The Dry Tortugas is a magical place to visit as a child. Imagine first seeing Fort Jefferson rise out of the azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico as a young mind. The excitement is palpable. There are some things to consider however, although clear skies and calm winds make for great snorkeling it can be very hot on the island. Make sure to bring plenty of high SPF sunscreen and apply generously throughout the day. Hydration is so important especially for children so take advantage of the water coolers both on the boat and dock provided by Yankee Freedom II. Sandals are another great idea for kids, as the sand and dock become very hot in the afternoon sun.
Perhaps your child would enjoy The Junior Ranger program. Children are given a booklet en route to Fort Jefferson which they complete as they explore the fort. Upon successful completion they are sworn in and issued a Junior Ranger badge. There is fun to be had by all at the Dry Tortugas and I hope we are in your plans this summer. We look forward to seeing you aboard the Yankee Freedom II.

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Lots going on at the Dry Tortugas. The installation of new finger docks began this week on Garden Key. A docking area for vessels making day trips to the Dry Tortugas is the intended use of these new piers. It will allow visitors on boats not traveling with a dingy to visit the beaches and explore Fort Jefferson on Garden Key. The expected completion date for the project is the end of May and they are to be in service shortly thereafter.
We typically see a greater number of center consoles in the 25’ to 35’ range transiting the Tortugas in the summer months when the wind and seas are calmer than winter. Visibility and water temperature are also ideal for snorkeling. A word of advice, bring an adequate supply of fuel for the 140 mile round trip.
If you are someone who doesn’t own a boat or perhaps you’d rather someone else do the driving then consider a day trip aboard the Yankee Freedom II.

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In this edition of the Tortugas weekly blog I wanted to talk about our lunch service. We are frequently asked what we serve for the noontime meal, which is included in your ticket. Deli style sandwiches really hit the spot after a snorkel along the moat wall or trip to the top of Fort Jefferson with the guided tour. We have several different meats and cheeses along with potato salad (a crew favorite) and fresh fruit cut each morning by the galley crew underway. As you work your way through the buffet style lunch line don’t forget your chips and a cookie. If none of these choices work for you we have the old standby, peanut butter and jelly. Sodas and water are always complimentary with lunch.
Remember if you get hungry on the ride home we have candy bars and ice cream sandwiches, hot pretzels and burgers and hot dogs.

If your planning a trip to Fort Jefferson, the next few days seem pretty favorable in terms of weather, just a slight chance of showers and highs in the upper 80’s. The east wind that made for some bumpy rides back to Key West last week has settled down a bit and the water temperature is climbing towards 80 degrees. So put away your work shoes and pull out your sandals and join us for a great day out at the Tortugas

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Hello everyone, my name is Michael, Lead Interpreter aboard the Yankee Freedom II. This is my first installment of a weekly blog, focused on providing insight into The Dry Tortugas National Park, one of America’s most remote national parks.

We made a change in our procedures this past winter; we are now passing out snorkel gear on the National Park dock instead of underway aboard the Yankee Freedom II. The new snorkel rack is really working out well. It affords us the opportunity to talk with every passenger to determine their experience level and comfort in the water, therefore, direct them to the best snorkel spot for their skill level. Another added benefit is retrieving your gear just prior to snorkeling versus toting it around the island unnecessarily. The snorkeling has been exceptional this past week. Beautifully clear visibility and exceptional fish sightings. Including some large snook and grouper in the coaling piles along with a monster lobster in a crevice along the moat wall and our friend, Rex, the 400lb goliath grouper that resides under the National Park dock.

The Frigate birds have been an awesome sight to watch gliding effortlessly on the updrafts hitting the southeast wall of Fort Jefferson. Birding is really starting to pick up with the spring migration and the nesting of the Sooty Terns on Bush Key. Stay tuned for more updates and insight on the Dry Tortugas birding next week.

Hope to see you soon aboard the Yankee Freedom II!

-Michael

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It’s been another beautiful week at the Dry Tortugas. The water has been really clear across the Quicksands (an area of shifting sandy bottom west of the Marquesas where both the Spanish galleons Nuestra Señora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita were found by Mel Fisher in the 1980’s). These conditions have made for excellent turtle watching. We even saw 3 pairs of mating turtles during our ride home on Saturday.

