View source for CSS Alabama

{{Short description|Confederate States Navy ship}}
{{For|similarly named ships, the southern U.S. state of Alabama, and other uses|Alabama (disambiguation)}}
{{POV|date=April 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=CSSAlabama.jpg
|Ship image size = 300px
|Ship caption=A 1961 painting of CSS ''Alabama''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country= Confederate States of America
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Confederate States of America|1861}}
|Ship name=''Alabama''
|Ship namesake=[[Alabama]]
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder= [[John Laird Sons & Company]] 
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=1862
|Ship launched=July 29, 1862
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=August 24, 1862
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto="Aide Toi, Et Dieu T'Aidera," (God helps those who help themselves)<ref name="cnhs">{{cite news|url=http://www.astrococktail.com/PDF/CNHSnewsletters/CNHS9.pdf|title= C.S.S. Alabama Artifacts Exhibit at U.S. Naval Museum opens with All-Star Franco-American Reception|date=February 1992|work=The Confederate Naval Historical Society Newsletter Issue Number Nine |publisher=The Confederate Naval Historical Society|access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref>|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship honors=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Sunk {{End date and age|1864|06|19}}
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=
|Ship type=
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=1050 tons
|Ship tons burthen=
|Ship length={{convert|220|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="fletcher-175-176">{{cite book|last=Fletcher|first=R.A.|title=Steam-ships : the story of their development to the present day|publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson|location=London|year=1910|pages=175–176|url=https://archive.org/stream/steamshipsstoryo00fletuoft#page/175/mode/1up|access-date=2009-10-29}}</ref>
|Ship beam={{convert|31|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|17|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power= 2 × 150 [[horsepower|HP]] [[marine steam engine|horizontal]] [[steam engine]]s (300 [[horsepower|HP]] collectively), auxiliary sails 
|Ship propulsion= Single screw propeller<ref name="a098">{{cite web | last=Kinnaman | first=Stephen C. | title=Technical Report—Inside the Alabama | website=U.S. Naval Institute | date=2023-06-02 | url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1990/august/technical-report-inside-alabama | access-date=2024-08-23}}</ref> 
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed={{convert|13|kn}}<ref name="fletcher-175-176"/>
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=145 officers and men
|Ship crew=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=6 × 32 lb (15 kg) cannons, 1 × 110 lb (50 kg) cannon, 1 × 68 lb (31 kg) cannon
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''CSS ''Alabama''''' was a [[Screw sloop|screw sloop-of-war]] built in 1862 for the [[Confederate States Navy]]. She was built in [[Birkenhead, England|Birkenhead]] on the [[River Mersey]] opposite [[Liverpool]], England, by [[John Laird Sons and Company]].<ref name="dixie">{{cite web | title=''The Alabama'' | url=http://www.csa-dixie.com/liverpool_dixie/alabama.htm | access-date=2007-02-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205025516/http://www.csa-dixie.com/liverpool_dixie/alabama.htm | archive-date=2007-02-05 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Launched as ''Enrica'', she was fitted out as a cruiser and commissioned as CSS ''Alabama'' on August 24, 1862. Under Captain Raphael Semmes, ''Alabama'' served as a successful [[commerce raider]], attacking, capturing, and burning [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] merchant and naval ships in the North Atlantic, as well as intercepting American grain ships bound for Europe. The Alabama continued through the West Indies and further into the East Indies, destroying over seven ships before returning to Europe. On June 11, 1864, the ''Alabama'' arrived at Cherbourg, France, where she was overhauled.  Shortly after, a Union sloop-of-war, {{USS|Kearsarge|1861|6}}, arrived; and on June 19,  the [[Battle of Cherbourg (1864)|Battle of Cherbourg]] commenced outside the port of [[Cherbourg, France]], whereby the ''Kearsarge'' sank the Alabama in approximately one hour after the Alabama's opening shot.

