March 31, 2026

The USS Narcissus with Madison from It's a History Podcast

The USS Narcissus with Madison from It's a History Podcast
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The USS Narcissus with Madison from It's a History Podcast

The USS Narcissus sank in 1866 during a storm at the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida.

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The USS Narcissus was a Union screw tug during the American Civil War, originally built as the stram tug, Mary Cook in 1863. USS Narcissus sank for the first time in 1864 in Mobile Bay, but was refloated, repaired, and put back into service. Her fatal sinking was in 1866, off the coast of Egmont Key, in the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida.

This episode was researched and written by Rich Napolitano and Madison Schmidt..All episodes, notes, and merchandise can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shipwrecksandseadogs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

All episodes of It's a History Podcast can be found at itsahistorypodcast.com.

Original theme music by ⁠⁠⁠Sean Sigfried⁠⁠⁠, and you can find him at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.seansigfried.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

**No AI was used in the production of this episode.

Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs is a maritime history podcast about shipwrecks, tragic loss, and incredible accomplishments on the world's oceans and waterways.

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Hello and welcome to Shipwrecks 
and Sea Dogs, Tales of mishaps, 

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misfortune, and misadventure. 
I'm your host, Rich Napolitano. 

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This episode is a collaboration 
with Madison Schmidt from It's a

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History Podcast. 
I've been a listener to her 

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podcast for quite a while. 
It covers a wide range of topics

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throughout history and I really 
enjoy it. 

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You can find 
itsahistorypodcast@itsahistorypodcast.com

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or wherever you get your 
podcasts. 

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Today, Madison and I will 
discuss an American Civil War 

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era shipwreck that went down in 
our hometown area of Tampa Bay, 

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Florida, the USS Narcissus. 
I hope you enjoy the episode. 

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Hi everybody, I am Rich 
Napolitano of shipwrecks and Sea

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Dogs. 
And I'm Madison from It's a 

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history podcast. 
We are both history podcasters 

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and we both happen to live in 
the Tampa Bay area. 

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And we started interacting on 
social media and decided, hey, 

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we should collaborate. 
So we're going to talk a little 

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bit about a local Tampa Bay 
shipwreck. 

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Yeah, I'm super excited to talk 
about this shipwreck, especially

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since it is very close to home. 
I figured since we are both in 

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the Tampa Bay area to to cover 
something that was, you know, 

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kind of like a local history for
us. 

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I think that would be a nice way
to to collaborate. 

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Yeah, and I think it's going to 
have some broader appeal too, 

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because it happens to be here in
the Tampa Bay area. 

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But it was a Civil War era 
wreck. 

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And of course, we're talking 
about the USS Narcissus. 

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Not a really well known story. 
In fact, to be honest, I had 

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never heard of it and you 
brought it to my attention. 

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I had also never heard of it 
when I was looking for something

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to bring to the show. 
I'm like, OK, let me look 

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through his back catalog and see
what he's got. 

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And then I was like OK, 
Shipwrecks near Tampa, FL and 

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this was, it was far down on 
some of the lists, but it was 

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there. 
Let's go ahead and we'll begin 

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telling the story here. 
Now, in order to fully 

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understand the role of USS 
Narcissus and ships of its time,

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it's important to understand 
first the context during which 

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it was built and put into 
service. 

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Now, this is a vast 
oversimplification of an 

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extremely complex historical 
event, but for those not 

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familiar with the American Civil
War, it will provide some 

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background for you. 
From April of 1861 through May 

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of 1865, the United States was 
at war with itself. 

45
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The American Civil War was a 
period of tremendous, divisive 

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conflict. 
It pitted brother against 

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brother, family against family, 
in a bitter struggle over how 

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and if the still young country 
would endure. 

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Military technology had outpaced
military tactics, and it 

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resulted in indescribable 
carnage. 7 southern states 

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seceded from the Union by March 
of 1861, and they set up 

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provisional governments. 6 more 
would do the same before the end

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of the year. 
These 13 Southern states then 

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declared themselves as a new 
nation, the Confederate States 

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of America, and they named 
former US Secretary of War and 

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Mississippi Senator Jefferson 
Davis as its president. 

