Sailing for Adventure (On the Big Blue Wet Thing): Fort Pike

Elsaesser Fellowship 2019

Fort Pike

Fort Pike is a decommissioned 19th-century United States fort, named after Brigadier General Zebulon Pike. It was built following the War of 1812 to guard the Rigolets pass in Louisiana. After the War of 1812, the United States built the fort in 1819 to protect New Orleans and the Gulf Coast against British or other invasions of the United States.

Fort Pike Looking East over Rigolet Pass

Before Hurricane Katrina, the fort's brick-and-mortar structure was decaying. The 2005 storm surge exacerbated the problems. It temporarily completely submerged the entire fort and destroyed adjacent state park buildings. The site temporarily reopened in 2008, but, due to damage caused by Hurricane Gustav in early September 2008, the park was closed indefinitely. As of June 2009, the fort was open. It is undergoing extensive repairs and restoration work. After Hurricane Isaac in 2012, the fort was closed indefinitely pending repairs and debris cleanup. The fort was again temporarily re-opened to visitors following Hurricane Isaac, but closed again in February 2015 due to state budget cuts.

During the War of 1812, the still powerful British Navy, sailed up the Potomac River and, with little opposition, sacked Washington DC. This attack provided the US Government with the realization that the new nation was by all rights defenseless against any determined foe with respectable naval capabilities.

Following this conflict, US President James Madison (1751-1836) approved the design and implementation of the Third System of seacoast fortifications in 1816. Military leadership identified approximately 200 locations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts as being in desperate need of fortification. New Orleans and its approaches were one of the first to receive the attention of the US Army's Corps of Engineers (A note that will become plainly evident when we visit Fort Proctor).

A bastion fort or trace italienne also sometimes referred to as a "Starfort" (a phrase improperly derived from French, literally meaning Italian outline), is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to dominate the battlefield. It was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy.

The design of the fort is normally a pentagon or hexagon with bastions at the corners of the walls. These outcroppings eliminated protected blind spots, called "dead zones", and allowed fire along the curtain from positions protected from direct fire. Many bastion forts also feature Cavaliers, which are raised secondary structures based entirely inside the primary structure. These can be seen in the UAS Images and video links below

There were many "starforts" as they were called built worldwide, in fact, Fort Wood, whose walls were repurposed as the base for "Lady Liberty" was a classic "starfort" design