D-Day Training

This marker is in a rest area just east of the Crooked River Lighthouse.
In late 1943, Carrabelle Beach and Dog Island, while they were a part of Camp Gordon Johnston, were used by the US Army 4th Infantry Division to train for the Normandy Invasion on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. The Amphibious Training Center had been officially closed, but it was reopened and staffed for the purpose of training for this important mission. Although the troops had trained for over three years, the amphibious training conducted on this site was the last step before shipping out to England for the invasion. On D-Day, the first amphibian infantry assault teams to arrive on French soil were from the 4th Infantry Division at Utah Beach. On June 6, 2000, the Camp Gordon Johnston Association extracted a small amount of soil from this site and delivered it to the National 4th Infantry Division Association to be placed in the Association's monument in Arlington, VA. The US Department of Defense's World War II Commemoration Committee in 1995 named the Camp Gordon Johnston Association an official "Commemorative Community."

U-534

From the Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News:

A HISTORIC German U-boat which was cut into sections by a Widnes-based contractor and transported to its new home in Merseyside is now a key exhibit in a maritime museum.
The U-534 is the centrepiece of a major exhibition centre being constructed by Appleton-based Whitfield and Brown at the Woodside Ferry Terminal.
The U-boat was sunk in a Norwegian fjord by the crew of the “G” For George, a Liberator bomber of the RAF’s 547 Squadron.
The vessel is believed to be the last U-boat to make an attempt to escape the Allies at the end of the war.
Legend has it that the vessel contained a valuable cargo of contraband gold bullion, or possibly even a sacred relic known as the Spear of Destiny – said to be the spear that pierced Christ’s side.
The sub was found to be carrying an enigma cypher machine.
The Liberator dropped 10 depth charges on the sub during two attacks and one charge is said to have stuck to the upper part of its hull before exploding.
The U-534 sank stern first and 49 of its crew survived.
The Widnes contractor excavated a 60x20m “reception dock” into which the four sections of the historic vessel were placed. The Mersey Mammoth floating crane was used to transport the sub to its new home.
A project spokesman said: “The sub U-534 was formerly the centrepiece of Wirral’s Historic Warships Museum until it closed two years ago.
“It was bought for a nominal sum by Merseytravel after there were fears it could be sold for scrap.
“Because of space limitations and operational difficulties in moving the sub, it was cut into four sections and floated to its new home.”

By Adrian Short

Original article here

Blazing Angels part 2

The day is mine! When we last met, I was stuck on the mission flying through the ice canyons to destroy the heavy water plant. Before we begin, may I re-emphasize HOW^$%%#&$%#$ REDICULOUS THIS STUPID LEVEL IS AND HOW IF I EVER MEET THE *&^%$%^**$ WHO DESIGNED IT I'M GOING TO SKIN HIM ALIVE!!!! Ahem. Anyway, I hate to say it, but there aren't really any tricks, you just have to keep flying the mission until you figure it out. The only real hints I can give are to try different planes. they all fly differently and you may have better luck with a certain one. I wound up using the Spitfire. Also, each time you re-try the level try something different. Find out which corners you can fly around full speed and which ones you have to slow down for. See if you can fly around obstructions a different way. You may be surprised. And remember, there is a rediculous time limit, so you have to go full speed 99% of the mission. Once you get through the first canyon (yes you read that right, FIRST CANYON!!!! THERE ARE MORE!!!) you have to bomb some German ships in an alcove. This is rather tight flying, but is not terribly tricky. Then you follow Joe through ANOTHER canyon, but this time, there are enemy fighters in there with you. Take my advice: IGNORE THE FIGHTERS! Shooting them down does you know good, and if you don't shoot them, it doesn't matter. Just concentrate on flying through the canyon. Once again, stupid time limit. After this canyon, you have to shoot down the fighters and sink some more ships. Fortunetly, this cove has more room than the last one, so you don't really have to worry about crashing. However, these enemy fighters are a pain. They have equal planes, and these guys are GOOD. Use the target follow mode here. Trust me. Once you destroy the enemy, Joe will unceromoniously disappear and you have to follow him again. Look for the blue arrow on your radar, that's him. He is busy going through the last (finally!) canyon. Follow him, this is just like the last one, fighters and all. By the way, each canyon is worse than the last, and the time is harder to beat, but without realizing it, by practicing the mission you are getting better at canyon flying. After the final canyon, you finally reach the heavy water plant. Just bomb it and get it over with. No problems here. Oh and one last thing, there's a sub to sink at the end too.









