Eternal Reefs Helps Create USS Narcissus Underwater Memorial
Earlier this year, the Eternal Reef company helped to create an underwater memorial in remembrance of the USS Narcissus. The vessel, a U.S. Navy tug and gunboat, was lost in a storm with all hands off of Egmont Key, Fla. in 15 feet of water in January, 1866.
On January 27, 2015, almost exactly 149 years to the day after the ship was lost, the Florida Aquarium in Tampa hosted the dedication ceremony of the USS Narcissus. Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner declared the site as the final resting place of the 26 crew members and as the 12th underwater archaeological preserve.
Narcissus Memorial PlaqueOn January 15, 2015 an Eternal Reef Memorial was placed on the site off the bow of the U.S. Coast Guard Vice. Secretary Detzner declared the site an underwater archaeological preserve and Danny Redmond – whose great-great grand-uncle, William Wilkinson, was a crew member who perished in 1866 – dropped twenty six roses, one for each lost crew member. A ship bell rang as a live, underwater video feed played, showing the memorial being placed and the plaque was unveiled.
| IT READS: |
| USS Narcissus The U.S. Navy tugboat Narcissus participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. Bound for New York from Pensacola on January 4, 1866, she ran aground here and was lost with all hands when her boiler exploded. Please respect this military grave site, which remains the property of the US Navy and is protected from unauthorized disturbance by the Sunken Military Craft Act (H.R. 4200) STATE UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLGICAL PRESERVE A FLORIDA HERITAGE SITE. |
This site, marked with an Eternal Reef Ball, is now protected as a marine preserve and is open to snorkelers and divers, who are asked to take only pictures and leave only bubbles. Significant marine life is anticipated to grow on the reef within three months.
Narcissus Reef Ball DedicationThe creation of the Narcissus as an underwater archeological preserve took almost eight years and the hard work and effort of a number of organizations and people. Nicole Morris of the Florida Aquarium and South Eastern Archaeological Services did her Masters thesis on the history of the USS Narcissus and provided a great deal of historical information, along with the crew manifest, used to make the case for the designation of the site as an archeological preserve.
Many other organizations and individuals too numerous to list comprehensively here joined together to create the memorial. A partial list includes: The Egmont Key Alliance; The Florida Aquarium; US Navy Naval History and Heritage Command; US Coast Guard, Sector St. Petersburg; Division of Historical Resources – Florida Department of State; Underwater; South Eastern Archaeological Services; The Friends of Narcissus; Think Out Loud Productions; Huish Outdoors LLC; NAUI World Wide; Eternal Reefs; Reef Innovations; The Reef Ball Foundation.
In all, 26 men perished when Narcissus wrecked near Egmont Key on that cold day in January 1866 (USS Narcissus Muster Roll 1865; Kilgore 1866; New York Herald-Tribune 1866:5). They were:
Ensign Commanding: Isaac S. Bradbury
Executive Officer: Charles C. Dunbar
Crew:
George Anderson, James Burns, Francis A. Case, Jacob Chism, John Chrystal, John Donnelly, Daniel Dwyer, John L. Hall, Joshua Halsall, John Hamilton, James Heenan, Edward A. Hopkins, John Jones, John Kennedy, George H. McGuire, Eugene McSorley, John Ross, Branton Scoble, Barney Sheridan, R. Shoemaker, Henry Smith, William Thomas, William Wilkinson, Columbus Williams
To learn more about this project and others, contact Eternal Reefs at www.EternalReefs.com or visit the company’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/eternalreefs