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In opposition to the Confederacy
were the remaining Northern 

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states, which were referred to 
as the Union, with newly elected

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President Abraham Lincoln at its
head. 

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The northern states were heavily
reliant on manufacturing, 

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producing the mass majority of 
firearms, railroad locomotives, 

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textiles, and iron, and had by 
far a more extensive railroad 

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network. 
The Union also had an existing 

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army and many more naval ships. 
The southern states were largely

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agrarian, producing cash crops 
such as cotton, rice, sugar, and

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tobacco. 
Large plantations across the 

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South utilized slave labor, 
mostly Africans, to produce the 

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massive amounts of goods that 
were transported to northern 

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states in Europe. 
At the start of the war, 

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President Abraham Lincoln 
instituted a naval blockade 

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along 3000 miles of the 
Confederate coastline from 

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Virginia around Florida to the 
Rio Grande, separating Texas 

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from Mexico. 
The goal of the Union was to 

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present Southern goods from 
being exported to Europe and to 

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stop war material from being 
smuggled into key Southern ports

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such as Wilmington, Virginia, 
Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, 

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Mobile, AL, and New Orleans, LA.
The blockade proved to be only 

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moderately successful. 
It's estimated that 90% or more 

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of cotton exports were blocked, 
causing a desperate shortage for

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the British and French textile 
industry. 

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However, blockade runners were 
far more successful in bringing 

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in guns, ammunition and other 
war material, sometimes directly

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from Europe, but most often 
through neutral ports in Cuba, 

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the Bahamas and Bermuda. 
Despite the naval advantage held

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by the Union, its blockade was 
porous and more ships were 

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needed to further restrict trade
in and out of southern ports. 

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the US Navy couldn't possibly 
build ships fast enough, and so 

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it sought to purchase suitable 
private ships. 

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The vessel that became USS 
Narcissus began its career as 

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the screw tug steamer Mary Cook 
built at the East Albany 

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Shipyard of New York. 
Launched in July of 1863, she 

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was just under 82 feet in 
length, had a draft of 6 feet, 

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and could reach speeds up to 14 
knots. 

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The vessel was armed with 120 
pounder Parrot rifle in one 

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00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:17,560
heavy 12 LB smoothbore cannon. 
The Mary Cook was purchased by 

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the US Navy from James D 
Stevenson on the 23rd of 

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September, 1863. 
She was renamed USS Narcissus 

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and commissioned into service at
the New York Navy Yard on 

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February 2nd, 1864 with Acting 
Ensign William G Jones in 

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command. 
The light draft of the 

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Narcissist and vessels like it 
were highly valued as they could

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easily follow blockade runners 
into shallow waters along the 

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coastline. 
A month earlier in January 1864,

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the USS Narcissist steamed from 
New York all the way down to New

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Orleans where she would report 
to Rear Admiral David Farragut 

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in the West Gulf Blockading 
Squadron. 

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While down South, the USS 
Narcissist participated in 

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multiple operations including 
operations in Mississippi Sound,

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New Orleans, Mobile Bay, and 
Pensacola, even serving at Fort 

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Morgan during a Union victory at
the Battle of Mobile Way. 

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The first sinking of the USS 
Narcissist would be on December 

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7th, 1864 after she struck a 
torpedo, what we call a mine 

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today while on Pick A duty at 
Dog River Bar, Mobile Bay. 

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At the time she hit the torpedo 
she was paying out her anchor 

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during a rather gnarly storm. 
The torpedo left a large hole in

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the starboard side of the ship 
and the ship sank quickly in 

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just 15 minutes. 
No lives were lost in this first

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sinking. 
Just a few weeks later, on 

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December 8th, 1864, Narcissus 
was refloated and transported to

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the Pensacola Naval Yard to 
repair the damage done by the 

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torpedo. 
Narcissus would remain at the 

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Naval yard for the remainder of 
the Civil War. 

