USS Tecumseh Engine Room Gong

USS Tecumseh was one of several monitor-type warships built by the U.S. Navy for use against Confederate forts. The ship served on the James River in 1863 in support of Federal littoral operations, before being sent to the Gulf of Mexico.

During the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay, Tecumseh was the lead warship in Farragut's squadron as it engaged Ft. Morgan and attempted to head into Mobile Bay. A few mintutes into the battle, Tescumseh struck a "torpedo" (what we now call a underwater mine) and quickly sank.

There have been a few surveys of the wreck over the years. But due to the ship being covered in mud by swift currents, only a few artifacts have been retrieved. One of them is the ship's engine room gong, which is currently on display in the museum's gallery. Ship gongs like this one were important tools of intra-ship communication before the advent of more modern mechanical and electronic forms of communication. Gongs produced loud, clear rings that notified overworked and otherwise distracted engine room crews to pay attention to a ship’s captain’s new orders.

Spring Means Baseball

With the beginning of the Spring season, we present this modern day image of the front entrance to Naval Station Norfolk's McClure Field.  Originally built between 1917 and 1919, the Field is one of the oldest brick baseball stadiums in the United States. 

We also present this rotary camera view of Opening Day, 1919 when the stadium was simply called the "Athletic Field."  This was the first baseball game played at the Field.

Jamestown Exposition Tomahawk

The museum recently acquired this souvenir of the 1907 Jamestown Exposition from a donor who accidentally dug it up on his property. The item is one of hundreds of items marketed to Exposition visitors by vendors attempting to make a profit off the world's fair. Among other Exposition items in the museum's collection include dinnerware, tea sets, tapestries, song and poetry books, and post cards.

The fair was supposed to be a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. As a result, Native American themes were strongly present at the fair, particularly in the form of Pocahontas, her father Powhatan, and English explorer John Smith. However, ignorance of real Native American culture and the Jamestown settlement was just as prevalent.

Cutlass of USS Zouave's Commanding Officer

On this anniversary of the first day of the Battle of Hampton Roads (March 8, 1862), we present the cutlass of Henry Reaney, who was a volunteer naval officer that served in the battle.  The museum received and accessioned the weapon just a few weeks ago.

The weapon is a standard cutlass manufactured for the U.S. Navy by the Ames Manufacturing Company. Ames made thousands of such weapons during the war. The stamp "D.R." stands for Daniel Reynolds, a U.S. Navy weapons inspector.

Reaney was the commanding officer of USS Zouave, an armed tug assigned to blockading naval forces in Hampton Roads at the time of the battle. Reaney's original standing orders were to assist the sloop-of-war USS Cumberland, if and when Confederate forces attacked. When CSS Virginia launched her assault, Reaney was told by Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge on board Cumberland to go ahead and find out what ship was coming up the Elizabeth River (and not to assist Cumberland). Renaey compounded the mistake by firing the tug's 30-pounder Parrot Rifle at Virginia at long range (to no effect). After seeing Cumberland rammed and sunk by Virginia, Reaney moved Zouave over to the frigate USS Congress and assisted that ship in getting to shallow water.

Reaney wrote about his ship's action for Battles and Leaders of the Civil War.

USS Bagley and USS Potomac at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, 1937

Among collection of construction photos of the destroyer USS Bagley (DD-386) is this January 4, 1937 photo of the warship at pier side after launching.  Notice the ship in the background.  The vessel is USS Potomac (AG-25), President Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential yacht.  Whether the vessel was at the Navy Yard for repairs or a surprise Presidential visit, we are not sure.

Potomac was formerly a U.S. Coast Guard cutter before her new role as F.D.R.'s "Floating White House."  Norfolk Naval Shipyard converted the vessel to her new role from 1935 to 1936 and recommissioned the vessel on March 4, 1936.  The ship is now a National Historic Landmark and docked in Oakland, California.