Today's Quick Fact Friday commemorates the Old Sunken Hull.  Commissioned on Oct 18, 1919, the Army Quartermaster River Steamer Col. J. E. Sawyer was the first concrete passenger vessel made in America. The 700- ton, 128.5-foot ship, able to carry 500 people, was one of nine built from 1919-1920 by the Newport Shipbuilding Corp. of New Bern, N.C. Made of steel and ferrocement, these vessels were named after esteemed deceased army quartermasters. In 1923, Joseph Sabel brought the decommissioned Sawyer and an identical ship the Maj. Archibald Butt to Charleston for commercial use. In 1926, the Sawyer sank near Adger's Wharf creating long-term problems for port authorities who dubbed her the "old sunken hull." As thousands cheered, the Sawyer was raised on June 22, 1929, after weeks of frustrating yet amusing attempts. The old hull was towed to this site and remains an iconic fixture. Local lore named this steamer the Archibald Butt; however, that vessel was relocated to Miami in 1925.