After that HELLACIOUS mission throught the ice, it's time to get back to the real world. Now you have to assist the DDay landings at Normandy. This seems fairly standard shooting bombers and ground targets. Biggest trick is there are soooo many targets. Each time you come around, use the joystick to select the target closest to you. This makes it easier to see. Here you have to beat both a timer and the little meter saying how many friendly troops are left. It's not terribly hard, but you have to be quick. And the land targets are low and tucked into small ravines. Try not to crash! Oh and also, one of your wingmen is killed on this mission. Just like landing your damaged plane on a previous mission, this is part of the story and nothing you do can change it.





After saving the Normandy invasion, you have to rid Paris of German troops. By now it should be becoming clear that the missions are getting harder. Imagine the last mission, but all the enemy tanks are in between tall buildings. The biggest challenge with this mission is to not run into the buildings. To avoid this, your best bet is to fly along roads, rivers, etc as much as possible. There are a lot of them, but you have plenty of time to take them all out, so relax and watch out for the buildings. Also, unlike previous levels, if you are called to help another area here, you have to go immediately. You can not wait until you finish cleaning up the area you are at, or you will lose. After cleaning up all the Germans, you have to take out the fleeing German general. This is very bizzare, because he will pop up and dissapear on your radar repeatedly in a pattern that is physically impossible. Your best bet: Hang out by Notre Dame, just circle over the river. With about 35 seconds left on the timer, he will appear in this area on three boats on the river. Take these out, then a few fighters, and the mission is done.

Your next assignment is the Ardenne Woods, more commonly called the Battle of the Bulge. This one seems to be quite a doozy. First up is a wave of German fighters to take out, then some armored columns, then a bomber wave. Oh, and you have one restrictive time limit to take out all of it. Well, this is where I am now. I was going to wait longer to post this next installment, but since I am leaving now and who knows when I will get back to the game. So when I do, I will continue my little narrative. Have fun!

Blazing Angels...part 1

Ok, so for Christmas, the wife got us a Wii as a way to spend time together. I recently got this game for it, Blazing Angels, Squadrons of World War II. I have to say for the most part I like it. Now I'm not much of a video gamer, but I'm having fun. Biggest problem is that every time I get stuck on a mission, it's not due to lack of ability as much as there's a trick to doing it. And by the way, I searched the web and none of the "hint" sites are any help. So here I want to impart my little bit of knowledge for you guys.


You start out on a training mission in a biplane. It's pretty easy, and tells you exactly what to do. Perhaps the hardest thing to figure out is how to drop bombs. The gun crosshairs are obvious, but when you are given a bombing task, a circle will appear on the ground beneath you. If you can't see it, fly lower or at a downward angle. When your target is in the circle, release the bombs. Oh yeah, and landing is easier than you think. Just go low and level over the runway, then hit the brakes.


Second mission is Dunkirk part one. Pretty simple at first. Just shooting down bombers and bombing tanks. Trick is towards the end the tanks start coming faster, and the last column appears right in front of the bridge you are defending. With this column you have to be very fast and use guns, not bombs or you will never get them all in time. At the end of the mission you have to destroy the bridge, with a time limit as always. To do this you have to hit the same spot (near the middle) several times.


