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Assume this statement relates only to the ordnance, not the tubes: "The weapons, which include four cannons and about 50 projectiles that are either rifle shells or cannon balls, will be handled by explosive ordnance disposal technicians from Kings Bay, Georgia." It's too bad that there has now been the automatic leap to destroy, not preserve, anytime the "authorities" are called in.
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Assume this statement relates only to the ordnance, not the tubes: "The weapons, which include four cannons and about 50 projectiles that are either rifle shells or cannon balls, will be handled by explosive ordnance disposal technicians from Kings Bay, Georgia." It's too bad that there has now been the automatic leap to destroy, not preserve, anytime the "authorities" are called in.Travis C. Hébert
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Armory Guards / W.I.G.
ACWRT,GBA,CWT
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"Flag taking was pretty well knocked out of me" Lt Wm. Pennington, 6th Wisconsin, Co. I -
Re: CSS Georgia Recovery Efforts
Pardon my naivete, but...
Why does "handled by explosive ordnance disposal technicians" lead to an assumption of destruction?
Even if it does:
In recent years a number of top collectors have had serious accidents and injuries as they've attempted to deactivate artillery shells on their own. The best way to avoid government intervention would have been better self-governance on the part of collectors/ relic hunters, I would think. Once you blow up yourself/ your house (and maybe a neighbor's house), you're too late to criticize the bomb squad being called in on subsequent digs.John Wickett
Former Carpetbagger
Administrator (We got rules here! Be Nice - Sign Your Name - No Farbisms) -
Re: CSS Georgia Recovery Efforts
Perhaps the intent of my message was ambiguous. I did not mean to detract from or criticize either US Military or LEO agencies handling explosives - rather, just lamenting that in such cases, the normal recourse seems to be that of disposal (destruction, etc.) rather than defusing. Practically, it may be the most sensible way for such an organization, and I understand their stance and priority on public safety (especially in light of disarming incidents you refer to), but from the historian's perspective, one more artifact or relic is permantently lost to posterity.Travis C. Hébert
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Armory Guards / W.I.G.
ACWRT,GBA,CWT
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"Flag taking was pretty well knocked out of me" Lt Wm. Pennington, 6th Wisconsin, Co. IComment
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Re: CSS Georgia Recovery Efforts
I remember when I was a kid... and the USS Cairo was finally located in the Yazoo River above Vicksburg... Dad would drive us down... there would be this great contingiency of people on the side of the road watching the divers...
Anyway... the powder magazine was discovered... the black powder that had sat on the bottom of that river for all of those decades was removed... dried... and detonated... I thought that was so cool... I guess there was no way that powder could have been preserved...
~shoes~James BrownComment
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