==History==

===Construction===
''Alabama'' was built in secrecy in 1862 by British shipbuilders [[John Laird Sons and Company]], in north-west England at their shipyards at [[Birkenhead]], [[Wirral Peninsula|Wirral]], opposite of the city of [[Liverpool]]. The construction was arranged by the Confederate agent [[James Dunwoody Bulloch|Commander James Bulloch]], who led the procurement of sorely needed ships for the fledgling [[Confederate States Navy]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fox|first=Stephen|title=Wolf of the Deep Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama|publisher=Vintage Civil War Library|year=2008|isbn=9781400095421|location=United States|pages=7}}</ref> The contract was arranged through the Fraser Trenholm Company, a cotton broker in Liverpool with ties to the Confederacy. Under prevailing British neutrality law, it was possible to build a ship designed as an armed vessel, provided that it was not actually armed until after it was in international waters. In light of this loophole, ''Alabama'' was built with reinforced decks for cannon emplacements, ammunition magazines below water level, etc., but was not fitted with armaments or any "warlike equipment" originally.

Initially known only by her shipyard number "ship number 0290", she was launched as ''Enrica'' on 15 May 1862 and secretly slipped out of Birkenhead on 29 July 1862.<ref>Wilson, Walter E. and Gary L. McKay (2012). "James D. Bulloch; Secret Agent and Mastermind of the Confederate Navy". Jefferson, NC: McFarland, pp. 76, 80</ref> U.S. Navy Commander [[Tunis A. M. Craven]], commander of {{USS|Tuscarora|1861|6}}, was in [[Southampton]] and was tasked with intercepting the new ship, but was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite book|title=Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year: 1862|year=1863|publisher=D. Appleton & Company|location=New York|page=381|url=https://archive.org/stream/1862appletonsan02newyuoft#page/n388/mode/1up}}</ref> Agent Bulloch arranged for a civilian crew and captain to sail ''Enrica'' to [[Terceira Island]] in the [[Azores]]. With Bulloch accompanying him, the new ship's captain, [[Raphael Semmes]], left Liverpool on 13 August 1862 aboard the steamer ''Bahama'' to take command of the new cruiser. Semmes arrived at Terceira Island on 20 August 1862 and began overseeing the refitting of the new vessel with various provisions, including armaments, and 350 tons of coal, brought there by ''Agrippina'', his new ship's supply vessel. After three days of work by the three ships' crews, ''Enrica'' was equipped as a naval [[cruiser]], designated a [[commerce raider]], for the [[Confederate States of America]]. Following her commissioning as CSS ''Alabama'', Bulloch then returned to Liverpool to continue his secret work for the Confederate Navy.<ref>Wilson, Walter E. and Gary L. McKay (2012). "James D. Bulloch; Secret Agent and Mastermind of the Confederate Navy". Jefferson, NC: McFarland. pp. 90-92</ref>

''Alabama''{{'}}s British-made ordnance consisted of six muzzle-loading, [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]], 32-pounder naval [[smoothbore]]s (three firing to port and three firing to starboard) and two larger and more powerful [[pivot gun|pivot cannon]]s. The pivot cannons were placed fore and aft of the [[main mast]] and positioned roughly amidships along the deck's center line. From those positions, they could be rotated to fire across the port or starboard sides of the cruiser. The fore pivot cannon was a heavy, long-range 100-pounder, 7-inch-bore (178&nbsp;mm) [[Blakely rifle|Blakely]] [[Muzzle-loading rifle|rifled muzzleloader]]; the aft pivot cannon a large, 8-inch (203&nbsp;mm) smoothbore.

The new Confederate cruiser was powered by both sail and by a two-cylinder John Laird Sons and Company {{convert|300|hp}} [[marine steam engine|horizontal]] [[steam engine]],<ref name=nyt_6jul1864>[https://www.nytimes.com/1864/07/06/news/english-accounts-highly-interesting-details-graphic-description-conflict-log.html?pagewanted=10 "English Accounts"], ''The New York Times'', 1864-07-06.</ref><ref>Bowcock, Andrew. CSS Alabama, Anatomy of a Confederate Raider, Chatham Publishing, London, 2002. ISBN 1-86176-189-9. p. 139.</ref> driving a single, Griffiths-type, twin-bladed brass screw. (Note: At the time a cylinder was also called an engine. Therefore, the machinery involved, which had two cylinders, could also be referred to as a pair of engines, which description is often found in sources.)