After defending the bridge, you are tasked with defending the British ships. The hardest part of this is sinking the German ships with bombs. The biggest suggestion for this is to attack them lengthwise. This gives you more to attack. Also, for all of these missions, use the right arrow to send your wingmen after your targets as well.


After Dunkirk, you move onto the Battle of Britain. This mission is straight forward: Shoot down German planes. The challenge? You have to do it before they bomb the crap out of London's famous landmarks. Try using the follow cam here. I didn't like it at first, but it is really useful for shooting enemy planes. I still don't like using it for ground targets, though.



The next mission is a trick. It is not terribly hard, but you have to understand it. You take off from a carrier, then have to photograph your ships for practice (you are a recon plane.) You get a new display with a green bar across the top. This is the range meter, and when the arrow is in the middle portion, you can take the picture. You have to hold the button until the picture is done though, so you have to take it IMMEDIATELY when you are in range, or you will not have time. It is really slow on the practice runs, but don't worry, it is much easier on the mission (go figure.) When you actually go on the mission, you are flying through a sandstorm in the North African desert. You will start off in the right direction to find your first "target." To find the others, two green bars appear on the side. Each represents one of the other "targets," and the bigger the bar, the closer to the right direction you are going. It makes more sense when you actually do it. Finally you have to land back on the carrier before getting shot down. Try to figure out quickly which way the carrier is facing so you have time for a nice long approach.



Your next mission is attacking the Germans in North Africa. Typical shooting down planes and destroying ground forces. Here you get rockets instead of bombs, which is actually pretty cool. The aim point is the same as the guns, and you have a meter for how many rockets you have. They are lots of fun to shoot, so go nuts! BTW, you can shoot planes with them too!



Now comes the real fun. You leave the European theater to be a "flight instructor" at Pearl Harbor. I'm sure you can figure out how that goes for you. Just remember all of your dogfighting tricks, and you should get through this one without excess difficulty.



After the Japanese attack on Pearl, you fly against their fleet at Coral Sea. When flying to the fleet, stay low! They don't mention it, but if you fly any higher, you get spotted too soon and fail the mission. This is your first mission with torpedos, which are a lot of fun too. Their display looks similar to the camera display, but you have a horizintal bar for distance and a vertical one for height. Both have to be green to get a hit. Word to the wise is attack ships from the side here, so the torpedo has a bigger target. Also, try to get as close as possible while still in range, in order to garantee a hit.

Next is the defense of Midway. If you have a historical instinct, you will probably be tempted to fly the Buffalo fighter. Trust me, don't. Take the P40, you will be glad you did. First you attack waves of japanese dive bombers. For this, concentrate on one wave at a time. If you try to go back and forth, you will lose big time. Next you have to escort friendly bombers back to base. this is a huge pain in the you know where, because you are flying between friendly planes while trying to kill the enemy. And when the bombers make it back, you have a time limit to get the rest of the Japanese fighters. Again, try the follow mode here and remember to use you wingmen. There are a lot of 'em.

Next you get to do the fun part of sinking the enemy carriers. Well first, you have to escort the friendly bombers (which, btw, you are flying. I'm not sure what the heck they were thinking on this one!) After taking out the enemy fighters, you get to torpedo the enemy carriers before they launch more planes. After the carriers, you get to sink the rest of the ships as well. Hint for this one is use the joystick to switch targets each time you approach and find the closest one to go after. This helps prevent hitting ships that are already sinking.

Next you defend Guadalcanal. This is tricky because you start out hitting transports, then you hit tanks once they get ashore. However they are well covered by trees and buildings enroute from the beach to the airfield. Try not to hit the ground when shooting them. But this isn't the best part! After destroying the enemy, your plane is magically damaged beyond repair (I swear, this is part of the game, and nothing you do prevents it.) You have a minute and a half to land your crippled plane, which by the way, flies like a rock now. I found the way to do this is to approach with the runway on your right as you approach land. If you go the other way, you have to contend with a large mountain. In order to make the time, you have to start towards the base immediately at full speed. You probably won't succeed on your first try. Imagine the challenge of landing, but with a time limit, a plane that does not steer, and you can't see because of the smoke. Fun times! After landing, you switch planes and take off to sink more enemy ships. Same routine as always.

