In Case You're Wondering About the Submarine at the Top of This Blog

From Wikipedia.

This is the German submarine SM U-118, one of 329 submarines Germany had during World War I.

It was commissioned in May 1918.  During the war, it sank two Allied ships.  With the surrender of the German Imperial Navy later that year, the SM U-118 was transferred to Fraallience and was to be broken up.  As it was being towed through the English Channel to Scapa Flow a storm was encountered and the towing hawser broke and the ship ran aground at Hastings in Sussex, England.

Attempts to get her off or destroy her failed.  The ship then became a popular tourist attraction.  definitely something you don't see that often on a beach.  Tours were made of the interior.

It was broken up between October and December 1919.  Part of the keel may still be buried in the beach.

Anyone Have a Shovel?  --Cooter

Who Was J.R. Arnold of Panama City Beach?

From the February 12, 2018, Panama City (Fla.) News Herald.  "Canadian Queries."

A vacationing Canadian wanted to know why there was a J.R. Arnold High School and street in Panama City Beach.

The correspondent found that Mr. Arnold was one of the people behind making Panama City Beach the vacation area it is today.  It was his vision and financial backing that led to all of this.  He saw the area as one for tourism and business.

He built the first motel in Bay County, the Palmetto Court Motel in 1948 and loaned money to other new beach businesses when banks wouldn't help them.  President and chair of the Beach State Bank, started the Small Business Assistance Corporation, president of the Beach's Chamber of Commerce and involved in many other pro PCB organizations.

Death came to him on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1995.

Quite A Man.  --CootPCB

Illinois' Chain of Lakes-- Part 13: The Railroad Brings Growth to Area

Growth of resorts along the Chain of Lakes increased dramatically with the arrival of the Milwaukee Road railroad to the area in 1901.  The railroad crossed the lakes between Pistakee Lake and Nippersink Lake where Route 12 now crosses.  (The train tracks are still there and handle an occasional train.)

Vacationers would take the train from Chicago and get off at a station by Nippersink Lake and then go by foot or by boats to various resorts.

Small cottages and resorts grew on the shores of the lakes as the area became a prominent tourist destination.  The Great Depression, however, was a major hit to the area and tourism decreased tremendously.  Resorts closed.  Some of these resorts were then turned into year-round homes.

--Cooter

Carolina Beach Declares Successful Summer Season in 1912

From the October 2, 2012, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Back Then."

SEPTEMBER 11, 1912:  "The season at Carolina Beach, which was one of the most successful in its history, formally closed on Sunday and the Harper line of steamers to this popular resort in a few days will go on their regular Winter schedule.

"With the gallant Capt. Harper still at the helm, Carolina Beach this year was even more popular than ever and the statistics of travel show that during the season 104,300 persons were handled between Wilmington and the beach and the beach and Wilmington."

The river steamer Continental was the primary mode of travel to Carolina Beach.  Passengers got off on the east bank of the Cape Fear River and a small train took them to Carolina Beach.  There were very few people living at the beach full time.

This was before roads were built to Carolina Beach so by far the fastest way there was via boat.

A Favorite Beach of My Family.  --Cooter

Tourists destroying Titanic Wreck

From the April 14, 2012, Yahoo! News "Titanic discoverer says ship's wreckage site being destroyed by tourists; how he plans to save it" by Eric Pfeffer.

Robert Ballard: "They are loving the Titanic to death. They are landing on it, crushing the deck, knocked off the crow's nest and leaving all sorts of garbage." Litter Bugs?

He urges "Visit, but don't touch."

On Monday he will host "Save the Titanic" on the National Geographic Channel where he will propose "robot sentries" to alert of trespassers.

Well, Not Me. I Haven't Been To and Couldn't Afford to Go To It.  --Cooter

Battleship North Carolina-- Part 2

Back on Oct. 5th, I posted on the new commander of the USS North Carolina battleship moored by Wilmington as a war memorial.

Terry Bragg said he was related to Confederate General Braxton Bragg and the pre-war NC governor Thomas Bragg. That would seem to be another story for my Civil War blog http://sawtheelephant.blogspot.com.

I did find out Thomas was the older brother of Braxton and is buried in Raleigh's Oakwood Cemetery. Thomas was a member of the Confederate cabinet as attorney general. Was that why he was able to keep his general's job despite his failures?

THE USS NORTH CAROLINA TODAY

The battleship is expected to cover its day-to-day operations from its own revenues, which means ticket sales, gift shop, and donations. The ship is the 17th-most-visited spot in NC with around 200,000 visitors a year.

The big challenge is the big-ticket maintenance. After sitting in the water since the early 60s, the ship needs to be taken to drydock. Along with that, decades of silt need to be removed from the ship's berth. This is expected to cost between $8 and $12 million and take 4-5 years. This will need to be money from the state and the economy doesn't call for that expenditure right now.

CREATIVE MONEY-MAKING

Events are held on the ship, including a skateboarding tournament and it will become a "haunted ship" for Halloween, a move that has caused some disagreement. Also, the former commander had converted some of the forward officers staterooms into bunking areas for overnight scout and NROTC stays.

The Ongoing "Showboat." --Cooter