The telescopic funnel could be raised or lowered by chains to disguise the fact that the vessel was a steamer.<ref>Bowcock, Andrew. CSS Alabama, Anatomy of a Confederate Raider Chatham Publishing, London, 2002. ISBN 1-86176-189-9. p. 179.</ref>

With the screw retracted using the stern's brass lifting gear mechanism, ''Alabama'' could make up to ten knots under sail alone and {{convert|13.25|kn|km/h}} when her sail and steam power were used together.

===Commissioning and voyage===
[[File:Route of the CSS Alabama.png|thumb|The Route of the CSS ''Alabama'', The “+” underneath the date is how many prizes were burned.]]
[[File:The Alabama in a cyclone in the Gulf Stream on the 16th. October 1862 RMG PU6231.jpg|thumb|''Alabama'' in a cyclone in the Gulf Stream on 16 October 1862]]
[[File:Drawing of CSS Alabama.jpg|thumb| CSS Alabama This sketch was made from a photograph (of a drawing) which Captain Semmes gave to a friend, with the remark that it was a correct picture of his ship. (Battles and Leaders of the Civil War Vol 4 p.601)]]
The ship was purposely [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] about a mile off Terceira Island in international waters on 24 August 1862. All the men from ''Agrippina'' and ''Bahama'' had been transferred to the quarterdeck of ''Enrica'', where her 24 officers, some of them Southerners, stood in full dress uniform. Captain Raphael Semmes mounted a gun-carriage and read his commission from President [[Jefferson Davis]], authorizing him to take command of the new cruiser. Upon completion of the reading, musicians assembled from among the three ships' crews began to play the tune "Dixie" as the quartermaster finished hauling down ''Enrica''{{'}}s British colors. A signal cannon was fired and the ship's new battle ensign and commissioning pennant were broken out at the peaks of the [[Mast (sailing)|mizzen]] [[Gaff rig|gaff]] and mainmast. With that the cruiser became the Confederate States Steamer ''Alabama''. The ship's motto: ''Aide-toi et Dieu t'aidera'' (French which approximately translates as "[[God helps those who help themselves]]") was engraved in the bronze of the great double [[ship's wheel]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.hnsa.org/conf2004/papers/watts.htm
 |title       = Archaeological Investigation of the Confederate Commerce Raider CSS Alabama 2002
 |first       = Gordon P.
 |last        = Watts Jr.
 |publisher   = Historic Naval Ships Association
 |access-date  = 2008-08-20
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081120201829/http://hnsa.org/conf2004/papers/watts.htm
 |archive-date = 2008-11-20
}}</ref>