Spring Migration will peak in the next few weeks and the bird watching has been awesome. Masked Booby’s have nested on Hospital Key, Sooty and Noddy Terns are raising young on Bush Key. Bridled and Roseate Terns will arrive soon. We saw a variety of warblers this week including Swainson’s, Blue-winged, Hooded, Worm-eating, Parula, Black-and-white, Prairie, Prothonotary, Blackburian, Cape May, and Palm, as well as Ovenbirds, and Northern and Louisiana Waterthrush. Orchard Orioles, Summer and Scarlet Tanagers, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Peregrins, Merlins, Kestrals, were all spotted in the 10 acre parade ground of Fort Jefferson. It’s a great time to break out the binoculars and head to the Tortugas.

Saturday was Junior Ranger Day at the Dry Tortugas and all the children on board completed their workbooks and were sworn in as Junior Rangers by the Superintendent of Everglades and The Dry Tortugas National Parks, Dan Kimball.

Hope to see you soon aboard the Yankee Freedom II!
-Michael

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By: Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

General Joseph Totten, Chief of the Army’s Engineers from 1838 – 1864 designed the Totten Shutters used on the gun ports of Fort Jefferson. These large slabs of wrought iron complete with iron shutters were designed to protect gunners from small projectiles and musket fire while loading cannons weighing several tons per gun opening and integrated into both the exterior wall and the interior of the fort, these embrasures were crucial to fort construction during this time period.

Over time in the salt environment of Dry Tortugas, the shutters have oxidized. Swelling in width and pushing the bricks off the outer walls of Fort Jefferson. The fort is a veneer of brick-filled with coral boulders, rubble, sand and concrete. The outer brick veneer is crucial to protect Fort Jefferson from storms and hurricanes.

The founding legislation of Dry Tortugas National Park mandates the National Park Service to “protect, stabilize, restore and interpret Fort Jefferson, an outstanding example of nineteenth century masonry fortification” for future generations without undertaking serious action to stop further degradation, it became obvious to the National Park Service personnel that the walls of Fort Jefferson were in serious trouble.

Underway for about 5 years now, a multiyear preservation project is underway to stabilize the outer walls for Fort Jefferson. Iron embrasures are removed, the walls stabilized and re-bricked, concrete (made with local sand and coral) and historic bricks are used. Lastly, replicas of the historic Totten shutters are placed in the gun ports.

Construction workers are housed and fed at Fort Jefferson during the renovation work.

While visiting Fort Jefferson, a walk around the moat will show sections of the fort wall where stabilization has been completed. Scaffolding is present where work will take place this spring. The west wall of Fort Jefferson shows the damage for future repairs.

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Dig Location in Paradeground

From March 13 – 16, 2009 visitors tot the Dry Tortugas National Park aboard the Yankee Freedom II were treated to an archaeological dig of an 1850’s storehouse foundation located in the paradeground of Fort Jefferson. March is Florida’s Archaeology Month and this weekend’s even allowed the public an opportunity to help sift and search soils taken from under a storehouse destroyed by fire in 1857.

Volunteers

Park Staff Sifting Soil

During construction of a brine concentrate reverse osmosis drain field in June 2003 National Park Service archaeologist Margo Schwadron found large concentrations of pipe stem fragments and bowls (most of the men stationed at Fort Jefferson smoked tobacco in clay pipes). Construction of the drain field was shifted to a new location and plans were laid for this archaeological dig. A joint effort of the National Park Service S.E. Archaeological Center, the Florida Public Archaeological Center, and the South Florida National Parks Trust resulted in the 4 day event. Bags and bags of artifacts were collected and catalogued from grids in the study area.

A collection of some interesting artifacts were found:

Bowl Pieces

Gun Flint

Ceramic Doll Hand and Woman’s Dress Clasp

Other items found were pieces of pottery, glass fragments from bottles and hurricane lamps and lots of coal. All will be carefully sorted, analyzed and curated at the S.E. Archaeological Center in Tallahassee, FL.

Yankee Freedom II passengers Erik and Susan Peterson from Columbus, Ohio participated in the dig on Saturday March 14th.

They first learned about the the dig from Park Service personnel and spent several hours sifting soil and helping collect artifacts. “A fabulous experience of history and nature – thanks very much!” they commented. “We can’t wait to come back again.”

