April 12, 2024
While we were in the Vicksburg National Military Park, we got to tour the salvaged Cairo. It was a gunboat; powered by steams, with a paddle wheel and covered with iron plates.
We arrived at the Cairo by riding down the hill to the parking lot at the boat and museum.
The museum is underground behind the Cairo. It is only open a few days a week, if you want to go inside the museum, check that it is open before hand.
We walked up to the Cairo and then around it. I was delighted to realize a boardwalk had been built throughout the boat to allow tourists to walk through the boat.
After walking around the Cairo, we walked into it.
After our exploration of the Cairo, we headed inside of the museum.
The museum contains artifacts from the men who served on the Cairo, tools and some parts of the boat.
The original cannon cradles were recovered and placed on display. When it was realized the cannon cradles were deteriorating, they were removed from display and placed in storage. One original cannon cradle is on display in the museum, protected in a glass case. I just couldn’t get a good picture of the original cannon cradle.
The also had a display devoted to the restoration of the Cairo. A movie played on a TV describing how the Cairo was raised from the Yazoo River mud.
She had to be cut into 3 sections since the mud was so heavy.
All the sailors were rescued when the Cairo sank, but they didn’t have time to retrieve their belongings.
The museum does not charge an admission fee.
After touring the museum, we walked to the edge of the parking lot and looked over the wall at the Vicksburg National Cemetery. Notice the short stones; they are unknown soldiers and sailors.
We did not go into the cemetery.
We continued on with our ride to see the rest of the park. We saw people walking, jogging, running and biking on the roads.
Retirement RV Dream 
Were you able to envision yourselves in the places of those soldiers, or was the experience too far removed from the war to seem real?
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It was surprisingly easy to envision the sailors dealing with the cannons in tight spaces. The walkway really helped since one could walk up one of the cannons. The walkway didn’t go into the crew quarters, so I couldn’t really envision living on the gun boat. It was a excellent opportunity to understand the iron clad gun boats and get a glimpse into the how the sailors would’ve handled cannons.
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One of the eeriest things I did was sit in a Humvee retired from battle. There was no cushioning to the seats. Four could sit on the seats, while a fifth man sat in a sling hung from the ceiling in order to shoot a machine gun through a hole in the roof. The quarters were so cramped, and it was so hot and yet it was nothing near as bad as fully-geared soldiers in the Middle East went through. I was never sure if it were my own imagination filling in blanks or if there were a residual energy in that vehicle that affected me so much.
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We try to tour various museums. The Humvee experience sounds intense.
We toured the WW II battleship, Alabama in Mobile. Getting an understanding of how those sailors lived and fought in those cramped quarters gave me a new perspective and appreciation of the men who served. One gun turret had been hit and killed the gunners. Touching the bronze plaque commemorating their deaths as they fought for our country made me feel sad and proud.
We’ve also had the opportunity to sit in fighter jets. I have great respect for the men who fly them. They were tight fitting.
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I know! It’s amazing how small some of those spaces are. Military craft are not for the claustrophobic.
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