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In October 1865, the decision 
was made that USS Narcissus and 

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the USS Alfaya would be sent N 
to be commissioned and sold. 

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While the USS Narcissus and the 
USS Alfaya were in route 

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alongside the Eastern Shore of 
the Gulf of Mexico, they 

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encountered a storm just off the
coast of Tampa on January 4th, 

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1866. 
The two ships decided to take 

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different approaches to the 
storm, with USS Althea heading 

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northwest against the tide, 
while the commanders aboard USS 

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Narcissus decided to set anchor 
and ride out the storm. 

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USS Narcissus, attempting to 
avoid shallow water, headed full

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speed into a sandbar in just 
under an hour. 

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After running into the sandbar, 
the USS Narcissus would 

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experience her second sinking. 
It should be noted that the USS 

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Althea had also been briefly 
grounded by a sandbar, but was 

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eventually able to free herself 
from the sand. 

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00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,040
The same could not be said for 
the USS Narcissist after hitting

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the sandbar. 
The crew of the Althea who 

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watched this entire event happen
logged that they noticed signal 

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flares coming from the 
narcissist at 6:15 PM. 

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The narcissist would send more 
signals about 1/2 hour later, 

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but the crew on the Althea were 
not able to understand what they

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meant. 
The Althea did return the 

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signal, but received no response
from the crew on board the 

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narcissist. 
Just after 7:00 PM, the crew of 

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00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:19,960
the Althea watched as the boiler
exploded on the narcissist and 

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00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:23,160
the ship itself broke apart and 
sank into the water, taking all 

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00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,080
of the crew with her. 
It's not surprising that those 

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sandbars were were run aground 
because you probably know there 

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the sandbars in that area can be
very treacherous, especially in 

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low tide. 
They may have thought they were 

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going toward Clearwater, but not
surprising there in those 

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waters. 
Especially if it was a high tide

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00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,320
time period, you would have no 
idea that the sandbar was there 

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and they can be quite high close
to the surface and still be 

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rather hidden with that much 
water over them. 

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00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:56,600
And they shift quite a bit too, 
in the current, so you know, 

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from from one year to the next. 
Those sandbars are different. 

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00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,360
Acting Ensign William F Kilgore 
of USS Althea brought his ship 

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back toward Egmont Quay in the 
morning hours of January 5th 

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00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,000
when the seas had calmed. 
He anchored off the Wharf near 

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the Egmont Lighthouse in 
observed wreckage from the 

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Narcissus. 
The beach was littered with 

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00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:19,240
papers, debris, and items of 
clothing belonging to Acting 

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00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,080
Ensign Bradbury and mate John L 
Hall. 

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00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,840
One body was found recognized as
a fireman from Narcissus and he 

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00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:31,080
was buried on Egmont Key. 
No survivors and no other bodies

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were found. 
Ensign Kilgore sent his report 

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00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:39,160
to Navy Headquarters in 1866, 
but much later in 1889 sent 

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00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,320
another letter to the Navy 
apologizing for not being more 

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thorough writing. 
We found about 1/3 of the hull 

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bottom up and held there by her 
anchors. 

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00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,960
Kilgore communicated his report 
to Commander CC Hemmings of USS 

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00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:56,800
Sagamore, estimating nine 
officers and 24 crewmen were on 

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00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:57,760
board. 
Narcissus. 

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00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:02,440
Adding as near as I can tell, 
the US steamer Narcissus was 

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00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,760
wrecked northwest by north, 
distant four miles from Megmont 

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00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,280
Key Lighthouse. 
In the weeks following the loss 

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00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,920
of the Narcissist, news spread 
throughout newspapers in the 

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00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,520
northern states. 
One such article appeared in the

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00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,880
New York Times on February 4th, 
1866, with details provided by 

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00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,240
an Ensign Lannon, who had just 
arrived in New York from Key 

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00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,520
West on board the steamer New 
Bern. 

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00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,160
According to Lannon, acting 
Ensigns Bradbury of the 

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00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,920
Narcissist and Kilgore of the 
Althea agreed to anchor outside 

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00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,120
the harbor of Egmont Key for the
night as the weather worsened. 