Now you have to assist the landings on New Georgia. This is actually rather tricky, because you have to attack land, sea, and air targets in three locations before they destroy the invading forces. The only way I found to do this is to once again concentrate on one spot at a time and kill all the enemies there before moving on. Even when the next friendly group calls for help, don't respond to them until you have finished the current enemies. To those familiar with Star Trek, this seems like a Kobayashi Maru situation, but that is how it must be done.

Next mission is to assist the attack on Rabaul. This mission must have been easy and non-eventful because I don't even remember it.

After Rabaul, you return to Europe to assist in DDay workups. First things is attacking a German fleet near Norway. This is pretty standard except you are among icebergs, so try not to crash. The ships tend to congregate right next to the icebergs, so find the best way to navigate around them and still hit the ships. The other trick on this one is you have to hit a german submarine, which surfaces and sinks from time to time. Be quick or you'll miss it. And with the sub especially, attack it lengthwise so you have more area to hit.

Ah, now we come to where I am stuck. At the end of the last mission, one of your wingmen spots and enemy base hidden deep in a fjord. It is determined that the base is a heavy water plant and it is your job to take it out. Ok, a little background first. A little research shows that there was in fact a German heavy water plant in Norway. But the allies destroyed the plant with a series of paratrooper raids, and at one point a heavy daylight bombing raid. That is the historical background. Now, here is the game's version. You and one wingman have to fly through an ice cave for three minutes to reach the plant and bomb it. Seriously, WTH DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING???????? This is the most retarded thing ever! Now, the only decent guide I have found on the internet says this level is "easy." I suppose for people who always play video games and are used to this kind of stupid crap maybe it is easy. But I do not play many video games, am therefore not well practiced in randomly flying down canyons for no reason. All I want to do is fly around, shoot planes and bomb stuff. NOT go flying through an ice canyon that has no historical basis! Sorry, I'm getting really spun up about this, because I have been stuck here for a few days now. If anyone has any little secrets for this level, please let me know! Anyway, when I finally move on, I will continue this little hints naration. Thanks for playing folks! By the way, you can get it here.

Fort Clinch

In 1816, the US Congress granted money to an ambitious national project: The Third System of fortifications. The first system was begun in 1794 due to fears of war in Europe, and 21 locations were given small, mostly earthwork fortifications. The Second System was begun in 1808 out of fear of a war with Britain. Several more were built, but many went unfinished. In the War of 1812, Baltimore's Fort McHenry prevented a British invasion (and inspired the National Anthem,) while an undefended Washington DC was invaded and burned. The Third System was born from this war and the desire to never have an American city be invaded as Washington had been. 42 sites on both coasts were eventually given these new forts, boasting the latest earth and masonry designs. Famous examples of Third System forts are Fort Monroe, Virginia, Fort Point, California, Fort Jefferson, Florida, Fort Independence, Massachusetts, Fort Pulaski, Georgia, and Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Fort Clinch, on Amelia Island, Florida, is one of these forts.

Begun in 1847, the fort was a late comer to the scene, and featured a two wall earth and masonry design. It was named for General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a hero of the Seminole Wars and later Representative for Georgia. The fort's construction was slow, and by 1860, only one third of the wall and two bastions were completed. With little to defend and no regular garrison, the fort was quietly taken by Confederates in 1861. The Confederates, however, already strained for resources and manpower, did not do any work on the young fort. Soon, they began to realize that Florida had much the same problem as the rest of the Confederacy: Too much coastline to defend against the massive Union Navy and invading armies. One by one Confederate forts from Virginia to Texas fell into Union control, and on March 3, 1862 the Confederate defenders left Fort Clinch. The Union quickly took back control of the fort and the 1st New York Volunteer Engineers worked to complete it.

