The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Man Dies After Running Into Blockade-Runner

Lots of accounts yesterday out of Texas about the upcoming funeral services for David Martin, 62, who was out fishing when his 14-foot aluminum boat struck the wreck of the Confederate blockade-runner Mary Summers in the Navidad River near Victoria.

His death has been ruled an accidental drowning. He hit it Jan 1st, but his body wasn't found until the 3rd.

A low tide had exposed about a foot of the Summers and it has been struck before. Unfortunately, efforts to mark it have failed. The ship is a recognized archaeological site by the National Register of Places.

It was built in England in 1833 and used as a slave ship at one time before being purchased by the Confederate government.


NOT AN IRONCLAD

Pretty much every source I looked at referred to the Summers as being an ironclad which usually refers to a warship sheathed in iron. It might have been a steel or iron-plated blockade-runner.

I have not found any mention of the Mary Summers anywhere else, but will continue looking.

When Fishing, Watch Out for Those Sunken Blockade-Runners. --Old B-R

3 comments:

Unknown said...

That boat was sunk almost touching my aunt and uncles ranch on the Navidad.
We never knew much about it but swam to it many times.
If you find anything else about the Mary Summers please email me.
Ed Martin
edmartin1@juno.com

RoadDog said...

There doesn't appear to be any more information, but I will be checking the ORN to see if there is anything there.

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot Road Dog