Blooming Jasmine

We took a shuttle to historic downtown Charleston. As we passed a plantation, Boone Hall, you could see hundreds of flowers blooming. We picked the right time of the year, an intoxicating scent filled the air - Jasmine. You could see it climbing trellises, fences and tree trunks. It's a heavily scented white flower cluster. As we walked along a picturesque cobblestone street, it made me think of my grandfather, Patrick McGuire, who paved the streets of New York City with cobblestone. We strolled down Market Street's small shops. A very crowded area with stalls, almost like a flea market. I saw lots of stuff that I didn't know I needed but wanted. If I only had a car instead of a boat, I would have spent a fortune. They had hand made baskets starting at $15.00 to $500. After lunch at the Noisy Oyster we took a journey into the past. We went to a place called Ryan's Slave Market. This was an auction complex that housed the slaves that would be put up for sale. They would be washed, oiled and fed before being sold. I always thought that you could not put a price on human life but the views back in the 1850s were different. Slaves were valued anywhere from $50.00 to several thousand dollars; based on their skill, trade or beauty. The money that was spent here really shows me the wealth of pre-civil war south. Our final trip in Charleston was to Fort Sumter. You have to take a ferryboat to Fort Sumter, the last thing I wanted to do was get on another boat. This is where the Civil War began. South Carolina had seceded from the Union, yet Union forces still occupied Fort Sumter at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. The south wanted the fort vacated, the north refused. Troops of the Confederacy fired on the fort from nearby Fort Johnson. This was the start of a two day bombardment that resulted in the surrender of Fort Sumter by Union troops.

Historic Charleston

As we pulled into Charleston harbor what first caught our eyes was Patriot's Point. The U.S.S. Yorktown is docked here. We were able to stay at the marina right next door to it. After we tied up we took a walk over to see this "Fighting Lady." This 888-foot aircraft carrier had a crew of 380 officers, 3,088 enlisted men and an air group of 90 planes. She is the second Yorktown, the first was lost in Midway. I remember that movie. I also remember the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! which she was in. We took a tour of the living and working space, flight deck and bridge, Captain and Flag Officer in-port quarters and the engine room. They have a field trip for boy scouts, girl scouts and other clubs, the children can camp aboard the ship. The kids actually sleep in the crew quarters. I think I would hear ghosts if I were to spend a night on this ship. Also at Partiot's Point is a memorial to a submarine, Clamagore. We took a tour through her very small inside. She had a crew of 8 officers and 72 men. This sub had 10 torpedo tubes; you enter the sub by going into the forward torpedo room. You have to watch your head and shins as you walk through her, not made for big people. Whitey A. is the perfect size. The final ship in this group is a Coast Guard Cutter, Ingham. She fought in the North Atlantic in the winter. She also spent time in World War II in the Mediterrean, Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific. Her last tour was in Vietnam. The last part of this tour took us to a true to scale exhibit of the living conditions and operation of a Vietnam base camp. There was a 31 foot river patrol boat, ammunition bunker and 24 foot gun. Its mission was to block the movement of supplies, while preventing the Vietcong from entering South Vietnam. With the sound effect, the movies of planes and helicopter flying over you had to cover your ears the noise was so real.