The near destruction of Fort Pulaski in 1862, coupled with the pile of rubble in Charleston Harbor that used to be Fort Sumter, convinced both sides (and the rest of the world) that the days of brick fortifications were numbered. Forts under construction by both sides were often completely redesigned to be partially of fully earthen, to deaden the impact of the new rifled canon. A major success story of this is Fort McCallister, near Savannah. Fort Clinch had massive amounts of earth piled over the top of its interior casements and inner wall.

But the fort was still doomed. The end of the war in 1865, and the lessons learned about modern fortification resulted in a cessation of construction on the fort in 1867. While the walls, bastions, and other defensive features were mostly complete, other things such as the Officer Housing, seen above, were not finished. The officers of the fort had been staying in homes out in town, and their housing had not been seen as a major priority.

Another interesting unfinished feature comes as a result of Fort Sumter. The forts had originally been designed with traditional, large barracks buildings, such as the one above, that loomed over the fort walls. The bombardments of Fort Sumter had proven this was a bad idea, as they provided easy targets that were quickly destroyed, often resulting in injuries and collateral damage. So at Fort Clinch they had begun to construct barrack rooms along the inner wall of the fort, sheltered from enemy fire. These were not completed and their beginnings can be seen around the fort's inner wall today.

In 1898 the war with Spain prompted a quick fortification of many key locations around the US. Many old Third System forts were re-used by a simple addition of a larger, concrete gunmount. Fort Clinch was no exception, and its example can be seen on the right of the photo above. This is also a good depiction of the fort's design, with the outer wall and bastion clearly visible, and the earthen mound covering the inner walls behind them.
Fort Clinch performed its final duty in World War II, as a Coast Guard surveillance and communication post. After the war it returned to the State of Florida, who had been in charge of it since 1935 when it was developed into a state park. The story of Fort Clinch is ultimately one of "nothing happened here." Its guns were never fired in anger, and the closest true battle was that of Olustee, Florida, many miles to the west. Sandwiched on the border of two enemy states, it was one of many outposts that eventually formed a death ring around the Confederacy, starving them of supplies and revenue. Built across from Cumberland Island to defend the vital sea ports of Fernandina, Florida and St Marys, GA, it fulfilled its mission of controlling the Cumberland Sound that granted access from these ports to the ocean.But each fort that is preserved today has something unique that makes it special. Whether it be a battle, or a special design, or another historical event. Fort Clinch is amazing because of how it is preserved. Walking into it is like stepping into the spring of 1864. The fort and those who work there are made to have the appearance of this isolated Union outpost still under construction. Looking out over the forest and beaches surrounding the fort, it is easy to imagine the apprehension of a garrison deep in enemy territory, afraid of what might happen to them if they leave the fort, or of a possible attack by a determined enemy. It may not be the scene of a major battle, or have a song inspired by it, or even held a famous prisoner, but if you come here with an awe for those whose bravery made this fort possible, you will realize what a special place this truly is.

I have been here several times, but this will probably be the last. This place also is special to me because it was here that I first tried my hand at history volunteer work. I came down here for a few weekends to be a volunteer tour guide and "living historian," and did really enjoy it. But I quickly found that with doing that in addition to my job, there was simply no time to do other things, such as seeing other places. (And this was before I had a kid!) The picture above, taken on this latest visit to the fort, is my favorite I have taken here. The downside is that the clouds that day made many of the photos dark or grainy, but the plus side was that I got some spectacular sky effects in other photos. Fort Clinch is one of very few things I will miss down here.

