Fort Jefferson by Amphibious Plane

#FortJeffersonAmphibiousPlane
Fort Jefferson is located 109 km (68 miles) west of Key West Florida in the Gulf of Mexico and is part of the Dry Tortugas National Park System

KeyTip;
 The ferry (state of the art catamaran ) will cost you $220.00US which includes a breakfast snack,
 box lunch, snorkeling equipment, entrance fee to Dry Tortugas National Park / Fort Jefferson
 and it takes around 2 hours for the one way trip
For me and my adventurous soul 😂 i opt for the Amphibious Plane half day excursion $466.00
+ $15 Fort fee and you arrive in 40 minutes 

 

Aviation Difference
So this type of plane is called an amphibious aircraft, as it can takeoff plus land on both a
 runway or water
Seaplanes can only take off and land on water

Education as we Fly
Everyone gets a window seat plus a headset with some interesting facts
from our pilot

Chugs
He told us it is the noise some of these homemade engines make from
the Cuban migrants and their boats
 They try and make the dangerous 160 km (100 miles) journey through the Florida Straits, then apparently if they make it onto one of the US Islands then they
can request political asylum

Low Altitude Flying
While we were not "hedgehopping" (a term used by pilots who are just clearing tress and fences)
At 150 meters (500 feet) certainly close enough so i could capture our shadow
 on the water below.

 The Florida Keys
 This was one of the 1700 islands that this archipelago consists of and extends from
Soldier Key to the Dry Tortugas

Odd Fact;
About 800 do not have names, talk about not
feeling the love 😅
So i asked the pilot if any of these islands are for sale, talk about sticker shock
Yes he replied, starting at $12 million and for the already to be developed an eye popping $75 million

 Living Coral Barrier
 Is the only one in the continental United States and because of its tropical climate it has never recorded any freezing temperatures, unlike other parts of America

Splashdown
 Wheels Up for landings as it could cause the plane to flip over
Also our pilot told us he preferred the water not to be glassy smooth, as without any "texture" you can lose your depth perception, which then you cannot judge the height above the landing surface

Maybe Rowing
Finally he mentioned he had some oars, as there are no traditional brakes (so with the combination of wind and the lack of precise stopping means) we might have to manually assist the aircraft to the beach 

One of A Kind
This picture says it all, way cool experience landing in/on
 the Gulf of Mexico

Pilot Training
To fly an amphibious plane you need to get a seaplane rating which requires ground and flight programs at an aviation school, plus of course to pass the test
To operate these crafts it involves different techniques than the land model, as it has a more complex water takeoff procedure where the plane needs to lift early
 to reduce drag
 

 Military Post
Fort Jefferson offered the ships patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits protection from the weather and also a place to resupply plus refit
It was also used as a Civil War Blockade as Union ships used the harbor to stop southern
shipping during those times

Historical Fact
The USS Maine coaled up and left here for Havana Cuba which helped ignite the
 Spanish-America War

Never Completed
It took nearly 30 years to built this fortress (1846-1875)
but it was never fully finished or armed as originally planned

With improvements over the decades with artillery, it made the forts brick and masonry walls vulnerable thus it was no longer effective for its intended purpose

 Engineering Challenges
 The structure was sinking into the sand due to its weight
 and shifting underbelly

Boondoggle
What started out as a 70 foot wide salt water moat to protect against an amphibious assault, ended up being an engineering folly
A faulty sewer design led to the area effectively serving as collection basin for the forts
 peak military years
This contributed to the harsh living conditions and disease outbreaks

During the Civil War
 The fort was used as a prison for mainly Union deserters
Its most famous incarcerated person was Dr. Samuel Mudd who was the physician who treated John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
He was eventually pardoned by President Andrew Johnson for his efforts in fighting a
yellow fever epidemic at the fort

The Moat
 It is a vibrant marine habitat and when government funding allows, baby sea turtles are sometimes raised in the shallow water here for their first year of life

KeyTip
Snorkeling or swimming is not allowed within the moat, the exterior of the walls yes
While outside in that area you may see some cultural artifacts like old anchor chains, cement barrels plus of course marine life 

 The Guardian of the Gulf
The nickname of the fort; as it was a strategic location to protect one of North Americas most important deep water shipping channels, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean

Falling Ramparts
The forts walls were built with wrought iron components, but over time with the saltwater elements it has caused it to expand thus pushing the brick apart
 This has caused structural damage with large sections collapsing into the moat
and now with the destruction from the latest hurricanes, the area will require significant repair and strengthening

Closed for Repairs
I feel very fortunate to have been able to have walked on top of the moat, so until it reopens you will just have to "experience" it through my camera lens

Largest in the Americas
Fort Jefferson had over 16 million bricks and was constructed this way to withstand cannon balls from hostile vessels
The construction of such a large project had many issues including transportation of
workers and supplies

Hide & Seek with J.N.O. Nolan 
He was a master bricklayer who etched his name into several bricks here,
but good luck with that search 😂

 
Underground Maze
The meaning; is of a complex with often a confusing network of passages,
 i agree 😀

US Army Corps of Engineers
They knew there was no fresh water, but an innovative system of cisterns that was built in the forts walls to collect and store the 1.5 million gallons of rainwater
But then the water was compromised as the crumbling collection tanks cracked under its on weight, thus allowing salty ocean water to enter

Early Reverse Osmosis 
After the falling rain reserves was compromised, the US Army purchased sea-water desalination units in 1861 to supply the garrison

Prison Labor at a Cost
With a shortage of workers President Lincoln started to offer condemned men pardons for a years work here at Fort Jefferson, but the conditions were harsh
As for example in 1867 Yellow Fever killed 39 staff and workers  

Never Fired
One of the 450 cannons at the fort that were never needed or used
Some included the 15 inch Rodman which could fire a 180 kg (400 pound) projectile over 5km
(3 miles) which were mounted on center-pintle carriages
 that allowed them to rotate 360 degrees

 The Gibraltar of the Gulf
Time to leave with all its history