Hello All.

[Dr. Beach]

I’m very glad to be back at the watering hole with all of you!

With not a little dismay, I discovered one day near the end of September, 2010, that our Forum site had gone down . . . and then never came back up.  As I still visited (and visit) the earlier CW bullet site (http://cwbullet.org/bullet-relic-forum/, which is where I first became acquainted with many of you back in 2004, and subsequently many more down the years), I tried contact someone through it to find out what was happening.  I reached finally JimT, and he let me know that eventually the Forum would somehow be resurrected.  I thought it quite unfortunate that the Forum went down right about the time Dean’s masterwork, Vol. 4, came out (I can tell you all, it was as much anticipated by me as another Vol. 4 once was!--Black  Sabbath--O.K. guys, who else can remember 1972?).  Anyway, around the same time the site went down, I was very busy, coincidently, with self-publishing the article I had been researching and writing for a couple of years: "The Last Moments of the Gunboat Diana, and Her Almost Final Resting Place."  A few of you know of this already--hope it proves interesting and informative.  I do spend some amount of the article discussing the Diana’s armament, which some of you, my artillery colleagues, may find interesting.  The Young-Sanders Research Center (http://www.youngsanders.org/index.html) in Franklin, LA, featured it on their web site for a few months, and it can still be found at: http://www.youngsanders.org/Thearticle.pdf  It was Coonboy (going have to get used to these new aliases and avatars, and such) who sent me a nice card in regard to the article--and in it, he directed me to this new Forum site, so thank you Terry! . . . and today, I finally got a few minutes to post.

I look forward to reading all of your interesting inquiries and responses for some time to come.  Hello to all my old Forum friends, and the new ones I will come to know.  Now, I just got to get me an avatar (good ol’ General Taylor is still much admired, and always served me well as an avatar, but maybe it time for something new?)--we’ll see.

[emike123]

Welcome back, Doc.  All here, except me of course, are still very much in need of your (professional) evaluations, and your thoughts on bullets and cartridges are also appreciated.

[R. J. in LA]

Dr. Beach, I'm a member of the Young-Sanders Center and I really enjoyed your article when Roland Stansbury posted it to the website.

I'm glad Terry informed you of this site & that you're now on it.  Thanks.


R. J.

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Dr. Beach,
   I read your article on the 'Diana' today and you have done a nice piece of research, especially on its location.
    you mmentioned the salvage of the cannons and I was wondering if anyone has dove on the location and operated an airlift to recover the small artifacts such as fuzes and shells from the magazine location?
Best Regards and welcome back to the Forum.
John aka Bart

[Dr. Beach]

Hi John:

I somehow missed your posted June 9 question posed to me—I’m sorry--and thank you for your kind comments, emike and R.J.

It is unclear what has been done in this particular area of the Bayou Teche (having asked a number of knowledgeable people).  I’ve heard tale that various “archeologists,” and other interested parties have looked into the matter over the years (though probably in the wrong spot, as my research suggests), and that the Army Corps of Engineers may have poked around, dredged, etc.  What is clear is that a water treatment facility now exists right on the site with an evidently large (strong?) underwater intake (and looks like recently expanded—another tank added inland).  I’m not sure how deep the Teche is at this spot (or how deep the underwater mud), but I’d bet that even with the 1871 demolition of the Diana, maybe a few identifiable items still remain (deep?) in the mud (this is my wish—oh, if only one had unlimited time, money . . . and a diving/salvage crew . . .).

Horace 

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Dr. Beach,
     It wouldn't be as costly as you might think.  Looking at some of the photos of the river it doesn't appear to be very wide and certainly should not be very deep.
      An air compressor on shore with air lift attached could vacuum the bottom with ease providing there is not much debris to hinder the divers. An air lift can pick up many small objects sometimes lost in a regurlar dredgeing operation.
     It certainly is an interesting challenge, especially if collector/divers are willing to volunteer their time as that is the greatest expense.
Regards,
John

[Dr. Beach]

John, I thank you for keeping my dream alive, and my thoughts open on the matter.  No, indeed, I'm not yet done with the Diana.

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

That's the spirit.  Good luck.
Best Regards,
John

[emike123]

For those like me who "gots to know" Google:

The Last Moments of The Gunboat Diana and Her Almost Final Resting Place," by Horace J. Beach, Ph.D

I am going to read it now!

[Lazouave]

Hi Dr. Beach,
Coonboy turned me on to your book.
I read and enjoyed it!

JR

[Dr. Beach]

Welcome to the forum Lazouave (JR).  I thank you for your kind comment.

Your posting comes on the day that Morris Raphael (author of A Gunboat Named Diana. Detroit: Harlo Press, 1993. Print.) would have been 94.  He died a few weeks ago, on July 1.  I was lucky enough to have visited with him but ten days before his death.

I hope to give a talk on my work in the future (only, they advised me to wait until after LSU football season!).