"Diving Blockade Runners" Talk at Cape Fear Civil War Round Table Tonight

From the May 7, 2018, Wilmington (NC) Star-News by Bill Jayne.

An estimated 11111111,600 blockade runners plied the trade during the Civil War.  Enormous profits were made among huge losses.

Gary Henderson USAF (ret) and former Piedmont Airlines pilot will speak on the subject Thursday, May 10 at Harbor United Methodist Church at 4853 Masonboro Loop Road, Wilmington, North Carolina.

None other than famed Confederate General Robert E. lee considered Wilmington of ultimate importance to his ability to keep his Army of Northern Virginia in the field.  This was because of all the war materiel coming through the blockade there and then railroaded to him in Virginia.

Mr. Henderson graduated from New Hanover High School in Wilmington in 1963 and is a dedicated scuba diver.  He has dived on nine Civil War wrecks and says the Ella, off Bald Head Island is the most interesting of them.  The Condor and Wild Dayrell are also interesting.

Running the Blockade (Hey, That's Me!!) was a risky but profitable undertaking.  Some 1000 blockade runners were captured in the war and more than 300 destroyed.

Sure Wish I Could Be There.  --Old B-Runner