Maybe this will help: there was nothing wild about the articles. The two guns aboard the Albemarle were removed by the Confederates and mounted on the shore to command the upper river approaches. The Union flotilla, under Commander William H. Macomb, used the Middle Passage as expected to get above Plymouth and attack coming downstream. Before Lt. Alexander Warley was forced to leave by the approaching Union ships, he had an explosive charge detonated inside the forward casemate. It blew out the forward starboard casemate. (This information comes from Bob Elliott's book Ironclad of the Roanoke.) The Albemarle was floated after some of the armor was removed and the leaks sealed. Then she was towed to Norfolk by the USS Ceres. One of the Albemarle guns is indeed on display at the naval base (which was called Gosport in its earlier days). I do not know when the gun was moved from Plymouth to the navy base.
The Union forces did not attempt to break the casemate open to remove the guns: the guns were already removed and Warley had already blown up the forward part of the casemate before the Federals retook Plymouth. He did it so they could not refloat her and use her against the Confederates. What Warley did can be read in his report to Secretary Mallory. (The casemate didn't have to be blown open to get the guns out. The roof of the casemate had removable iron grates.)
Bob Elliott was Gilbert Elliott's great-great nephew. His great grandfather was Peter Elliott, Gilbert's brother.