Pass Christian, MS: Harbor Defense Battery

Thanks to funding from SEA’s 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship, my Expedition continues...

Pass Christian Harbor Defense Battery

First, someone pointed out that my pictures and posts don't include a lot of people.  Like Detective Friday in the old "Dragnet" series... I tend to stick to "Just the facts".  Sorry, I guess that people and places are part of the adventure as well, and since I'm doing this mostly by boat, bike, and foot, it should probably include more stuff about the boats, bikes and (feet) hiking trails as well. I'll work on that!


I took an opportunity to step out of my planned route of completion to get involved in a local event in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The event was the Pass Christian Arts Festival and "Celebrate the Gulf" Marine Education Festival at the War Memorial Park on the Beach in Pass Christian, MS.  If you haven't been to "The Pass", you should definitely take your time and visit.

The entire Mississippi Gulf Coast is a treasure of arts, foods, and people that really make the place shine as a destination. Now it should be said that what little high school I did attend was done at Pass Christian High School so I have actually grown up around this area, and these guns were formative in my interest in U.S. coastal history. As a kid I grew up, always hearing stories about German submarines cruising just off the coast, hunting merchant shipping vessels. Those stories and the defensive batteries set in place to protect us from their attack was enough to get any kids imagination going. Such is the story of U-166 a German Submarine sunk offshore in sight of this battery. That Submarine is credited with the sinking of four vessels operating along our coast.

Vessels lost to U166
The sailing vessel "Carmen" was lost 11 July 1942. She was flagged from the Dominican Republic and was sunk with the loss of a single crewman. The steam merchant vessel "Oneida" was lost 13 July 1942. She was flagged from the U.S. and was sunk with the loss of six crewmen. The commercial fishing vessel "Gertrude" was lost 16 July 1942. She was flagged from the U.S and was sunk without loss of crew. The steam passenger ship "Robert E Lee" was lost 30 July 1942. She was flagged from the U.S. and resulted in the loss of 25 passengers and crew. The sinking of the "Robert E. Lee" was witnessed by a U.S. Navy Patrol Aircraft which attacked and sunk the Submarine. The wreckage of U166 was rediscovered in 2001, during an archeological survey taking place prior to the laying of an undersea pipeline. U166 lies in 5000 feet of water (1500m) less than two miles from the wreck of the "Robert E Lee"

Now before I get off on some story, I should include the part I'm actually getting paid for. War Memorial Park is Pass Christian's central park which was organized in 1945 in memory of young men from the city who served in World War II. It is home to a pair of repurposed U.S. Navy deck guns.

West Gun Battery

East Gun Battery

The food was phenomenal.  Everything from eggrolls to jambalaya and cold beer

The tents protected the visitors from the fog and rain, irregardless of the weather  organizers projected over 1000 attendees.



Following a beautiful day along the Pass Beachfront, I sailed around the corner and safely back inside the Bay St Louis Draw Bridge as the thunderstorms approached again

Bay St Louis as seen from offshore Pass Christian as the sun sets behind an approaching storm


Gene Taylor Reef at the mouth of Bay St Louis is constructed from rock and cement debris from Hurricane Katrina 
Operating near shore has provided me with the added benefit of cellular service. The iOS AquaMap is an application which gives me all the benefits of electronic navigation with meteorological overlays and current charts all on my 4G device. Please don't tell Terry Hayward I didn't use a sextant..!
Just so you get an idea, the pins on the map are harbor defenses of New Orleans and its approach.
The smaller fortifications do not show on this map.

And now back to work... Heading Southeast... Next stop Fort Jackson, and Fort St. Phillip and Fort Livingston, at the mouth of the Mississippi River.




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