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00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,920
But immediately following this, 
according to Anson Lannon, the 

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00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:42,360
wind picked up significantly. 
Kilgore suggested that both 

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00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:44,960
vessels had further out to sea 
where it would be safer from 

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00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:49,000
grounding, and Bradbury agreed. 
But before those maneuvers could

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00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,440
commence, the wind blew 
Narcissus to the West. 

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00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,520
With the full force of the wind 
battering her starboard side, 

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00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:59,200
Kilgore took the Althea further 
out to sea, directly against the

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00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,280
wind. 
While battling waves grounding 

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00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,880
on sandbars several times, 
Kilgore saw a signal light 

197
00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,640
message from Narcissus, but did 
not understand its meaning. 

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00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,440
The Narcissus then disappeared 
under the waves, and nothing 

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00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:16,200
more was seen or heard from her.
When a naval ship is lost, it is

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00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,040
customary for the Secretary of 
the Navy to initiate an 

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00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,760
investigation if feasible. 
In the case of the Narcissus, it

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00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:26,120
was not feasible. 
A19-O3 document from the United 

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00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,560
States Navy Record Office states
the Narcissist was lost on the 

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00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:32,520
4th of January 1866 in the Gulf 
of Mexico. 

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00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:36,800
She was a small tug commanded by
an acting Ensign who was deemed 

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00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,560
an efficient officer, was driven
ashore in a terrific storm and 

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00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:43,760
lost with all on board. 
No investigation possible. 

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00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,000
No known attempts to salvage USS
Narcissists were undertaken by 

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00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,400
the US Navy or any other 
parties, and the Narcissist lay 

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00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:53,840
forgotten in the sand for over 
100 years. 

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00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:59,320
In 1983, recreational diver Carl
Lear happened to cross wreckage 

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00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,400
of a ship in the waters off 
Egmont Quay. 

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00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:05,240
Lear didn't have any information
about what he had found, what 

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00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,080
type of ship it was, or its 
name. 

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00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:11,400
He and fellow diver George Cox 
returned to the wreck in between

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00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:16,000
1983 and 1988, excavated a long 
list of artifacts from the wreck

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00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:20,640
site, including iron shackles, 
handcuffs, brass keys, a silver 

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00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,720
fork, engraved Landis, a solid 
shot about 3 1/2 inches in 

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00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:29,080
diameter, percussion rifles, 
brass bikes, brass sheathing, A 

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00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:32,920
battered copper oil can, an 
assortment of brass valves and a

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00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:36,960
Confederate brass belt buckle. 
Lehren Cox believed they had 

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00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,360
found the Confederate blockade 
runner Landis and sought salvage

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00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,160
partners to excavate. 
A number of partnerships with 

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00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:45,960
various organizations, including
World Treasure Hunters 

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00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,040
Incorporated, ultimately did not
pan out for a number of reasons.

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00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:53,240
In 1988, Mr. Howard Tower 
conducted a general survey of 

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00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,280
the site before any further 
excavation could be done. 

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00:12:56,560 --> 00:12:58,840
His report, which was shared 
with the State of Florida, 

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00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,320
described the condition of the 
wrecks, exposed engine, boiler, 

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00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:05,640
propeller and propeller shaft, 
adding that ceiling planks, 

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00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,200
frame and exterior planks were 
also protruding from the wreck. 

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00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,240
Mr. Tower did not remove 
anything from the site during 

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00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,720
the sky. 
No other items have been taken 

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00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:20,600
from the wreck site after 1988. 
Tower, along with Lear and Cox, 

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00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,160
applied for a permit to salvage 
the site in 1989, but their 

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00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,160
application was denied by the 
state of Florida as the wreck 

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00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:29,760
site is within the Pinellas 
County Aquatic Preserve. 

