Fort Sumter

  On Wednesday we went back to Charleston and went on the tour of Fort Sumter where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861. There are two departure points for boats going to the fort which is Charleston Harbor. One is Patriots Point and one is in Liberty Square. We went to Liberty Square and took the 2:30 tour because we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get there and to park and grab lunch. Hint: you can take your own refreshments onto the boat so we picked up sandwiches at the East Bay Deli before boarding. Liberty Square is also where there are displays and historical information on the fort, slavery and southern culture before the war. The boat started boarding promptly at 2:15 and was under way by 2:30. The ride is about 38 minutes to the fort and you can see many sights along the way. We even a couple of dolphins swimming right on the bow of the ship for a while.

 

  Charleston is flanked by the Ashley and Cooper rivers and the Arthur Ravenel bridge spans them. It is the longest concrete suspended cable bridge in the country.

 

 

  Also the Fighting Lady is seen at her permanent resting spot:

 

  Charleston at one time was protected by four military forts including Castle Pickney which is seen here:

 

  The other forts were Fort Moultrie and Fort Johnson. Fort Sumter was the most defensible of the four installations and Major Robert Anderson moved his garrison there from Fort Moultrie a few days before the bombardment of Sumter began. Fort Sumter was actually not totally complete in its construction and armament. Only half of its guns were installed when the war commenced and Major Anderson held out as long as he could. The Fort was reduced to rubble after 34 straight hours of bombardment. The top two tiers of the structure were obliterated and the fort today looks nothing like it did in 1861:

 

 

 

The current entrance is the left face of the pentagon shaped fort I believe. The original entrance, or sally port was on the gorge side which was the longest and lightest defended side. The gorge took the brunt of the attack because most of the fire came from what would have been expected to be the friendly side facing the mainland. 

 

  There are various cannon on display:

 

 

 

  The crew included an officer and about 12 enlisted men to fire it. This photo gives you a good idea of how imposing the original fort must have been when it was three stories high:





 

  The fort was reinforced during the Spanish- American War with the addition of the Huger Battery but thankfully never saw action.

#6 is the main entrance today and #12 is the gorge wall where the original entrance was located. The large black edifice is the Battery Huger. The area behind Battery Huger is all the rubble from the top two tiers used to fill in that part of the fort so you are actually looking out over the top of the fort.

 

  The battery now houses a gift shop, museum, and restrooms. The is an elevator but unfortunately it was out of service. They say a work order was put, LOL, but it looked as if it has been broken a while so once again Doreen was relegated to the parade ground and I wondered all over. They only give you an hour on the island which is not enough time to read everything as I like to do. You can get an extended ticket for $5 more but then you are there for four hours. The museum alone would take an hour. But I did get a shot of Major Anderson's battle flag which he was permitted to take with him when Confederate General P.G.T Beauregard allowed the fort to evacuate to the supply ship Star of the West. Amazingly it remained in his family's possession until 1904 when it was donated to the fort.

 

  There are several stories about the salvaging of the colors that fateful day on April 13, 1861 but one thing is true; several soldiers gave their lives to preserve the everlasting symbol of freedom.

God Bless America and the Union.





 









Charleston, SC pt.2

We went back to Charleston last Friday and went to Patriot's Point. Patriot's Point is across the river in Mount Pleasant and is home to the USS Yorktown CV-10, my favorite attraction in Charleston. I visited Charleston in 1978 as a teenager with my family and the "Fighting Lady" was there then.

 

  Having been a huge WW2 history buff all my life this is right up my alley. This incarnation of the Yorktown was the second of the war. It was originally going to be the Bonn Homme Richard but after the previous Yorktown was sunk at the Battle of Midway this aircraft carrier was renamed. The designation CV-10 indicates it is the tenth aircraft carrier ever built. Even though Patriot's Point has two other vessels and other attractions we spent the entire time on the "Lady".

  One of the first stops on the ship was the Medal of Honor Museum:

 

  The displays are interactive and trace the history of the medal from inception in the Civil War to the most recent recipients. Above you can see each branch of the service has their own variation of the medal. The most interesting thing I learned was that there were medals that were revoked over the years as the criteria for the award was tweaked to what it is today.

  Doreen was able to explore three decks of the ship on her scooter:

 

 The main entrance of the ship is the hangar deck where there are several vintage planes that were deployed from the Yorktown.

