Battle of Craney Island Weekend

Editor's Note: HRNM summer intern Brian Sagedy composed this article
Over the weekend, the 200^th Anniversary of the Battle of Craney Island was celebrated in Norfolk and Portsmouth. The event took place inside of Fort Norfolk which included officer quarters and Civil War ordinance building. Other events were held at Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

The weekend included reenactments in period uniform by both American and British soldiers. The reenactors fired cannons and muskets to demonstrate how the battle would have been fought back in 1813. The big event of the weekend was the Victory Ceremony with a twenty-one gun salute, three minute victory bell peal from Norfolk and Portsmouth churches, wreath laying, and mayoral Victory Proclamation. There were exhibits by the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, National Museum of Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers.

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum exhibit was a fun, exciting, and interactive exhibit that appealed to all ages. It included puzzles with questions on the back that people could find the answer by using a spy scope to find the answer in the exhibit. The exhibit also covered the War of 1812, the Battle of Craney Island, Craney Island today, and what the Army Corps of Engineers plans to do with it today. The exhibit also included a small cannon that people could practice swabbing out. Parent, kids, and the boy scouts all enjoyed the exhibit and the festivies that were on Fort Norfolk on June 21 and 22. The bicentennial of the Battle of Craney Island represented the collaborative efforts of the Portsmouth History Commission and the Norfolk Historical Society. Both cities that were saved by the forces on Craney Island joined together to celebrate the 200^th Anniversary. It was a great weekend with high spirits that celebrated the Battle of Craney Island.

Navy Video and Board Game Night: A (Retro)spective

Participants play "Top Gun" and "Super Battleship"

Over one hundred guests attended last week's "You Sank My Battleship: Navy Video and Board Game Night" event.  It was the first of two After Hours History programs sponsored by the Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation this year.  Unlike previous After Hours events, last Wednesday's game night was the first advertised as "family friendly."  Video game enthusiasts would say it was rated "E" for everyone.  Soda and popcorn replaced the standard assortment of wine and cheese on a night many will not soon forget.

Playing "1942: Joint Strike"

Video games.  Board Games.  Snacks.  Soda.  Where does the U.S. Navy fit in?

Whether we realized it or not, the U.S. Navy was there all along, hidden underneath the blinking lights and sounds of the games we know and love today.  Video games like "Silent Service" and board games like "Axis and Allies" included subtle hints and references to real event in American naval history.  Part of the event included a seven panel exhibit on the history of the U.S. Navy and video games.  We will post the panels shown during the event on this blog soon.

Who would have thought we were learning about key concepts of naval history and naval combat while mashing our thumbs and fingers on plastic controllers.  How to use sonar ("Silent Service").  Plotting enemy ship movements ("Battleship").  How to lead a target while in aerial combat ("Carrier Aces"). How to land on an aircraft carrier ("Top Gun").  The SNES role-playing game "Pacific Theater of Operations" bordered on real historic simulation.  Could you turn the tide and defeat the Japanese Navy at Pearl Harbor?  Even at the juvenile level, the principles were there.  For many young participants in last week's event, the games provided were their first taste of the Navy.

Mayo proudly shows off his contest-winning prize

Guests played a variety of video and board games from yesterday and today.  Titles from the 8-Bit  generation up to today's next-gen consoles ("Battlestations: Midway") were available to play.  Everybody from staff and volunteers to parents cheered on participants as they battled their way through the sky and seas of the digital Atlantic and Pacific.  The most popular game, however, was a retro-classic: "1942."  Nearly every guest ventured to the AEGIS Theater to try their hand at the high score contest for one of the most celebrated and best-selling franchises in video game history.  A special shout out goes to Mark Prinz and Mayo for achieving high scores on "1942."

HRNM Educators helped create several "Navy-centric" modifications of classic board games for the event.  "Human Battleship," a life-size recreation of the pencil and paper game where kids act as the ships on a 100-square foot game board, was a popular destination.  Staff members and volunteers also played "Civil War Blockade Strategy," a creative spin on the popular "Stratego" series of board games.

"1942" Perler Bead Craft Activity 

The most popular portion of the evening was for the 1942 perler bead craft activity.  Kids used perler beads to create gaming icons, or "sprites" from the popular NES/Arcade game.  A basic understanding of graphs and plotting were required to create a perfect product.  There is always a way to mix a little bit of learning with fun!

It was a treat to see parents watching their children play the same video games they used to play when they were kids.  In fact, one of the most interesting aspects of the event was the generation gap.  Many of the younger participants had a rude awakening when they realized that their controllers were not motion-controlled.  Technology is a great equalizer at times, and this event helped bridge the gap between previous generations to the present one.  

