Mike Parker: Join the Navy and see a world of local history
On February 6-8, the CSS Neuse Foundation will offer a special event for those interested in local history from 1861 through 1865. The CSS Neuse Foundation is responsible for the CSS Neuse II, a full-scale replica of the original CSS Ram Neuse. This ironclad gunboat was outfitted and stationed here in Kinston.
The event is called “Naval Rendezvous.” “Naval Rendezvous” was a term used during the Civil War for a special naval recruiting event at ships and shore stations. In 1864, the CSS Ram Neuse was commissioned, and a Naval Rendezvous was held to enlist a crew.
Join reactors and other history enthusiasts as they recreate that event. The crew of the Neuse will enlist, drill, and train new recruits while explaining life on board an ironclad warship.
On Friday, February 6, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., new recruits will set up camp and get their supper. From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, February 7 and 8, the recruits will be inspected by a Naval Surgeon. Afterwards, new recruits will drill and train in their new duties.
A new knot-tying activity will introduce participants to the nautical application of common knots carried out in a way amusing to participants and spectators alike. The knots being considered are the half hitch, the clove hitch, and the bowline. Each participant will take a round turn on a bollard and secure with two half hitches, tie a clove hitch to a bollard and secure with two half hitches, tie a bowline about any suitable object, and tie a bowline about his upper body.
The knots will be tied with the standing part under tension supplied by other participants, a practice requiring the participant to complete the knot with one hand. The number of participants is limited to six and the activity is projected to last about 30 minutes.
Another highlight of this year’s Rendezvous will be the participation of Bruce Littell, who will represent “The Hunley Project.” Available information will include a slide show providing an overview of the history, significance, recovery, and preservation of the CSS Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine.
Littell will answer questions regarding main characters involved and the likely impetus behind the creation of this submersible as an asset to combat as the growing effectiveness of the “Anaconda” blockade of southern ports. He will also highlight the events that led to the sinking of the USS Housatonic on the evening of February 17, 1864.
He will also give information about the discovery of the Hunley during the spring of 1995, her recovery in August 2000, and conservation efforts since her arrival at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in August 2000 to the present day.
Littell is a U.S. Navy submarine force veteran and supported the U.S and U.K. Strategic Weapons System as a contractor. Since his retirement in March 2019, he has served as a Docent at the Lasch Center, providing guests with education and interpretation on all aspects of the history, preservation, and conservation of this unique artifact.
If you are interested in history in general – and local history, in particular – be sure to circle February 6-8 on your calendar. Don’t miss this opportunity to sail back in time and take a deep dive into the naval practices of the era.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
Photo information: A crew member stands beside the CSS Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship during wartime.
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