 

 

 

  After exploring the hangar deck we went to the flight deck where there were more planes:

Since the Yorktown was in service from 1942 to 1968 she deployed propeller driven F4F Wildcats in WW2 to F-14 Tomcat jets in Vietnam.

The super structure is the most noticeable trait of the ship. This is where the bridge, radar room, communications room and other vital areas of the ship are located. I took Doreen back down to the hangar deck and then went on my own to the several self guided tours. My first destination was the bridge and the captain's chair and view:

 

After touring the bridge and associated areas I made my to the brig. The brig is the jail of the ship and was very spartan with three men to a cell:

 

  Our tour ended and I never made it to the USS Laffey, a destroyer and the USS Hunley, a submarine. The feeling of awe and pride was enough for me. The Yorktown was instrumental in victory in the Pacific and it was a privilege to be able to walk the same decks that so many brave men did before to secure freedom for all Americans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charleston, SC pt.1

 A week has gone by since my last post. We have done a lot in that week making four trips to Charleston and another to Beaufort. Charleston is about an hour and a half ride from here so we put some miles on the truck. Our first trip was last Wednesday. We had intentions of going on the tour of Fort Sumter but we got to the dock too late to get the ferry so we went on a walking tour of the city. Charleston is one of the oldest cities in the south and has played an important role in the history of the U.S. As a major port it was the intital destination of slave ships from south Africa until 1808 when the slave trade was banned. Rice, indigo, and cotton were the chief exports and many wealthy farmers owned a home in the city in addition to their plantation(s).
  We parked the truck near Liberty Square where the aquarium is and the departure point for Sort Sumter. It was a long walk to get to downtown and the battery. We eventually made our way to the city market.

 

  The city market runs about three city blocks east (above) to west and is a great place to pick up all sorts of local wares.

I assume the west end of the market is the main entrance:

The upper level is the Daughters of the Confederacy museum. The architecture is amazing all over town.

We walked down East Bay Street towards the battery checking out the architecture as we went.

 

  The battery is the southern extent of the city and is named for the gun placements that protected the city.

 

Of course there are many monuments to the rebels that were ultimately defeated in 1865.

After the battery we strolled down Rainbow Row which is a block of townhouses painted bright colors.

 

 

  We finished off our visit in North Charleston where we visited my Aunt Dolly who I haven't seen since my father's funeral in 2004. She is a real trooper as she is battling cancer and her disposition is so positive I am sure she will conquer her illness. My cousin Shirley came to here house while we were there and we made plans for another visit on Saturday. I hadn't seen my cousin Shirley in over 30 years and I was looking forward to spending more time with her and her family.

  On Saturday we picked up Aunt Dolly to go over to Shirley's house. Dolly is a rabid sports fan and of course a Steeler fan. She said she likes t watch the games snacking on Dr. Pepper and potato ships so I had to hook her up and bring her some.  We  got to my cousin's house and in the garage was a ping pong table. Ping pong runs in the Karanzas blood and Aunt Dolly still has game. I hope I have as much spunk when I am 76 years old not to mention battling cancer. We played a game and I squeezed out a two point win. I played my cousin's 21 year old son and he took two out of three from me. It was a nice visit and it was great seeing Shirley, Rusty, John, and Aunt Dolly.

 

 

 

 

 



Parris Island, SC

 

  We spent Monday at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island. The island is open to the public and it is free. There is a Marine Corps museum that traces the history of the Corps from its founding on November 10, 1775 to the present day.

 

 

The museum is impressive and it took us a few hours to go through it. Upon entrance the visitor enters a rotunda with a miniature version of the Iwo Jima monument.

The circumference of the rotunda depicts the first settlements of the Spanish on the island and surrounding area. Parris Island, Port Royal,  and Beaufort harbor were actually the northern extent of Spanish Florida in the 1500's. Through the years is has been pivotal during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The exhibit takes you to the early part of the 20'th century when the U.S. Navy built dry docks on Parris Island, a brig, and an airfield. The complex was eventually turned over to the Marine Corps in time for U.S. involvement in WW1 at which time it was being used for recruit training. This was a critical time for the Corps because many wanted the Corps absorbed by the navy.