We hope everybody that attended had a wonderful time.  Special thanks go out to all the staff and volunteers who helped make this event possible.  For more information on our current 2013 programs, contact Lee Duckworth, Director of Education, at (757) 322-2992.  

Battle of Craney Island Exhibit

As a final follow up to the 200th commemoration of the Battle of Craney Island, we've posted the three panels that made up the traveling exhibit that museum staff have taken to different regional events.  The panel discuss the participants in the battle, the battle itself, the future of Craney Island, and interesting little pieces of trivia (like why Craney Island is called Craney Island?).Click to enlarge each panel.

We would like to thank the Royal Marine Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Society for the War of 1812 in Virginia for their assistance with this exhibit.

Battle of Craney Island Watercolor

(click image to enlarge)

The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Craney Island is this Saturday.  We invite you to both read the very good articles on the War of 1812 in Hampton Roads by Mark Erickson of the Daily Press and attend this weekend's live festivities.

Shown above is a modern day watercolor by Gerry Embleton, a veteran artist who has illustrated many military history publications.  The Maryland Historical Society commissioned this work for its book The Full Glory Reflected: Discovering the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake and have given us permission to use it here.

The watercolor is among the most accurate illustrations of the battle ever produced.  It shows the British assault barges attempting to launch an amphibious attack on Craney Island.  This attack was in conjunction with a land assault force headed up by General Syndey Beckwith that attacked Craney Island from the west.

In the forefront is the green  hulled assault barge called Centipede .  The illustration accurately portrays the moment in the battle when the British sailors on the barges realized that the water was too shallow to row with oars.  While under deadly accurate fire from cannons manned by Constellation's sailors and Virginia militia at Carney Island (in the distance, right) and Isle of Wight County riflemen wading out from shore to engage the enemy (in the distance, center), the barges began to withdraw. 

In the forefront of the illustration is a  man standing at the back of the boat with an umbrella in one hand and pointing out orders with his other hand.  This is Royal Navy Captain J.M. Hanchent.  He carried the umbrella into combat because he believed the climate was too hot.  He also brought along his small dog into the battle. Hanchent came from royal stock as he was one of King George III's many illegitimate children.  His status forbade him from ever claiming the throne, but it still allowed him be an officer of high status in the Royal Navy.  Hanchent was one of the few casualties in this engagement.  A piece of shrapnel struck him the thigh.  He later died from blood loss.

Another loss was Centipede.  Unable to get free of the muddy, shallow flats, the militia captured the boat and all of the sailors manning it.  Hanchent's dog was among the prisoners. 

USS Constellation-Ship Model

The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Craney Island is this Saturday.  We invite you to both read the very good articles on the War of 1812 in Hampton Roads by Mark Erickson of the Daily Press and attend this weekend's live festivities.

One of the central reasons for the battle was the presence of the frigate USS Constellation.  Shown here is the museum's model of the frigate.  Assembled by Sea Classics, the museum acquired the 1/8" to a foot scale model in 1982.

The warship was one of the "original six" frigates authorized by Congress in 1794.  Originally designed by Joshua Humphreys and Josiah Fox, Colonel David Stodder and Captain Thomas Truxtun altered the plans during her construction in Baltimore at Sterret Shipyard. Launched on September 7, 1797, her final dimensions were 164 feet in length and had a 13-foot draft. The Navy armed with her 18-pounders long guns and 24-pounder cannonades (though this varied based on captain's preference and available weapons). 

The warship made a name for herself under Truxtun's leadership during the Quasi-War With France. During this conflict, she defeated two French frigates, L'Insurgent and La Vengence.  During the War of 1812, Constellation attempted to break out in to the Atlantic Ocean via the Virginia Capes, only to find several British warships in her path.

Captain Charles Stewart took the "Yankee Racehorse," as she was nicknamed, to Hampton Roads and down the Elizabeth River.  The ship anchored below the guns of Fort Norfolk and where she remained for the rest of the war. 

Shown above is a contemporary British map of South Hampton Roads.  It shows where the enemy believed Constellation to be at anchor and their plans to either capture or destroy the American frigate. This map comes courtesy of the Barrie Papers at Duke University's Rubenstein Library.

Unfortunately, while the ship was at anchor, somebody helped themselves to the ship's stores.  When Captain Charles Gordon came to Norfolk take command of the frigate, he found that "the ship is entirely stripped and everything landed with a swept hold." Missing were over 200 pieces of the ship's dinning and cooking ware, along with all the ship's furniture.  He also found the ship in a general state of disrepair.  Thus, even if the British lifted the blockade of Hampton Roads, it is possible that Constellation never could have put to sea.

HRNM intern Brian Sagedy contributed to this article.

