ADMIRAL RAPHAEL SEMMES CAMP #11
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS
MOBILE, ALABAMA
The following excerpt was published in the Mobile Register August 19, 2005
History Still Buried in Mobile Bay
We all watched with fascination as Clive Cussler led his team at the National Underwater and Marine Agency and the divers he hired, who have been credited by the South Carolina Hunley Commission with finding the CSS Hunley, a submarine built in Mobile for the Confederacy.
Since that event, we have also seen the turret of the USS Monitor, the United States’ first ironclad, raised from the ocean depths. Both of these items have turned into large tourist attractions for the areas displaying these historical items.
Lying beneath the waters of Mobile Bay are historical items that match or exceed the artifacts listed above. The Battle of Mobile Bay was a brutal naval battle that tested the courage of men of the U.S. Navy and the Confederate Navy. Many lives and ships were lost during this battle.
While the souls of these brave men have long since passed on, the ships upon which they served, in many cases, rest below the waters of Mobile Bay. Mobile has a fleeting opportunity to harvest these artifacts and to create a historical center that allows visitors to relive part of Mo- bile’s great history.
There will continue to be an increase in tourist traffic through Mo- bile as Baldwin County transforms itself into a much larger tourist economy. A center, based on the CSS Hunley Center model, would be a great tourist attraction for people to visit as part of their vacation journeys.
Just some of the ships in and around Mobile are:
The USS Tecumseh. This ship has been examined by NUMA and the Smithsonian Institute. Both organizations felt that the Tecumseh was the best preserved monitor of the four known monitors in the United States. During their examinations, artifacts including bottles, candlesticks, saucers, plates and human remains were removed. To my knowledge, these items were not turned over to the Mobile Museum for display. They also noted damage to the ship that was caused by vandals who used underwater cutting torches.
The CSS Huntsville and the CSS Tuscaloosa. These were unfinished ironclads that were sunk in the Spanish River just north of Mobile. There is some movement in Huntsville to raise the CSS Huntsville and display it in Huntsville.
CSS Phoenix. The Phoenix was an incomplete side-wheel ironclad warship that was one of 14 sunk as part of the Dog River Bar obstructions. These obstructions still exist today.
CSS Ivanhoe. The Ivanhoe was an iron-hulled paddlewheel steam ship designed to evade the blockading Union fleet. The archeology department from Florida State University has located the Ivanhoe in an area where it would be extremely easy to recover artifacts. There are many more wrecks than the ones I have mentioned here. In addition to the artifacts themselves, there is a great wealth of written text that describes the battle and life in general in and around Mobile during this time.
History Still Buried in Mobile Bay
We all watched with fascination as Clive Cussler led his team at the National Underwater and Marine Agency and the divers he hired, who have been credited by the South Carolina Hunley Commission with finding the CSS Hunley, a submarine built in Mobile for the Confederacy.
Since that event, we have also seen the turret of the USS Monitor, the United States’ first ironclad, raised from the ocean depths. Both of these items have turned into large tourist attractions for the areas displaying these historical items.
Lying beneath the waters of Mobile Bay are historical items that match or exceed the artifacts listed above. The Battle of Mobile Bay was a brutal naval battle that tested the courage of men of the U.S. Navy and the Confederate Navy. Many lives and ships were lost during this battle.
While the souls of these brave men have long since passed on, the ships upon which they served, in many cases, rest below the waters of Mobile Bay. Mobile has a fleeting opportunity to harvest these artifacts and to create a historical center that allows visitors to relive part of Mo- bile’s great history.
There will continue to be an increase in tourist traffic through Mo- bile as Baldwin County transforms itself into a much larger tourist economy. A center, based on the CSS Hunley Center model, would be a great tourist attraction for people to visit as part of their vacation journeys.
Just some of the ships in and around Mobile are:
The USS Tecumseh. This ship has been examined by NUMA and the Smithsonian Institute. Both organizations felt that the Tecumseh was the best preserved monitor of the four known monitors in the United States. During their examinations, artifacts including bottles, candlesticks, saucers, plates and human remains were removed. To my knowledge, these items were not turned over to the Mobile Museum for display. They also noted damage to the ship that was caused by vandals who used underwater cutting torches.
The CSS Huntsville and the CSS Tuscaloosa. These were unfinished ironclads that were sunk in the Spanish River just north of Mobile. There is some movement in Huntsville to raise the CSS Huntsville and display it in Huntsville.
CSS Phoenix. The Phoenix was an incomplete side-wheel ironclad warship that was one of 14 sunk as part of the Dog River Bar obstructions. These obstructions still exist today.
CSS Ivanhoe. The Ivanhoe was an iron-hulled paddlewheel steam ship designed to evade the blockading Union fleet. The archeology department from Florida State University has located the Ivanhoe in an area where it would be extremely easy to recover artifacts. There are many more wrecks than the ones I have mentioned here. In addition to the artifacts themselves, there is a great wealth of written text that describes the battle and life in general in and around Mobile during this time.