HISTORY
CONFEDERATE
STATES OF AMERICA
CSS
ALABAMA
The
Associated Press reported in the Wilmington News Journal , Sunday,
December
12, 1993 that relics from the wreck of CSS Alabama off the
coast
of Cherbourg, France were special packaged and sir shipped to the
Crownsville
Lab of the Maryland Historical Trust which is one of a few
in
the world with facilities and expertise to restore underwater
artifacts.
There,
state conservator, Betty Seifert, oversees restoration of
50
salvaged
artifacts from the wreck of the long lost warship.
Articles
recovered include dishes, the ship's wheel assembly,, oarlocks,
cannon
pivots and gun carroages, all damaged by 130 years of exposure,
all
need to be stabilized so the public can view them with in the next
18
months
in the new Columbus Center at Baltimore.
The
wreck was found in November 1984 by the Circe, a French
Navy mine hunter under 200 feet of water off Cherbourg, by
Captain
Max
Guerout who confirmed it was the CSS Alabama remains.
From
Wikipedia we know the CSS Alabama was built in secrecy by
John Laird and Sons at Birkenhead on the River Mersey for the
Confederates, laid down, launched and commissioned in 1862 and was
sunk by USS Kearsarge in batttle on June 29, 1864.
The
Alabama's motto “Aide toi, Et Dieu T'Aldera”; God Helps
Those Who Help Themselves, engraved in the bronze of the ships wheel.
She``deplaced 1015 tons, 220 feet long, 31'8”
beam,
draft 17'8” , had two 300 HP steam engnes, auxillary sails
and
made
13 knots with a single screw porpeller and was a screw sloop of
war
was a successful commerce raider attacking Union merchant and
naval
ships over the course of her two year career.
Known
as 'hull number 290” for secrecy, launced as Enrica 15 May. 1862,
and
slipped out of Birkenshead 29 July 1862 with a civilian crew
and
captain
to Terceira Island of the Azores.
In
spite of the secrecy , Union Captain Tunis A. M. Craven,
in the
command
of the USS Tuscarora was tasked with intercepting the new
ship
but was not successful.
The
new ship's captain, Raphael Semmes, left Liverpool 13 August
1862,
arrived
Terceira 20 August 1862 and took command, refitting her with
armaments,
coal for fuel, brought by the Agrippina, the new ship's
supply
vessel. Within three days the Enrica was equipped as a naval
cruiser,,
designated a commerce raider and commissioned CSS Alabama,
off
shore one mile in international waters with a large ceremony , the
crew
and
officers in full dress Confederate uniforms and band music playing
“Dixie”.
The
Alabama's ordnance, British made, was six muzzle loading, 32
pounders,
smoothbores, three on port and three to starboard, two pivot
guns,
placed mid ship fore and aft main mast, which were 100
pounders,
one
7 inch rifle bored muzzle loader and one 8 inch.
Captain
Semmes, now on board and in command, had only his 24 officers,
no
crew. He was looking for a crew that was to sign on for a voyage
of
unknown
length and destiny and offered money to sign on, double wage,
paid
in gold, and prize money for the Union ships destroyed. He ended
up
with
83 seamen, but needed 20 more that he hoped to recruit from crews
of
captured ships and at friendly ports of call.
The
first two months were spent in the Eastern Atlantic , capturing
Union
merchant
ships, then she came to the New England water, sailing south
to
West Indies before cruising west into the Gulf of Mexico where
she had her first military engagement after she came upon and
sank the USS
Hatteras
off Texas and took her crew. Sailing south and made successful
raiding
on Union merchant vessels. Finally the Alabama went in Cape
Town,
south Africa for refitting ans reprovisioning after which she
sailed
to
the East Indies, spent six months, destroying seven more northern
ships.
Then
off to France for refit and repairs where Union warships hunted
the elusive famous Confererate raider but she outwitted her
pursuers and vanished over the horizon.
All
total, the CSS Alabama did in 65 Union vessels and the
crews
were
never harmed during detainment. There were eventually placed
aboard
a neutral ship or ashore in a friendly port.
The
CSS Alabama completed seven Expeditionary Raids, was at sea
534
days, never visited a Confererate port , took more than 2000 men
prisoners
without a single loss of life.
June
11, 1864, Alabama arrived Cherbourg, France port where
Captain
Seemes asked for drydock to overhaul his ship.
Three
days later, the USS Kearsarge, Captain John Ancrum Winslow
in
command, arrived and took up station outside Cherbourg port.
He
also
request Gibraltar send USS St. Louis with provisions and provide
blockading
assistance. The CSS Alabama was now boxed in and no
where
to run.
Captain
Seemes chose to fight his way out and prepared his ship and
crew
for the fight and through diplomatic channels challenged the USS
Kearsarge
asking her captain not to leave until he was ready to go out.
On
June 19, 1864, CSS Alabama sailed out to meet the SS
Kearsarge.
As
the Kearsarge made it's turn to meet the Alabama the CSS ship
opened
fire but was out of range. The two ships steamed on opposite
courses
making seven circles moving SW with the 3 knot current,
each
master trying to cross the bow of his opponent to send a
heavy
raking
fire. The battle turned against the Alabama due to the superior
gunnery
of the Kearsarge. The Alabamas gun powder and fuses had
deteriorated
but a shot from her 7 inch Blakely pivot rifle hit very near
Kearsarge's
stern post and disabled to a point her rudder badly. It did not
explode,
had it done so, the Kearsarge would have been disabled ending
the
fight. The Alabamas rapid rate of fire sent many of her shots
too
high
to do much damage.
Unknown
to Captain Semmes the Kearsarge was armor clad with an
outboard
chain armor installed at an Azores port more than a year
before.
This
“ chaincladding” armor of 2 inch chain link iron chain, 720
feet of
it,
was placedon both port and starboard down to the waterline. The
chain
armor was hidden by 1 inch deal boards painted black as was the
ships
hull This armor belt was hit twice by Alabamas shots.
One
shot
from the 32 pounder cut the chain armor denting planking of the
hull,
ans a second 32 pounder broke the chain and tore away the deal
board
.
A
bit more than an hour after the first shot was fired The CSS Alabama
was
a sinking wreck by the Unions 11 inch Dahlgrens , Captain
Seemes
' struck his colors ' and sent a surviving boat to the Kearsarge
asking
for assistance.
A
small hand held white flag was shown on the stern spanker boom
a
short
while after her colors were struck and the engagement ended. As
the
Alabama sank Captain Seemes threw his sword into the sea, which
deprived
Kearsarge's Captain John Anerrum Winslow of the traditional
surrender
ceremony having it turned over to the victor, a dishonorable
act.
The
CSS Alabamas crew was taken aboard the Kaesarge except for
Captain
Seemes and 41 officers who went aboard a private British
yacht,
“ Deerhound “ , which spirited away to England.
The
USS Kearsarge was awarded a U. S. Navy Battle Star. The
Confederate
Medal of Honor was awarded to the CSS Alabamas
doctor,
David Herbert Llewellyn, a Briton, who showed bravery and
drown
as the ship went down to deeper waters.
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