Captain Semmes then made a speech about the Southern cause to the assembled [[Sailor|seamen]] (few of whom were American), asking them to sign on for a voyage of unknown length and destiny. Semmes had only his 24 officers and no crew to man his new command. When this did not succeed, he offered signing money and double wages, paid in gold, and additional prize money to be paid by the Confederate congress for all destroyed Union ships. The men began to shout "Hear! Hear!" in response.  83 seamen, many of them British, signed on for service in the Confederate Navy. Bulloch and the remaining seamen then boarded their respective ships for the return to England. Semmes still needed another 20 or so men for a full complement, but there were enough to at least handle the new commerce raider. The rest would be recruited from the captured crews of raided ships or from friendly ports-of-call. Many of the 83 crewmen who signed on completed the full voyage.
[[File:Captain Raphael Semmes, CSN, onboard CSS Alabama near 110-pounder gun, 1863 (35228105784).jpg|thumb|upright|Deck scene cruiser ''Alabama'' in August 1863 - Lts Armstrong and Sinclair at Sinclair's 32-pounder station<ref>{{cite book |last=Sinclair |first=Arthur, Lt. CSN |title=Two Years on the Alabama |url=https://archive.org/details/twoyearsonalaba01sincgoog |publisher=Lee and Shepard Publishers |location=Boston |year=1896 }}</ref>]]
[[File:1LT John McIntosh Kell onboard CSS Alabama on way to Capetown, South Africa (36068155895).jpg|thumb|upright|Deck scene cruiser ''Alabama'' showing First Lieutenant John M. Kell, by the ships stern during her visit to [[Cape Town]] in August 1863.]]
[[File:Captain Raphael Semmes and First Lieutenant John Kell aboard CSS Alabama 1863.jpg|thumb|Captain Raphael Semmes, ''Alabama''{{'}}s commanding officer, standing aft of the mainsail by his ship's aft 8-inch smoothbore gun during her visit to [[Cape Town]] in August 1863. His executive officer, First Lieutenant John M. Kell, is in the background, standing by the ship's wheel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-ag/alabama.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816034512/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-ag/alabama.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 August 2000 |title=CSS Alabama (1862-1864) - Selected Views  |access-date=8 March 2011  |date=12 July 2000  |publisher= U.S. Naval Historical Center}}</ref>]]

Under Captain Semmes, ''Alabama'' spent her first two months in the [[Atlantic Ocean|Eastern Atlantic]], ranging southwest of the [[Azores]] and then redoubed east, targeting northern merchant ships. After an Atlantic crossing, she continued her cruise in the greater [[New England]] region. She then sailed south, arriving in the [[West Indies]], where she continued disrupting merchant vessels before finally cruising west into the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. There, in January 1863, ''Alabama'' had her first military engagement. She came upon and [[Action off Galveston Light|quickly sank]] the Union [[Paddle steamer|side-wheeler]] {{USS|Hatteras|1861|6}} just off the [[Texas]] coast, near [[Galveston]], capturing that warship's crew.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} She then continued further south, eventually crossing the [[Equator]], where she attained most of the successes of her raiding career while cruising off the coast of [[Brazil]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

After a second, easterly Atlantic crossing, ''Alabama'' sailed down the southwestern African coast where she continued the campaign against northern commerce. After stopping in [[Saldanha Bay]] on 29 July 1863 in order to verify that no enemy ships were in [[Table Bay]],<ref name="green-280">{{cite book|last=Green|first=Lawrence|title=In the Land Of Afternoon|pages=280–281|chapter=20 – Lloyed of the Lagoon|url=https://archive.org/details/InTheLandOfAfternoon|access-date=2009-08-13}}</ref> she made a refitting and reprovisioning visit to [[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]]. ''Alabama'' is the subject of an Afrikaans folk song, "[[Daar kom die Alibama]]" .<ref>{{cite book|title=Civil War Times Illustrated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4PoMAQAAMAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Historical Times, Incorporated}}</ref><ref name="Jr.Akyeampong2012">{{cite book|author1=Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.|author2=Professor Emmanuel Akyeampong|author3=Mr. Steven J. Niven|title=Dictionary of African Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39JMAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA4-PA310|date=2 February 2012|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-538207-5|pages=4–}}</ref><ref name="Gary1994">{{cite book|author=Walker, Gary|title=Civil War Tales|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bss-6kZBbNAC&pg=PA63|year=1994|publisher=Pelican Publishing|isbn=978-1-4556-0231-5|pages=63–}}</ref> She then sailed for the [[East Indies]] where she spent six months, destroying seven more ships before finally returning via the [[Cape of Good Hope]] en route to France. ''Alabama'' was often hunted for by Union warships; however, she was able to successfully evade engagement.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

All together, she burned 65 Union vessels of various types, most of them [[merchant ships]].

