1864 - The Federal transport steamer, Maple Leaf, struck a Confederate torpedo, now referred to as a mine, on the St. Johns River near Mandarin and sank immediately in three fathoms of water on this date. A detachment of Confederate artillery and a company of infantry troops were dispatched to the area to ensure that the wreckage was complete. The 181-ft long Maple Leaf was launched in 1851 in Ontario and was originally used as a freight and passenger vessel. It was leased to the U.S. Army in 1862 an used along the east coast as a military transport. The explosion ripped through the bow of the ship and killed four soldiers as the ship quickly sank. By 1882 the wreckage was still visible above the water and became a hazard to navigation so the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers removed the upper decks and the rest of the hull was subsequently covered in 20 feet of mud, effectively preserving the many supplies inside. In 1984 the wreck was rediscovered and in 1988/89, archeologists dove into the sunken vessel and recovered almost 3,000 artifacts, many of which are on display at the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History.