This is a photo from the first time we came here shortly after arriving in Georgia in 2004.
And here is the fort seen from the beach, in 2005
I don't like to sound stuffy or better-than-though or anything, but have you ever been to a historic place and you run into someone who clearly has never even cracked open a history book, or is just clueless in general? Usually they can be found toting around their kids saying things like "this fort is where President Lincoln was shot" or "this canon was used against Al Quida in 2002" or something like that. Anyway, we encountered one of those here. In one of the fort's rooms was a board with several REPLICA 1860's papers, such as the one above. Some even had dates and signatures on them. We heard a group of people looking at them saying "Wow, I can't believe they just left these up here! Why has nobody ever tried to take one? How have they survived all these years?"

Response in my head: "That's a great idea! I bet I can make a killing off these on Ebay!" *shudders*
Another of the replica papers, this one taken in 2004.
Even as a newlywed, the wife had her own ways to enjoy history....

Black Sea boats

Ok, so this article is a little old, but still interesting:
Adolf Hitler's 'lost fleet' found in Black Sea By Jasper Copping
Last Updated: 2:36am GMT 03/02/2008


The final resting place of three German U-boats, nicknamed "Hitler's lost fleet", has been found at the bottom of the Black Sea.
In pictures: Hitler's lost U-boats The submarines had been carried 2,000 miles overland from Germany to attack Russian shipping during the Second World War, but were scuttled as the war neared its end. Now, more than 60 years on, explorers have located the flotilla of three submarines off the coast of Turkey.
The vessels, including one once commanded by Germany's most successful U-boat ace, formed part of the 30th Flotilla of six submarines, taken by road and river across Nazi-occupied Europe, from Germany's Baltic port at Kiel to Constanta, the Romanian Black Sea port.

In two years, the fleet sank dozens of ships and lost three of their number to enemy action. But in August 1944, Romania switched sides and declared war on Germany, leaving the three remaining vessels stranded.

With no base and unable to sail home - the Bosporus and Dardanelles were closed to them because of Turkish neutrality - their captains were ordered to scuttle the boats before rowing ashore and trying to make their way back to Germany. However, all three crews were caught and interned by the Turks.

Now the submarines' hulls have been discovered by a team led by Selçuk Kolay, a Turkish marine engineer, who will present his findings to a shipwreck conference in Plymouth this week.

Mr Kolay established the boats' positions through research in German archives, interviews with surviving sailors and by sonar studies of the seabed.

He has already completed successful dives to the wreckage of one vessel, U-20, two miles offshore in about 80ft of water. He believes he has discovered another, U-23, at twice that depth, three miles from the town of Agva, but bad weather forced him to suspend diving until the spring.

He thinks he is also close to pinpointing the third boat, U-19, thought to lie more than 1,000ft down, three miles from the Turkish city of Zonguldak.

"It's one of the least well known stories of the war but one of the most interesting, " said Mr Kolay.

"It is a quite incredible story. To get to the Black Sea these boats had to be taken across the land, and once they got there they had no way out."
All three U-boats had been operating against British shipping in the North Sea. U-23 gained notoriety for scoring one of Germany's earliest successes, sinking a British ship off the Shetland Islands days after war began. It was later commanded by Otto Kretschmer, known as "Silent Otto", the most successful U-boat ace.

In 1941, Germany invaded Russia and decided it needed a presence in the Black Sea to harass Soviet shipping there. Unable to use the Bosporus, the only shipping route into the Black Sea, the boats were dismantled at Kiel and taken by canal to the River Elbe, and upstream to Dresden.

Here, they were partly dismantled and taken by lorry to Ingolstadt, on the Danube, and then ferried downstream to the Black Sea and Constanta, where they were re-assembled.

When Romania switched sides the crews were ordered to scuttle out of sight of the Turks so the submarines' locations would remain a mystery. Mr Kolay was helped by a map drawn by Rudolf Arendt, 85, the former captain of the U-23, showing where his crew came ashore.

Mike Williams, secretary of the Nautical Archaeology Society, said: "This is a significant find because these U-boats were all scuttled, so they should be intact, like a sealed tube. They are unique survivors of the war."