===Expeditionary raids===
[[File:CSS Alabama sinks whaler Virginia.jpg|thumb|''Alabama'' sinks the whaler ''Virginia'']]
''Alabama'' conducted a total of seven [[Expeditionary warfare|expeditionary]] raids, spanning the globe, before heading to France for refit and repairs:

* [[CSS Alabama's Eastern Atlantic Expeditionary Raid|CSS ''Alabama''{{'}}s Eastern Atlantic Expeditionary Raid]] (August–September 1862) commenced immediately after commissioning. She set sail for the shipping lanes southwest and then east of the Azores, where she captured and burned ten ships, mostly whalers.
* [[CSS Alabama's New England Expeditionary Raid|CSS ''Alabama''{{'}}s New England Expeditionary Raid]] (October–November 1862) began after Captain Semmes and his crew departed for the northeastern seaboard of North America, along Newfoundland and New England, where she ranged as far south as [[Bermuda]] and the coast of [[Virginia]], burning ten vessels while capturing and releasing three others.
* [[CSS Alabama's Gulf of Mexico Expeditionary Raid|CSS ''Alabama''{{'}}s Gulf of Mexico Expeditionary Raid]] (December 1862 – January 1863) began as ''Alabama'' effected a needed rendezvous with her supply vessel, CSS ''Agrippina''. Afterward, she provided support to Confederate land forces during the [[Battle of Galveston]] in coastal Texas, by sinking the Union side-wheeler {{USS|Hatteras|1861|6}}.
* [[CSS Alabama's South Atlantic Expeditionary Raid|CSS ''Alabama''{{'}}s South Atlantic Expeditionary Raid]] (February–July 1863) was her most successful raiding venture, taking 29 ships while raiding off the coast of Brazil. Here she recommissioned the [[Barque|bark]] ''Conrad'' as {{ship|CSS|Tuscaloosa}}.
* [[CSS Alabama's South African Expeditionary Raid|CSS ''Alabama''{{'}}s South African Expeditionary Raid]] (August–September 1863) occurred primarily while ranging off the coast of South Africa, as she worked together with CSS ''Tuscaloosa''.
* [[CSS Alabama's Indian Ocean Expeditionary Raid|CSS ''Alabama''{{'}}s Indian Ocean Expeditionary Raid]] (September–November 1863) involved a journey of nearly 4,500 miles  (7,250&nbsp;km) across the Indian Ocean.<ref>Fox, p. 179</ref> Successfully evading the Union [[gunboat]] ''Wyoming'', she took three ships near the [[Sunda Strait]] and the [[Java Sea]].<ref>Fox, pp. 180, 182, 183</ref>
* [[CSS Alabama's South Pacific Expeditionary Raid|CSS ''Alabama''{{'}}s South Pacific Expeditionary Raid]] (December 1863) was her final raiding venture. She took a few prizes in the [[Strait of Malacca]] before finally turning back toward France for refit and repair.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Upon the completion of her seven expeditionary raids, ''Alabama'' had been at sea for 534 days out of 657, never visiting a Confederate port. She boarded nearly 450 vessels, captured or burned 65 [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] merchant ships, and took more than 2,000 prisoners without any loss of life among either prisoners or her own crew.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

===Final cruise===
{{Main|Battle of Cherbourg (1864)}}
[[File:Chart of Battle Between the CSS Alabama and the USS Kearsarge 1864.jpg|thumb|Chart of battle Between the CSS ''Alabama'' and the USS ''Kearsarge'' 1864]]
[[File:Kearsarge and Alabama.jpg|250px|right|thumb|''Battle of the USS Kearsarge and the CSS Alabama'' (1887 lithograph)]]
[[File:KEARSARGsternpostBW.png|thumb|The sternpost of USS ''Kearsarge'', with a 100-pound round embedded within it.]]