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00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:33,840
Tower continued to research the 
site, however, and through naval

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00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,800
records was able to determine 
the wreck as that of USS 

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00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,160
Narcissus. 
The Institute for International 

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00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:44,120
Maritime Research investigated 
the wreck in 1999, working with 

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00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,880
agencies from the state of 
Florida to find shipwrecks in 

243
00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:50,120
Florida waters. 
Using side scan sonar and 

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00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,760
divers, archaeologists relocated
the site and mapped the visible 

245
00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:55,840
portions of the engine and other
machinery. 

246
00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:00,080
In 2005, the US Army Corps of 
Engineers contracted with Pan 

247
00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,120
American Consultants to evaluate
the site and determined it was 

248
00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,080
eligible for inclusion in the 
National Register of Historic 

249
00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:08,720
Places. 
It was determined to be eligible

250
00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,720
and a 500 foot buffer zone was 
created around the site to 

251
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:16,040
protect its integrity. 2006 
brought further investigation of

252
00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,720
the site when the Florida 
Aquarium and Tampa received a 

253
00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,760
grant to conduct its planned 
Tampa Bay Historical Shipwreck 

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00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:25,360
Survey in conjunction with 
Southeastern Archaeological 

255
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,720
Services and Tidewater Atlantic 
Research. 

256
00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,280
A volunteer dive team of Casey 
Coy, Michael Terrell, Billy Ray 

257
00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,480
Morris, and Nicole Tumbleson 
Morris found the wreck to be 

258
00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,800
more exposed than it had been in
the past and began a full 

259
00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,360
archaeological evaluation. 
While it was strongly believed 

260
00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,640
to be the wreck of the USS 
Narcissist, no hard evidence had

261
00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:47,520
ever been found to confirm its 
identity. 

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00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,120
This team mapped the wreck's 
precise location and provided 

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00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,840
thorough details of the ship's 
engine, boiler, stern assembly, 

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00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,320
and buried hull. 
Section 3D images were created 

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00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,120
of the site, giving researchers 
incredible detail of the 

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00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:06,560
remains. 
In 2015, the site was declared 

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00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,520
Florida's 12th underwater 
archaeological preserve in a 

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00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:13,200
ceremony that was hosted by the 
Florida Department of State, the

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00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,240
Florida Aquarium, and the 
Southeastern Archaeological 

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00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,560
Services. 
The dedication ceremony included

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00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,840
a live interactive broadcast 
with aquarium scuba divers 

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00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,200
diving around the wreck. 
A bronze plaque was unveiled to 

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00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,160
designate the new preserve, and 
two direct descendants from the 

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00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,440
USS Narcissus crew were in 
attendance. 

275
00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,240
As with the prior 11 designated 
underwater archaeological sites,

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00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:39,800
the underwater bronze plaque 
notes the site for divers 

277
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,560
exploring the area. 
The Florida Division of 

278
00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:45,920
Historical Resources explains 
that underwater archaeology is 

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00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,240
one of the best ways to explore 
these sites before they erode or

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00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,200
are destroyed. 
Shipwrecks are a moment in time 

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00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,280
that underwater archaeologists 
can explore to see how, at least

282
00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:58,120
in Florida's case, how people 
traveled the Florida waters 

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00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,840
before our time. 
In 2019, Florida Secretary of 

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00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,040
State Laurel Lee announced that 
the USS Narcissist shipwreck 

285
00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,480
site would be designated on the 
National Register of Historic 

286
00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:10,840
Places. 
The National Register of 

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00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,080
Historic Places is a list 
maintained by the National Park 

288
00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,280
Service that outlines the 
historical or archaeological 

289
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,560
building sites, structures, 
objects, and districts that have

290
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:22,480
been considered worthy of 
preservation. 

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00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,240
The State of Florida currently 
has over 1700 listings on the 

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00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,320
Register, with over 50,000 
individual sites contributing to

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00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:32,960
the National Register in 
Florida. 

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00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:36,720
The wreck is currently 
maintained by the Friends of USS

295
00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,800
Narcissus, who conduct periodic 
visits to the site to clean the 

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00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:43,000
plaque, monitor the site 
especially after its prior 

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00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,640
looting, and to teach the 
importance of historic 

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00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,280
preservation. 
If you want to take a look at 

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00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,160
the USS Narcissus wreck or any 
of the other 11 wreck sites that

300
00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:54,680
are a part of Florida's 
Underwater Archaeological 

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00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:58,920
Preserve, you can visit 
museumsinthesea.com where video 

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00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,160
and images of the wreck site are
available. 

