Fort McHenry (LSD 43) - Naval Cruise Book

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Ir.im is S(.i)it Kf — Anllmr nl llic Sl.ir Sp.inulril H.miur hu l(l ul I ll ' -liirnal Sat ul FRANCIS SCOTT KEY AND THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER O! say can you see by the dawn ' s early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight ' s last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight. O ' er the remparts we watch ' d. were so gallantly steaming? And the rockets red glare, the Bombs bursting in air. Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there: O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave. O ' er the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave? FRANCIS SCOTT KEY was born on August 1, 1779, in western Maryland. When Key was 10 years old, his parents sent him to grammar school in Annapolis. After graduating at the age of 17, he studied law in Annapolis while working with his uncle ' s law firm. By 1805, he had a well-established law practice of his own in Georgetown, a suburb of Washington, D.C. By 1814, he had appeared many times before the Supreme Court, and had been appointed the United States District Attorney. During the war of 1812, Dr. William Beanes, a close friend of Key ' s, was taken prisoner by the British in the Chesapeake Bay. Key left for Baltimore. There he was to meet with Colonel John Skinner, a government agent who arranged for prisoner exchanges. Together, they set out on a small boat to meet the Royal Navy. Onboard the British Flagship, the officers were very kind to Key and Skinner. They agreed to release Dr. Beanes. However, the three men were not permitted to return to Baltimore until after the bombardment of Fort McHenry. After 25 hours of continuous bombing, the British decided to leave since they were unable to destroy that fort as they had hoped. Realizing that the British has ceased the attack. Key looked toward the fort to see if the flag was still there. To his relief, the flag was still flying! Quickly, he wrote down the words to a poem which was soon handed out as a handbill under the title, The Defense of Fort McHenry . Later, the words were set to music and renamed The Star Spangled Banner . This became a popular song and in 1931 it became our National Anthem.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 SHIELD 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 STAR SPANGLED BANNER 4 HISTOR Y OF FOR T MCHENR Y 5 USS FOR T MCHENR Y HISTOR Y 6 SHIPS CHARACTERISTICS 7 SHIP ' S MISSION 8 COMMANDING OFFICER 9 EXECUTIVE OFFICER 10 COMMAND MASTER CHIEF n CHANGE OF COMMAND 12 ESWS 13 FLYING SQUAD SNOOPY TEAM HIS MEDICAL DENTAL 16,17 FLIGHT QUARTERS 18,19 NAVIGATION ADMINISTRATION 20,21 COMMUNITY RELA TIONS 22-25 SUPPLY DEPARTMENT 26-30 OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT 32-37 DECK DEPARTMENT 38-45 ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT 46,47 LANDING CRAFT AIR CUSHION 48-51 ACU-5 BMU 54 CO OF TROOPS 55-65 MARINES 68,69 DEPARTURE 70 TINIAN 71 BURIAL AT SEA 72,73 HONGKONG 74,75 SINGAPORE 76,77 AQUABA, JORDAN 78,79 ANCIENT CITY OF PETRA 80,81 INFINITE MOONLIGHT 82 BAHRAIN 83 JEBEL ALI 88-91 TIGER CRUISE 92,93,96,97 TAMIL Y AND FRIENDS 94,95,98 HOMECOMING 99 CREDITS 100 WESTPAC ' 94 ' -vf

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HARl ' ER ' S WEEKLY. [Jri,r 1.;. 1B«;! luKr M ' llEMlV. LALTIMORE. MAHVI AND -Tmi-. % ii « WpMurn u. Cowimxt I), .U. Iliur.. SI. V. HISTORY OF FORT MCHENRY Fort McHenry ' s history began in 1 776 during the Revolutionary War. The people of Baltimore feared an attack by the British and wanted to build a fort for protection. Anticipating an attack at any time, a fort of earthen mounds was constructed quickly. Originally, it was called Fort Whetstone, because of its location on Whetstone Point. Whetstone Point was an excellent location for a fort for two reasons. It was located far enough from Bal- timore to provide protection without endangering the city, and the area was a peninsula. Constucting the fort on this site meant that enemy ships sailing into Baltimore would have to pass the fort first. The Revolutionary War ended without an attack on Baltimore, but improvements to the fort continued. In 1 798. a french engineer was directed by the Secretary of War to draw plans for a new fort on Whetstone Point These plans were expensive, and it was difficult for the people of Baltimore to raise money for con- struction. However. James McHenry. a well-known politician, was instrumental in raising funds for the new fort. The fort was renamed ' Fort McHenry in his honor. Fort McHenry became famous when the British tried to attack Baltimore during the War of 1812. When the bombardment began on September 13. 1814. there were 1.000 soldiers defending the fort. Some were federal soldiers who were stationed at Fort McHenry permanently, many were volunteers from the city of Baltimore. Their Commanding Officer was Major George Armstead. For 25 hours the British bombarded Fort McHenry. but the fort ' s artillery fire kept the British away. Baltimore was saved. In the 1860 ' s the fort was used by the Union Army during the Civil War to keep the confederates from getting to Baltimore. It was also used as a prison for political prisoners suspected of being Confederate sym- pathizers. Many Confederate soldiers were imprisoned at the fort as well. In 1917. during the first World War. General Hospital No. 12 was established at Foii McHenry by the War Department. It was the largest military hospital in the country with over 100 temporary buildings to ac- commodate wounded American soldiers returning from the war in Europe.