USS Mackinaw, an 1173-ton Sassacus class side-wheel "double-ender" steam gunboat built at the New York Navy Yard, was commissioned in April 1864. For much of that year, she served on the James River, Virginia, taking part in engagements at Dutch Gap in August. In early December, while on blockade duty, Mackinaw captured a sailing blockade runner. Later in that month, and in January 1865, she took part in ultimately successful assaults on Fort Fisher, North Carolina. In February, the gunboat operated on the Cape Fear River, N.C.
Decommissioned in May 1865, as the war came to an end, Mackinaw returned to active service in January 1866. She spent more than a year with the North Atlantic Squadron and in the West Indies, but was decommissioned again in May and sold in October of 1867.
The Crystal Coast is best explored from the water, and Morehead City Ferry Service will take explorers to some of the most remote and beautiful corners of this long stretch of Southern Outer Banks shoreline. Launching from the heart of Downtown...
Visitors of all ages will have a blast at this destination that is designed for great times along the Crystal Coast shoreline. Professor Hacker's Lost Treasure Golf and Raceway is situated in the centrally located beach community of Salter Path, and...
Jockey's Ridge State Park is an unmistakable landmark for Nags Head vacationers and virtually everyone passing through along the main beach bypass, US 158. This park is marked by its towering sand dunes, which reach 80' - 100' feet tall and look...
The prestigious Whalehead in Historic Corolla has been a dominant attraction to Corolla visitors since it was renovated and opened to the public in 2002. As part of the Historic Corolla Park, the Whalehead in Historic Corolla serves as a northern...