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00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,319
After a ship sinks and becomes 
part of the landscape of the 

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00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:07,359
ocean floor, it does not take 
long for marine life to move in.

305
00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:10,920
Marine life including hard and 
soft corals, various fish, 

306
00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:14,560
sponges, sand dollars and hermit
crabs cluster around wrecks for 

307
00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,079
protection. 
Today, the wreck of the USS 

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00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:20,200
Narcissist serves as a stand in 
reef for local marine life. 

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00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,599
If divers visit during clear 
conditions, they can see the 

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00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:27,119
steamships, single cylinder 
engine, A4 bladed iron 

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00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:30,480
propeller, the whole structure 
and boiler fragments. 

312
00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:34,880
The site itself is just 2.7 
miles West of Egmont Key near 

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00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:38,120
the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida,
15 feet underwater, and is a 

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00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:40,600
popular site for divers and 
snorkelers to visit. 

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00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:45,520
All right, that's USS Narcissus.
Thank you, Madison. 

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00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,040
Yes, thank you. 
Have you ever been to Egmont 

317
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:49,440
Key? 
I have not. 

318
00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:53,080
When I was in college, one of my
last classes that I was able to 

319
00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:58,480
take in person before the 
pandemic was, I can't remember 

320
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:02,680
what it was called, but we had a
couple of professionals, like in

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00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,200
the archaeological space come in
and show us some things that 

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00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,160
they did. 
And we had one who came in and 

323
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,240
he gave us like a 45 minute 
lecture all about egg monkey and

324
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,960
all of the various research that
he had done on it. 

325
00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,440
So I haven't been there, but 
I've had lots of experience with

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00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:21,280
people teaching me about it. 
Opposite for me. 

327
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,120
I haven't had anybody tell me 
about it, but I've been there. 

328
00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,320
Cool. 
It's it's a, it's a nice ferry 

329
00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:32,360
ride out to the Key and it's one
of the most beautiful beaches 

330
00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:35,160
I've ever been on it. 
It's pristine white sand. 

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00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:38,160
It's really well known for 
collecting shells. 

332
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,760
There's just a a very minimal 
amount of remnants of human 

333
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,400
existence there. 
A little bit of concrete here 

334
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,680
and there, but the lighthouse is
still there and you can see 

335
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:51,200
remnants of the Wharf that used 
to be there. 

336
00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:54,280
It's pretty cool. 
It's very natural. 

337
00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,600
There's no snack shop, there's 
no gift shop, there aren't even 

338
00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,560
any restrooms. 
It's just an island and it's 

339
00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:02,840
it's beautiful. 
I'm definitely putting it on the

340
00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,520
list of places to to visit in 
the area. 

341
00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,680
Yeah, it's easy. 
You just take the ferry from 

342
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:09,560
Fort DeSoto right out to Agmat 
Key. 

343
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,480
It's beautiful. 
It's beautiful out there. 

344
00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,400
It's a nice ride too. 
Yeah, ferry rides are always 

345
00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:19,720
like a good ferry ride. 
Well, again, I'm Rich Napolitano

346
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,440
of shipwrecks and sea dogs. 
And I'm Madison from it's 

347
00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,560
history podcast. 
And I hope you've enjoyed this 

348
00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,920
collaboration. 
Thank you so much for listening.

349
00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:29,280
Yes. 
Thank you so much. 

350
00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,040
This episode of Shipwrecks and 
Sea Dogs was researched and 

351
00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,600
written by Rich Napolitano and 
Madison Schmidt. 

352
00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:37,920
Original theme music is by Sean 
Siegfried. 

353
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,600
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354
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,760
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362
00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:11,320
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363
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364
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:20,640
Please join me again next time. 
And as always, don't forget to 

365
00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:23,200
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