Sailing for Adventure (On the Big Blue Wet Thing): March 2019

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

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

The statue of Liberty, Built atop Fort Wood

Fort Pike Eastern Battery Wall, Facing Rigolets Pass

Fort Pike Barracks

Fort Pike Primary Entrance

Fort Pike, South FAcing Battery Wall

A second angle of the view to the east over Rigolets Pass

Interior Buildings and Barracks Looking West into Fort Pike's Courtyard

Primary Command structure, Fort Pike

Looking northeast into the courtyard

Western facing battery exterior wall

Overview of Fort Pike looking northwest into Lake Pontchartrain

Overview of Fort Pike looking north into Lake Pontchartrain

Raw Overflight Footage can be Viewed at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGXeHk-9MsY

Elsaesser Fellowship 2019 - Project Start

Family and Friends beside the 15" Rodman Cannon
in the North Bastion at Ft Massachusetts, Ship Island, Mississippi

I originally began developing this idea prior to Hurricane Katrina. Conceived as an expedition to document the fortifications, lighthouses and historic properties along the US Gulf Coast, not so much out of fear for their loss, as I had never experienced such an event as "Katrina", but more so due to a keen interest in coastal history and how it helped to forge our nation.

Following Hurricane Katrina, and the destruction she wrought on our coast, my interest became more focused on preserving history as it was, for the future generations.

One specific fortification, that has now been lost to history, completely destroyed by Katrina, was a gun emplacement in Lake Borgne on the Mississippi River approach to New Orleans. Built as a fortified two-story hexagonal tower guarding the entrance to Bayou Dupre from Lake Borgne, located in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

Tower Dupre was built on the site of a Spanish gun emplacement from the late 1600's. Construction on Tower Dupre began in 1827 and was completed in 1830. The cannons were mounted and operational by 1833. Originally designed to mount 24 guns with a garrison of 50 troops, It was more typically crewed by a three-man detachment from Fort Macomb (To be discussed at a later time). The tower required constant maintenance because of its constant exposure to Gulf Coast storms and erosion. Eventually, the tower became completely surrounded by water. Similar in design to the image from the Civil War at Tybee Island Georgia

More images from the ruins of Tower Dupre will be forthcoming as weather permits. However currently as it sits the whole of the structure was reduced to ruins by Katrina.

Ruins of Tower Dupre

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Gearing up for the voyages, The S/V Wanderer, a 1980 Hunter H27 operating out of Bay St Louis Municipal Harbor.

No project undertaken on a sailing vessel can be documented properly without someone aloft.
While not the mast of a tall ship sometimes we need to go up for lighting and rigging.