German G7e Torpedo Warhead and Its Ghostly Image

Shown here is a torpedo warhead recovered from the German submarine U-352 by U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal divers in the 1980s.  It is currently on display in the museum's World War II gallery.  The warhead comes from a G7e electric torpedo, one of twelve carried by the submarine. The warhead would have carried about 618 pounds (280 kilograms) of an explosive mixture known as Schießwolle 36 or Guncotton 36 (having been invented in 1936).  It contained a mixture of 67 percent  TNT, 25 percent aluminum powder, and 8 percent HND (a highly toxic explosive booster). 

A type VIIc U-boat, U-352 patrolled the American coast line in the Spring of 1942.  She did not have any success before being discovered by the Coast Guard ship USCG Icarus (WPC-110) southeast of Cape Hatteras.  352 actually got off the first shot, but the torpedo went wide and exploded prematurely.  Icarus closed the distance and fired off five depth charges in a diamond pattern.  The resulting explosions critically damaged 352 and forced her to the surface.  Icarus immediately opened up on the submarine with her 3-inch gun and machine-guns.  Already taking on water, the  submarine went down for the final time. Before the boat went down, thirty-three of her crew jumped into the water.  Icarus rescued and captured them all.


A close up of the pareidolia inside the
 museum's German torpedo warhead.

In the 1980s, the West German government requested that the United States remove all remaining human remains from the boat after receiving reports of looting.  It was during this recovery operation that the museum received the warhead.  Today, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Sanctuary office oversees the site and educates divers about the nature of the wreck.

This artifact is a favorite among HRNM docents because what can been see inside the warhead.  Years of oxidation and corrosion has created a white pattern of what looks like a face.  While this may be no more than a pareidolia, some think they are seeing a ghost.  Come see for yourself!

New Daybook Now Online-Civil War Sea Stories

The next issue of The Daybook is now online.  This issue is our third "Special Edition" installment on the Navy's role in the American Civil War.  This issue took a different approach than previous Daybooks.  Inside the reader will find the Civil War at Sea unfiltered.  The participants of the war are going to speak to you directly without a historian interpreting the events.  All parts of the war at sea are covered.  From the shores of France where two cruisers battle it out, to the siege lines of Charleston, to the western corner of the Confederacy where a lone blockade runner attempted to put to sea. 

Some of the articles one will find are March 9, 1862 log book entry of USS Monitor (which sums up the entire Battle of Hampton Roads in ten sentences); excerpts from the logs books of U.S. Navy ironclads on the front lines; excerpts from an African American sailor serving in the U.S. Navy; the day the Navy took a dog and sheep into custody; letters to home from a grief stricken officer; and Admiral David Dixon Porter's surreal conversation with a plantation overseer.

If you would like a print copy of the Daybook, head on over to the Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation's page and become a member!

Moving Torpedo Warheads, Yorktown Mine Depot, 1943

Shown here is a General Electric "44-ton Switcher" "45-ton Switcher" locomotive carefully moving live Mk18 torpedo warheads at the Yorktown Mine Depot (now called Yorktown Naval Weapon Station). These switcher trains shipped the warheads to main rail lines.  From there, main railroads took the warheads to the Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island or the new Naval Ordnance facility in Forest Park, Illinois.  At these facilities, workers attached the warhead to a torpedo propulsion unit, and then shipped the finished product out to the Fleet. 

Mk 18 torpedo warhead

The Navy originally intended the Depot in Yorktown to be used only as a storage facility for surplus ordnance.  Its location on the York River was ideal, situated miles away from large urban areas.  The Navy later upgraded the Depot's mission from storage facility to industrial manufacturing for World War II.  Specifically, the Depot became the Navy's primary source for the highly effective, but incredibly unstable, "TORPEX" explosive mixture. Each torpedo warhead contained  660 lbs of TORPEX. The Navy also used TORPEX in undersea mines and depth charges to great effect.  The Army Air Corps used it in their bombs dropped on Germany. 

Measured as fifty percent more powerful than the traditional TNT explosive, British scientists discovered the TORPEX formula and then shared it with the United States.  American ordnance experts conducted only a few safety tests on TORPEX, due to the pressure to get the explosive into the hands of war fighters as soon as possible.  By mid-1943, the facility was producing over 2,000,000 pounds of TORPEX per month.  Safety officers had initially indicated that a rate of 500,000 pounds/month was the acceptable limit.  Unfortunately, the Depot experienced a major accident involving TORPEX.  Read about the incident here.  A very good discussion on American naval torpedoes can be found at one of our sister museum's, the Undersea Warfare Museum, website here.

Mark 14 Torpedo and all its moving parts