North Carolina Aquarium At Fort Fisher

North Carolina Aquarium at FT Fisher building and entrance.

Sign inside building.

Luna, an albino alligator on display in the aquarium.

Bobwhite Quail.

Gator whisperings as they check out the crowd.

When you are hot , sweaty, tired , hungry and the smallest one there; what's one freaking meltdown among friends and family.

Tidal pool.

Watching the guide explain the workings of a live Horseshoe Crab.

Underside of the Horseshoe Crab.

No shoes and leaning on a whale skull display.

Sailfish statue on exit walkway.

Mom failing to get a posed shot of a two year old.

Otters at play statue on exit pathway.

Monarch butterfly eating and, or, resting at the Monarch Way Station.

Decorative dolphin statue on the exit pathway outside of the building.

Sun bathers in the pool.

Leap Frogging.

FT Fisher, North Carolina

Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear River's two outlets to the Atlantic Ocean on what was then known as Federal Point and today is known as Pleasure Island.

The batteries were mounted on soil mounts (sand hills) and were particularly efficient at absorbing salvos of heavy ordinance .


Mine of the type used at the Battle of FT Fisher. They were moored in the water or buries in the surrounding dirt and detonated remotely.

The item in front is a small mortar for throwing bombs (shells) over the sand hills to get the folks on the other side.

The pointy items that resemble shells I believe were torpedoes, they were mounted on a framework in the water and if a ship got to close it would hit the torpedo causing it to detonate.

A ships anchor recovered after the battles were over. In the cage behind the anchor is a gun mount sans gun typical of the Civil War time frame.

A view of the outer stockade from the walking tour starting point.

Tourists in full regalia. If you look closely, there is another one behind them (actually two but I think one is behind those in the front).

A stand of beautiful oak trees on FT Fisher property.

A long range view of the fort, looking South from the path around the fort.

The end of an old riverside road that came from and went to Wilmington, NC.

A panoramic view of FT Fisher. You can see the sand hills and the stockade fence which is the outer line of defence. This picture looks Southeast towards the fort.

The Old Salt and Nana on the FT Fisher tour.

Hermit crabs and their holes. They are hard to spot, but there were literally dozens of them.

A closeup of the outer stockade defense line of FT Fisher.

Long gun, no mount and no identification as to size, manufacturer or which side used it.

Gun on carriage mounted as to defend FT Fisher. The gun emplacement was on top of the sand hills and the powder was stored inside at the base of the sand hill.

21st Century gun crew, with an Ex-Airborne Captain in Command.

A gun layer practices his craft.

A gnarly old oak tree, but it threw a lot of shade.

The only tourist missing is the photographer.

If there is a wheel or a crank to turn, it will be.

Naval type gun located outside of the entrance to the FT Fisher Museum

I loved the tour, but the sun was so hot I thought I was still in Florida. Be sure to carry water, it helps out a lot.

USS North Carolina (BB 55) Part 1

As you go through these pictures, both parts 1 and 2, I challenge you to see if you can figure out the difference between a gun turret and a gun mount.

#3 16-inch/45 caliber turret looking forward from the center line aft.

Kingfisher aircraft sitting in it's cradle on the port side aft.

One of the two quad 40 mm mounts on the stern.

3 16-inch/45 caliber turret closeup of the barrels.

Quad 40 mm gun mount mounted on the top of Main Battery #3.

Officer's station inside Main Battery #3.

Looking out the entrance to Main Battery #3.

A Plexiglas shield shut off access to the forward part of Main Battery #3. The canvas bags in the lower left are simulated bags of gun powder being loaded into one of the 16-inch/45 caliber guns.

Inside the turret, purpose unknown, possible for balancing the turret due to the weight of the barrels sticking out the other end.

Turret tourists.

Turret access.

One 16-inch/45 caliber shell stored on the main deck for informational purposes.

Buttoned up access hatch to a 16-inch/45 caliber turret. The cable wrapped around the barbette is a towing cable as thick as a lrge man's wrist. Wrapping that cable in place would be a lot more fun than I ever wanted to be involved in.

A balsa wood life raft mounted to the side of the turret.

Part of the turret which may have been used as a last resort type of rangefinding as rangefinding was usually done by the fire control people located up higher in the masts.

Watertight door, a lot thinner than a submarine's water tight door. Although I will bet if they come loose in heavy weather than can crease a skull or take off a finger.

Possible future squid making some adjustments.

Hull and ribs showing inside the Engine Room.

Another little alleyway on one level of the Engine Room.

Colors and number of lines on the pipe lagging indicate pipe contents, steam, water , salt water, etc..

Deck grating between levels of the Engine Room.

Reduction Gear.

Engine Room Control Panel.

Another shot of the Engine Room control panel.

More steam lines in Engine Room.

Engine Room steam valves showing reach rods.

Some of the miles of cables run throughout the ship to provide the various types of power needed.

Closeup on a cable run in one of the ship's Engine Rooms.

Ship's Butcher Shop, where meat was cut up.

Ship's Galley, a serving line is in the foreground.

Potato peelers located in the Ship's Galley area.

On the Mess Decks, to the right is a "scuttlebutt" with the bubbler removed. In the back on the left is a electrical distribution box for some type of ship's power.

An interior watertight door located inside the ship.

A speed bag located on the Mess Decks. Boxing was a favored pastime in those days, particularly between sailors and marines.

Nana and grandchildren enjoying a soda on the Mess Decks.

Ship's ventilation air handler located on the Mess Decks.


Sound power phone connections on the deck of the Mess Decks.

Nana, another Old Salt in her own right demonstrates Emergency Steering to her granddaughter.

Rudder angle indicators.

The Ship's Store, the grilled area in the back on the right, on the Mess Decks. In the back on the left, behind the Plexiglas wall, is berthing for some of the ship's Master at Arms. Note the red and white stanchions which support the deck above.

I suspect this is a piece of Damage Control equipment, it appeared to be solid steel and was supported by large brackets.