Two nights ago, I came across an article in the September 17th Raleigh (NC) News & Observer about a cannon from Fort Fisher that was to be dedicated at its new display in front of the North Carolina History Museum. Well, that led to one thing after another. This refers to the last post from yesterday.
Firstly, it was a Blakely cannon and I didn't know anything about Blakely cannons. Some more research and I found out that these were English cannons of a wide variety of sizes and that there was a big Blakely gun in pivot on the CSS Alabama along as several more of its guns. Then, there was a "Widow Blakely" cannon at Vicksburg and another one called "The Lady Polk" that was at Fort Pemperton.
The CSS Alabama gun was found loaded with a shell set to be fired.
Then, the gun was captured at what is called the Hebe Skirmish. When the blockade-runner Hebe ran aground seven miles north of Fort Fisher, and out of its gun range, a flying battery was sent to protect it and the Blakely in front of the museum was one of the two guns, the other being a Whitworth. Initially successful in fending Union blockaders off, the USS Minnesota arrived on the scene and used its 48-guns to force the Confederates to abandon the pieces and led to their capture.
I then found several accounts of the battle/skirmish.
Then, I came across a Rear-Admiral Joseph P. Fyffe who had been an officer aboard the Minnesota at the Hebe fight..
Then, it turns out there was a Dutch freighter named the Hebe which sank after a night time collision with a British sub-chaser in 1942 off South Carolina. That led to more research, along with two other ships sunk in 1942 by German U-Boats in 1942.
I'll be writing about these stories, but...
No Wonder It takes Me So Long to Do These Doggone Blogs. --Old B-R'er
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