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By: “Tortuga” Jack Hackett

Fort Jefferson Fort at the Dry Tortugas.

As “Silent Night” still lingers in the ears and resolutions are still forthcoming, here at Ft. Jefferson bricks, bricks and more bricks await the capable hands of returning work crews. The air is permeated with a sense of elation shared by masons on the embrasure project that is without a doubt akin to the feeling shared by those who toiled here in the 1800’s knowing that soon the men would be returning to their hometowns or to Key West for several weeks of comfort. Present day masons share the closest experience to the original laborers who fashioned the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere.

Bring in the brick to continue restoration.

Yankee Freedom sailing by the renovation site.

Bricks are arriving on a barge-like craft which conjures up images of a construction project that was in progress one hundred fifty years ago. These bricks await special placement having been specially made in an attempt to replicate the original bricks in size, color and weight. This involves the use of custom forms and specialty clay mixes. The bricks cannot be shipped until they have met the National Park Service’s rigorous inspections and approval. Once the National Park Service has approved the finished product, the bricks are produced in larger quantities and shipped to Fort Jefferson where they will receive placement designation.

For now, however, there is more embrasure removal, clearing of wall fragments from the moat and the wall straightening continues. Embrasure pieces are cleared and hauled away. These photos should help illustrate the huge amount of work involved and the complexity of the effort. It is truly astonishing to view the elaborate process that precedes the laying of a brick.

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Vessel New Orleans, an Army LCU (Landing Craft Vessel), visits Dry Tortugas National Park on January 10-13th 2008 in a cleanup operation. Hurricane damage from the four hurricane strike summer of 2006 left Dry Tortugas National Park with lots of rebuilding and repairing. The remoteness of the park makes garbage service a challenge, especially for larger items such as air conditioning units, old appliances and such. The New Orleans carried Waste Management dumpsters and a large Front End Loader to assist the Park Service personnel in eliminating trash items. The New Orleans has a permanent crew of four and is assisted by fourteen Army reservists.

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By “ Tortuga” Jack Hackett

Well, whatever sound you would make to indicate a thunderous explosion from a cannon, resounding throughout the bricked vaulted ceilings of the casement or gun-room in which it is heard. The decibels produced would exceed those of a heavy metal rock band with the volume cranked to the max.

One might arrive at this conclusion while standing inside one of the casements at Ft. Jefferson. This is just one part of the fort’s awesome architecture evident amidst sixteen million bricks utilized in the construction of the fort that began in 1846.

General Joseph Totten, chief of engineers, is the man most responsible from Fort Jefferson’s construction. He was a meticulous calculator and super micro-manager. Masons of today when arriving at Fort Jefferson to begin and/or continue major projects, marvel at General Trotten’s innovations and designs. For example, methods of cutting castings and fittings of stone and metal (in particular massive iron shutters known as “Totten Embrasures)” are remarkable. In order to prevent mortar from fragmenting, General Totten made lead concrete which was used to mount the shutters.

Oh, this kind of thing just scratches the surface; talk to someone as enthused as Kelly Clark about these projects and you will be engulfed in a sea of amazement. Kelly first arrived in the Dry Tortugas for the “Hot Shot” project in 2003. She, of course, fell in love with the area but had to return to Santa Fe in order to complete other assignments. She has now returned to lead, coordinate and supervise several of the Historic Planning Programs. Not only does she have a good understanding of the hurdles encountered during the original construction, but also has a firm grip on the challenges present at this time. There are a myriad of glitches that arise in the field that find their way to her desk.

On the other hand, they are well underway to remove seventeen shutters and salvage brick for reuse. Next they will duplicate these shutters from the original design plans, and install them following the rule of preservation as closely as possible. This rule, in a nutshell, is to use the same materials, methods and tools as were used in the nineteenth century. One deviation from this rule will be the use of reinforced fiberglass concrete as a substitute for iron. This will prevent rust, expansion and the fading of the color of the embrasures.

All of these multifaceted restoration projects will be performed during the next three to five years. Currently, the most visible project is the “Totten Embrasure” project. So head on out to the Dry Tortugas National Park and to Ft. Jefferson, find your way across the parade ground, read the information posted there, stroll into the gunroom, cover your ears and be amazed.

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