Brian Krashpad
May 9th, 2008, 06:43 AM
I know, it's almost the weekend already and I'm just now posting a report from last weekend. Got busy at work. You've probably seen on TV shows how well-to-do attorneys holiday (or maybe you are one and know first-hand). Now you can see how poor lawyers do.
Last week El Krashpadito (Jack, 11) and I drove up to Charleston SC, and did an "indoor" camp-out at Patriots Point. That's a place where they have 4 decommissioned US Naval vessels: the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the submarine USS Clamagore, detroyer USS Laffey, and the Coast Guard cutter USS Ingham.
We went with Jack's former Cub Scout pack (he's in Boy Scouts now, but this "big trip" was planned/booked while he was still in the pack). We slept in sailors' berths aboard the USS Yorktown. I forgot to take a pic of them but here's a stock shot from the Patriots Point website to give you an idea:
http://www.patriotspoint.org/images/group/camping1.jpg
The first night (Friday) we had orientation, toured a little of the ship (the superstructure was closed off for the night though, and the flight deck off-limits after dark), did an evacuation drill, and watched "Tora! Tora! Tora!" in the onboard theatre.
The next day we went out to Ft. Sumter by boat. For you non-US peeps, that's where the first shots of the War Between the States were fired, after South Carolina seceded from the Union. The commander of the Federal army troops in Charleston was one Robertson, who had his troops stationed ashore (technically on an island, but on one connected to shore by a bridge) at a naval battery called Ft. Moultrie. On secession he retreated out into the harbor to the easier defended Ft. Sumter, a fort that had been built on a man-made island placed on a sandbar in the middle of the entrance to the harbor. After a long bombardment, the Federals surrendered and were allowed to be evacuated by the US Navy, which had unsuccessfully attempted to resupply the garrison.
Afer touring Ft. Sumter, we returned to Patriots Point and toured the other ships. We had a couple hours to kill before dinner aboard the Yorktown (we ate in the Chief Petty Officers' Mess), so we drove around Mt. Pleasant, the town on our side of the bay (Charleston was on the opposite side). We went to a guitar store, and since I had a packing malfunction (I'd only packed one t-shirt, having seen one of Jack's in our bag and thought it mine) we stopped at a Goodwill Store and I bought a t-shirt. We also hit the jackpot on videotapes while there-- they were selling 'em for $1 apiece. We got 8: Men In Black, The Matrix, Independence Day, Animal House, Being John Malkovich (had never seen it), Galaxy Quest, and, for Mrs. Krashpad, The Full Monty and Bridget Jones' Diary. We continued our drive, out to Sullivan's Island and Ft. Moultrie, getting to tour the batteries there just before it closed.
After dinner we toured a bit more of the ship, including the engine rooms and the brig. There was nobody else down there and it was more than a little spooky. Up on the hanger deck some retired military group was having a big, cordoned-off party behind some movable curtain screens. It struck me as beyond odd hearing a DJ play a song by the Doors for that lot. Sunday morning we had breakfast in the CPO's mess again, and drove back down to Florida.
Anyhow, it was a great weekend. Perfect weather and cool things to do.
Now, on to the pics!
USS Yorktown:
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/4876/hpim0545wq9.jpg
Jack with guns ashore, smoothbore cannon:
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/7075/hpim0547up6.jpg
40 mm modern (the bridge in the background connects Mt. Pleasant to Charleston):
http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/7042/hpim0549ka6.jpg
Tons more pics to come! Questions and comments encouraged!
Last week El Krashpadito (Jack, 11) and I drove up to Charleston SC, and did an "indoor" camp-out at Patriots Point. That's a place where they have 4 decommissioned US Naval vessels: the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the submarine USS Clamagore, detroyer USS Laffey, and the Coast Guard cutter USS Ingham.
We went with Jack's former Cub Scout pack (he's in Boy Scouts now, but this "big trip" was planned/booked while he was still in the pack). We slept in sailors' berths aboard the USS Yorktown. I forgot to take a pic of them but here's a stock shot from the Patriots Point website to give you an idea:
http://www.patriotspoint.org/images/group/camping1.jpg
The first night (Friday) we had orientation, toured a little of the ship (the superstructure was closed off for the night though, and the flight deck off-limits after dark), did an evacuation drill, and watched "Tora! Tora! Tora!" in the onboard theatre.
The next day we went out to Ft. Sumter by boat. For you non-US peeps, that's where the first shots of the War Between the States were fired, after South Carolina seceded from the Union. The commander of the Federal army troops in Charleston was one Robertson, who had his troops stationed ashore (technically on an island, but on one connected to shore by a bridge) at a naval battery called Ft. Moultrie. On secession he retreated out into the harbor to the easier defended Ft. Sumter, a fort that had been built on a man-made island placed on a sandbar in the middle of the entrance to the harbor. After a long bombardment, the Federals surrendered and were allowed to be evacuated by the US Navy, which had unsuccessfully attempted to resupply the garrison.
Afer touring Ft. Sumter, we returned to Patriots Point and toured the other ships. We had a couple hours to kill before dinner aboard the Yorktown (we ate in the Chief Petty Officers' Mess), so we drove around Mt. Pleasant, the town on our side of the bay (Charleston was on the opposite side). We went to a guitar store, and since I had a packing malfunction (I'd only packed one t-shirt, having seen one of Jack's in our bag and thought it mine) we stopped at a Goodwill Store and I bought a t-shirt. We also hit the jackpot on videotapes while there-- they were selling 'em for $1 apiece. We got 8: Men In Black, The Matrix, Independence Day, Animal House, Being John Malkovich (had never seen it), Galaxy Quest, and, for Mrs. Krashpad, The Full Monty and Bridget Jones' Diary. We continued our drive, out to Sullivan's Island and Ft. Moultrie, getting to tour the batteries there just before it closed.
After dinner we toured a bit more of the ship, including the engine rooms and the brig. There was nobody else down there and it was more than a little spooky. Up on the hanger deck some retired military group was having a big, cordoned-off party behind some movable curtain screens. It struck me as beyond odd hearing a DJ play a song by the Doors for that lot. Sunday morning we had breakfast in the CPO's mess again, and drove back down to Florida.
Anyhow, it was a great weekend. Perfect weather and cool things to do.
Now, on to the pics!
USS Yorktown:
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/4876/hpim0545wq9.jpg
Jack with guns ashore, smoothbore cannon:
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/7075/hpim0547up6.jpg
40 mm modern (the bridge in the background connects Mt. Pleasant to Charleston):
http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/7042/hpim0549ka6.jpg
Tons more pics to come! Questions and comments encouraged!