  Anyway the exhibits were informative and there was a display for every action the Marines have been involved in. I found all the weapons and uniforms used by the Marines through the years fascinating.

 

This is a Maxim machine gun which is actually a German weapon. I suppose they used captured guns and it is the same gun held by Iron Mike, the famous statue on the base. Iron Mike was dedicated in 1924 to all the marines who gave their life for their country:

 

After going through the museum we went on the Iron Mike driving history tour. You follow signs around the island and can read about the points of interest in a pamphlet. There is a golf course, RV park, boat launch, history and nature trails and monuments along the tour. The tour ends at the most famous landmark associated with the Marine Corps. This is of course the Iwo Jima Monument. It was sculpted in the likeness of the Pulitzer Prize winning photo taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal:

 

This sculpture actually predates the one outside Arlington National Cemetery and was used to raise money for the bronze version there. It commemorates the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima after a one month battle in which over 6,000 marines were killed in action.  Iwo Jima saw the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to more men than any battle in history; 27 total of which 22 were marines.

 

 

It was a good day and it made you proud to be American. To quote President Eisenhower: "Uncommon valor was a common virtue."









Beaufort, SC and the drive-in

Nothing much to post about. We are just taking it easy. I haven't recieved my first retirement check yet so we are keeping an eye on finances until I do. We went down to Beaufort again. That is where we have to go to get anything we can't get at the local convenience stores here. It is a nice little town with a waterfront and shops and restaurants.

Last night we went to the drive- in movies at Highway 21 Drive-In. We saw a double feature for $7! Can't beat that. It was Rush and Runner Runner. Rush was about Formula 1 racing in the 1970's and the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Some good racing sequences but the beginning is kind of slow. Runner Runner is a Ben Affleck flick about off shore on-line gambling. Ben plays the rich embezzeling villain which is a nice departure for him and Justin Timberlake is the naive math whiz who cracks the scam and becomes the patsy- or so Ben thinks. So-so film that I wouldn't have paid full price for in the theatre.
  Now that the government shut down is over we plan on going to Charleston so I should have plenty to post about. Until then I got the Steelers on today looking for win #2. We have the Cardinals and Red Sox in the series- again. I'll watch if there is nothing else on. The Penguins are off to a tremendous start with Sidney Crosby getting two or three points a game. This is his best start since his rookie year and hopefully he can go injury free this season. Of course it is all meaningless when you get swept out of the playoffs.

A Round of Golf

  Well, I finally got out to play some golf Monday. Is there s better way to celebrate Columbus Day? I was looking on line for a place to play and found a course in Hardeeville, SC which is about 30 miles from where we are. There is nothing around here and most of the courses near Beaufort are private. I use Golfnow and Ezlinks to look for bargains and I found one. It is a Tommy Fazio design called Hilton Head Lakes. And for a $20 greens fee with cart I couldn't go wrong.

  It is the prototypical golf course community that is unfinished with a house here and a house there. The course was nice and wide open which suited me fine this day. I played my usual up and down round: par, bogey, quad bogey, triple bogey, etc. Five pars; eight bogie's; five "others" for a 94. I was paired up with Al for the first 9. Al was 81 years old and lives in Sun City right down the road towards Hilton Head. Al could really hit the ball plus he was a nice guy. Retired Air Force and has been here for about ten years. Al said this course was taken over by new owners a few years ago and were trying to make a go of it. It was formerly Tradition National Golf Course.

Al was only playing nine so I hooked up with a twosome in front of me for the second nine. Scott and Brandon were on vacation from Greensboro, NC. Nice enough fellas but Brandon was one of those guys who hits a second ball every tee box because he sliced or shanked his first one.
  All in all it was a nice day even though the sun never emerged. The wind started to kick up the second nine and I thought it might actually rain but it didn't. I would definitely go back again for $20.

  There was a lot of water of course and I found it right off the first tee. My driver veered right and caught the edge of the lake. Needless to say I only used my driver two more times the rest of the round. I didn't find any more water until the last hole; a long par 4 with a creek fronting the green. The wind was really blowing and I had about 200 to the green for my second so I laid up about 30 yards short of the creek. I duffed my third right into the creek but when I got closer I was actually on the edge of the bank. So with one foot almost in the water and the ball about an inch or two back of my right foot I knocked a sand wedge on the green and two putted for a double.