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USS Independence to Pass Through Historic Waters During Second Sendoff at Fort Morgan
3/24/2010
GULF SHORES and ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – As the USS Independence navigates Mobile Bay on its maiden voyage, the public is invited to attend a second celebration for this littoral combat ship at Fort Morgan State Historic Site on Friday, March 26 at 11 a.m. The historic site will salute the USS Independence by firing its largest operational canon (a 32 pounder canon that was cast in 1833) as the ship passes by in the bay waters around 11:30 a.m. Members of the local community are encouraged to participate in this send-off by joining the fort staff with American flags and other patriotic items in hand. The USS Independence is a relatively small, high-speed combatant that can operate in locations where larger ships would not be able to navigate.
“As this ship passes in between Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, it is traveling over some incredibly historic waters,” said Herb Malone, president/CEO of the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. “They will pass by a yellow buoy that marks the final resting site of the Tecumseh, where 93 Union sailors are entombed. Also, it was in these same waters where Union Admiral David Farragut issued his famous command of ‘damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.’”
Admission to the fort will be reduced on Friday from 11 a.m. to noon to $1.00 per person.
Remember to bring a camera to snap a few shots as the USS Independence sails out of Mobile Bay. Then upload those photos to www.Facebook.com/GulfShoresOrangeBeach for a chance to win a beach prize pack. To learn more about this contest, visit the Facebook page.
For more information on the canon firing, call Fort Morgan at 251-540-7127.
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