Fort Monroe....

After great visits in Portsmouth and Norfolk, it was time to move on. As we traveled the Hampton Roads area we passed Mile Marker 0 (buoy "36"); the official end to our Intracoastal Waterway journey. From there we passed the Naval Shipyard with plenty of ships to see. The most impressive were the aircraft carriers - they were HUGE!! And yes, that is an airplane you see on deck in the photo.

From there we crossed from the southern side of the basin to the northern part of the basin giving two navy warships wide berth as we did. That led us to Old Point Comfort and Fort Monroe.

The Fort is the largest stone fort in the United States. It was completed in 1834 and has been used by the Army since that time. Its very long history begins with its construction. Then Lt. Robert E. Lee was stationed at the fort and directed construction. President Lincoln was here during the Civil War and with the assistance of officers planned the attack on Norfolk which was a critical win for the Union Forces. But probably its most notable story is that following the Civil War was that Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned here.

While still an active military installation, the fort is scheduled to close in 2011. After that I can only assume it will maintain its national landmark status and exclusively become a museum.

Next stop Yorktown.

The Admiral

4/30/2010