Near Mutiny on The Lolligag

Fort Clinch is strategically located at the northern end of Amelia Island. A long established military compound, this fort has been under the control of several governments depending upon who was controlling Amelia Island at any given time. The only battle to occur at Clinch was when Union troops recaptured the fort in 1862 after Confederate forces seized control the previous year. Fort Clinch served as the base of Union operations in the area throughout the Civil War. Today it is a Florida State Park.

Shortly after passing Fort Clinch the radio announced that a naval “warship” was traveling toward our area. “Warship” was exactly the word that the Coast Guard used when describing this vessel and of course my curiosity was peaked beyond words never having seen a warship on the move. As we listened we learned that the warship and all of the accompanying vessels were behind us about five miles. All traffic within a radius of two miles of the warship was being asked to provide full identification of vessel, crew and purpose of their voyage by the Coast Guard. At the same time each non-military vessel was asked to hold their position until the warship and escorts passed. The Coast Guard would issue an all clear message when it was time for the non-military vessels to resume their travels. We knew that we were near a US submarine base but we could not tell if this was the intended destination of the warship or if the warship was heading out to the Atlantic.

We also heard on the VHF radio that an accompanying naval vessel was going to fire a military salute to the warship as it passed the Fort Clinch area. And I really really wanted to see the warship and its entourage. At this point, we have reached the location of the submarine base. As you can see, we are being watched very closely and yes, that is a large machine gun on the back of the patrol boat.



From the water side, the submarine base looks rather stark. Other than the long “garage” in which the submarines would dock, it looks totally nondescript and pretty much like just any other industrial shipyard.





Then I noticed what appears to be a British submarine docked along the shoreline deck. Now I am really excited and I am taking pictures like crazy.







At the same time I am whining and pleading for Captain Mark to turn around and back track so that I can see the warship and the military salute. Captain Mark responds adamantly that the Lolligag will NOT be turning around and “especially not now when we are in front of a US submarine facility to head back into what we know is a restricted zone.” Of course, I pouted and threatened to mutiny but to no avail. One thing did make accepting this disappointing news semi-okay. The military cannon salute for the warship was cancelled for reasons not specified on the radio. So I rationalized that if there was no salute then I really did not miss too much…