georgia to help salvage a Confederate warship from the depths of the Savannah River.

The 1,200 ton ironclad CSS Georgia was scuttled by its own crew to prevent its capture by Gen. William T. Sherman when his Union army took Savannah in 1864. Today, it's considered a captured enemy vessel and is property of the U.S. Navy.

The shipwreck is being removed as part of a $703 million project to deepen the river channel so larger cargo ships can reach the Port of Savannah.

Virginia Beach-based Navy divers are scheduled to arrive at the site near downtown Savannah on June 1. Among other things, they'll remove the ship's weapons, steam engine components and armor.