Chucktown subs

Well I lived in CHarleston for a year and a half, I never saw anything about this.

World War II artifacts slowly rusting away
Barriers to German submarines were strung across mouth of harbor, creeks
By Bo Petersen (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Monday, September 29, 2008

Tube worms and rust eat away at the last pieces of one of the eerier secrets of the Lowcountry estuaries — anti-submarine nets.
The nets were strung across the mouth of Charleston Harbor and deeper inlet streams during World War II. For years after, boaters on waters like Conch Creek behind Sullivan's Island would duck under the top cable and glimpse a horror in the gleaming waves.
"For a kid that thing was bigger than life and scary as the devil. It was a very imposing thing, very big spikes, very big cables all the way across," said David Richardson, a Fort Moultrie boat captain who rode the creek as a small child. He remembers five or six cables suspended across with four-prong spikes bolted to them.
Today, only remnants are there, a few crumbling pilings, maybe the rust line of a cable along the bottom, in places like Conch or Coburg creeks. But the memory is so ingrained that oystermen who work the beds near Conch will refer to "the submarine net" as a landmark.
"It's an interesting but largely unknown story of World War II, a major operation that a lot of people don't know about," said Scott Bassett, of the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek.
The nets were strung up and down the East Coast across strategic harbor entrances like Charleston, with its Navy base, as protection from smaller German submarines. The threat was real. Several German U-boats were spotted off the coast, and at least one was sunk by a destroyer.
Deeper harbors were mined. In shallower harbors like Charleston, the nets were considered enough to stop the relatively slow, weakly powered U-boats. Tugs were dispatched from Fort Moultrie to pull the large harbor nets back so Allied ships or submarines could pass.
But in the Lowcountry, waterways snake in and out between bigger harbors and the sea. Creeks like Conch were deeper then and used to anchor schooners waiting for the tide to come into Charleston. So smaller nets were run across them.
At the end of the war, the military was tasked with scrapping the nets. But servicemen were being demobilized, along with the rest of the country.
"There were not a lot of people left to remove them," Bassett said. "My guess is that there was tons of stuff left all over the place."
Reach Bo Petersen at 745-5852 or bpetersen@ postandcourier. com.

Lost and found

Original article here.

Navy confirms lost WWII sub has been found
'We hope this announcement will help to give closure,' official says

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - The Navy has confirmed the wreckage of a sunken vessel found last year off the Aleutian Islands is that of the USS Grunion, which disappeared during World War II.
Underwater video footage and pictures captured by an expedition hired by sons of the commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele, allowed the Navy to confirm the discovery, Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny said Thursday in a news release.
McAneny said the Navy was very grateful to the Abele family.

"We hope this announcement will help to give closure to the families of the 70 crewmen of Grunion," he said.
The Grunion was last heard from July 30, 1942. The submarine reported heavy anti-submarine activity at the entrance to Kiska, and that it had 10 torpedoes remaining forward. On the same day, the Grunion was directed to return to Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base. The submarine was reported lost Aug. 16, 1942.
Japanese anti-submarine attack data recorded no attack in the Aleutian area at the time of the Grunion's disappearance, so the submarine's fate remained an unsolved mystery for more than 60 years, the Navy said.
Abele's son's, Bruce, Brad, and John, began working on a plan to find the sub after finding information on the Internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location.
In August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile below the ocean's surface. A second expedition in August 2007 using a high definition camera on a remotely operated vehicle yielded video footage and high resolution photos of the wreckage.

