After overnighting in a Walmart south of Baltimore, we headed in to Ft. McHenry near downtown Baltimore. We made it on the second attempt, the first involving wrong turns which took us back out. We had called ahead and were told to park in the overflow lot as they were expecting 30 buses! Turns out it was mostly pre-teen school kids. What a madhouse! Anyway, Ft. McHenry is the place that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that, when put to music, became our National Anthem. The fort is positioned on a spit of land such that it guards the entrance to Baltimore harbor. During the War of 1812, the British sent a fleet to capture Baltimore. Apparently they anchored off the approach to the harbor, and Francis Scott Key was sent out in a 'truce boat' to negotiate the exchange of a prominent man the British held as a POW. Key's party was entertained that evening aboard the British flagship, and he learned of the impending land and sea attack on Baltimore. Therefore his ship was not allowed to return and report this news. The bombardment began and went through the rainy night. As dawn approached, Key stood on the deck of his ship with his telescope straining to see which flag would be waving over the fort. I can almost feel the emotion he felt as he finally saw the 15 star American flag hoisted over the fort. Thus was the inspiration for our National Anthem. The highlight of this part of the harbor is the USS Constellation, a 'Sloop-of-War'. It has 16 guns, carries 20,000 square feet of sail, 275 officers and men, and 44 Marines. We found we could catch a free shuttle outside the gate to go in to the head of the harbor where we could catch a water taxi for some sightseeing and be delivered by that means back to Ft. McHenry. We could leave our RV there until closing at 4 pm and if we didn't make it back in time we would be locked in for the night. Commissioned in 1855, it served as part of the US Mediterranean Squadron and later as flagship of the US African Squadron charged with intercepting vessels engaged in the illegal slave trade. The main deck The gun deck. Lots of rigging for the guns! The Captain's quarters. The middle photo is the bathroom, the tub is through the 'window' and drains directly to the sea. (click to enlarge) It is interesting to consider all the heavy timbers used in the construction of this and other vessels like it. Probably mostly oak. The photo below is in the hold/bilge area. Notice the heavy curved hull timbers. The hold held a lot of 'pig iron' bars as ballast This is the berthing area. I found the photo below to illustrate the amount of sail carried on this ship. Boggles my mind! Notice the Commissioning Pennant at the very top. (remember about that??) Back in the modern world, we thought these paddle boats were cute. (There is a submarine across the water) Our water taxi ride back required a transfer at Fells Point which is a part of old historic Baltimore and trendy, touristy place. (rough streets!) This reminded us of home. For those that don't know, we live in Sugar Land, former home of Imperial Sugar. The water taxi got us back to Ft. McHenry in time to get our RV out before they closed. We moved up the road a bit to a delightful campground on the Bush River which feeds into Chesapeake Bay. Mary Lou got to kayak and do laundry. We stayed two nights to relax and recharge. After all, tomorrow we move up to Philadelphia.
Here's a map of our route from Norfolk to here. Stay tuned.
3 Comments
Melody
5/17/2015 06:58:17 am
When we went to DC, the actual flag was on display in the American History museum. You swing through on your way home and complete the story. It was such a neat exhibit and only there for a little while.
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Jim
5/17/2015 08:44:45 am
you missed Delaware.
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steve rodriguez
5/19/2015 12:42:27 am
LOL, that does look like the Imperial Sugar Factory!!
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Who are we?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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