This big light of mine

Ok, so this is Tybee Island, just southeast of Fort Pulaski. Like much of the southeast, the island was tossed between several cultures including French, Spanish, British, Us, Confederates, and Pirates. The first lighthouse was built here in 1736 by the settlers of Savannah to mark the entrance of the river. A new one was built of stone in 1742 when the old wooden one washed away. In 1773 a third lighthouse was built, further from the shore which now threatened the second one. This lighthouse and grounds became Federal property in 1790. During the War of 1812 the lighthouse was used as a signal tower, and Martello Tower fortress was built nearby for defense. Although the lighthouse survived the Civil War and the siege of Fort Pulaski, in 1866 the top 40 feet of it was removed and the lower 60 feet used as a base for a new light, the current one. Visitors can climb the light tower, which I did five years ago, but due to time constraints and the long line outside I chose not to this time. I do highly encourage anyone to do so though, because the views of Fort Pulaski and Fort Screven are amazing.

Fort Screven was built in 1897 north of the lighthouse as part of the modern system of coastal defenses. If you recall the Fort Pulaski post, brick forts and canon balls were long outdated now, and modern forts were smaller concrete structures covered with earth in front to disguise them. They contained several large, separated disapearing guns that would fire and then duck down behind the fort wall. And these new forts were often spread out around or along a harbor to provide a greater field of fire and minimize damage to the fort. Fort Screven, like many of these forts, served through WW2 and was closed in 1947. Also like many of these forts, part of it is preserved as a musuem.
Pirate artifacts in the Fort Screven museum
an old rifle and pistol
Uniforms and accesories from WW1 era
Atop Fort Screven looking back at the lighthouse

Here is one of the spots where one of the large 12 inch guns would have sat.
Due to the parts of the modern forts being so spread out, many of the parts had individual battery names as well. The modern museum is in Battery Garland.
A collection of old rifles
Some nostalgic carnival type attractions from yesteryear
Looking up a chute that would have carried ammunition from inside the fort up to the guns on top.

In repose...

Ok, this is Oak Grove Cemetery, the main cemetery in St Marys, founded in 1788. In it can be found many unique burials including veterans of every war and every branch of military service. Above is the Confederate Section. While Confederate vets are found throughout the cemtery, this spot has the largest number of them.
The graves of Major Archibald Clark (above) and his wife Rhoda Clark (below). The Hero couple of St Marys during the British occupation in 1815.


John Bessent Sr, a South Carolina Militiaman in the Revolution

David Harrison, a 1st seargent in the first World War, or as his 1928 grave calls it, the "World's War"
Leo Roberts, an Army Col in both Korea and Vietnam
Newell Eugene Foreman, who was in the Navy and Air Force, serving in both WW2 and Korea
Otis Readdick, a hospital sargeant in WW1, and Julia Lawler Readdick, an Army nurse in WW1
Though the name is now missing, the description makes it clear that this is Alonzo Dufour, who organized the first military company in Camden County, the St Marys Volunteers, in the Civil War.

William Henry King, the founder of Kingsland. Ironic to found a town and be buried in the town next door.
Wesley Robinson III, a Bombadier in the 8th Air Force, WW2
John Dufour, Port Collector in 1860-61, and state senator for Camden County
Graves of Acadians, or local French Settlers. From the New Georgia Encyclopedia: "The Acadians arrived in Savannah as unwilling emigrants. Acadia, the original French Hermitage Plantation name for Nova Scotia, came under British rule in 1710. The 6,000 French settlers there in 1755 had been dispersed by the British, who doubted their loyalty at the outbreak of the French and Indian War (1754-63). The 400 Catholic Acadians sent to Georgia found themselves in a colony that forbade the practice of their faith. The destitution they experienced encouraged many to accept passports to leave Georgia in the spring of 1756 and travel to colonies farther north. The 100 to 200 Acadians who remained behind built huts outside Savannah and made oars and other sailing implements; still, poverty and illness debilitated them. At the war's conclusion in 1763, the Acadians left Georgia, where they had lived in misery and without the comfort of priests. Many resettled in the French colony of Haiti."
And we end with the grave of James Vocelle, descendant of the Acadians and author of local books, including A History of Camden County, where most of the information on local sites comes from.