[[File:Édouard Manet-Kearsarge-Alabama2.jpg|thumb|right|''[[The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama]]'' by [[Édouard Manet]], 1864]]
[[File:Sinking of the CSS Alabama 1864.jpg|thumb|Sinking of the CSS ''Alabama'' off Cherbourg France 1864]]

On 11 June 1864, ''Alabama'' arrived in port at [[Cherbourg]], France. Captain Semmes soon requested permission to [[dry dock]] and overhaul his ship, necessary after naval action and so long at sea. Pursuing the raider, the American [[sloop-of-war]], {{USS|Kearsarge|1861|6}}, under the command of Captain [[John Ancrum Winslow]], arrived three days later and took up station just outside the harbor. While at his previous [[wikt:port of call|port-of-call]], Winslow had telegraphed Gibraltar to send the old [[sloop-of-war]] {{USS|St. Louis|1828|6}} with provisions and to provide blockading assistance. ''Kearsarge'' had now boxed in ''Alabama.''

Up to this point, Semmes had faced another warship only once—the much less well armed blockade ship ''Hatteras''. He believed that the ''Kearsarge'' was not superior to ''Alabama'', and did not wish for his ship to be interned by the French.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/kearsarge-and-alabama|title=
Kearsarge and Alabama|website=American Battlefield Trust|date=
August 2017}}</ref> Therefore, after preparing his ship and drilling the crew for the coming battle during the next several days, Semmes issued, through diplomatic channels, a challenge to the ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s commander,<ref>{{cite book
 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yc6tCGTADe8C&q=Aide+Toi+Dieu+T'Aidera+Alabama+ships+wheel&pg=PA9
 |title=The Magazine of History with Notes ... – Google Book Search
 |access-date=2008-08-25
 |year=1907}}</ref> "my intention is to fight the ''Kearsarge'' as soon as I can make the necessary arrangements. I hope these will not detain me more than until to-morrow or the morrow morning at farthest. I beg she will not depart until I am ready to go out. I have the honor to be Your obedient servant, R. Semmes, Captain."

On 19 June, ''Alabama'' sailed out to meet the Union cruiser. Jurist [[Thomas Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill|Tom Bingham]] later wrote, "The ensuing battle was witnessed by [[Édouard Manet]], who went out to paint it, and the owner of an English yacht who had offered his children a choice between watching the battle and going to church."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bingham|first=Tom|title=The Alabama Claims Arbitration|journal=The International and Comparative Law Quarterly|year=2005|volume=54|issue=1|page=7|publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1093/iclq/54.1.1|jstor=3663355}}</ref>

As ''Kearsarge'' turned to meet her opponent, ''Alabama'' opened fire. ''Kearsarge'' waited until the range had closed to less than 1,000 yards (900 m). According to combatants, the two ships steamed on opposite courses in seven spiraling circles, moving southwesterly with the 3-knot current, each commander trying to cross the bow of his opponent to deliver a heavy raking fire (to "[[Crossing the T|cross the T]]"). The battle quickly turned against ''Alabama'' due to the superior gunnery displayed by ''Kearsarge'' and the deteriorated state of ''Alabama''{{'}}s contaminated powder and fuses. Her most telling shot, fired from the forward 7-inch (178&nbsp;mm) Blakely pivot rifle, hit very near ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s vulnerable [[Sternpost|stern post]], the impact binding the ship's [[rudder]] badly. That rifled [[Shell (projectile)|shell]], however, failed to explode. If it had done so, it would have seriously disabled ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s steering, possibly sinking the warship, and ending the contest. In addition, ''Alabama''{{'}}s too rapid rate-of-fire resulted in poor gunnery, with many of her shots going too high, and as a result ''Kearsarge''<nowiki/>'s outboard chain armor received little damage. Semmes later said that he did not know about ''Kearsarge''<nowiki/>'s armor at the time of his decision to issue the challenge to fight, and in the following years firmly maintained he would have never fought ''Kearsarge'' if he had known.

''Kearsarge's'' hull armor had been installed in just three days, more than a year before, while she was in port at the Azores. It was made using {{convert|120|fathom}} of {{convert|1.7|in|mm|adj=on}} single link iron chain and covered hull spaces {{convert|49|ft|6|in|m}} long by {{convert|6|ft|2|in|m}} deep. It was stopped up and down to eye-bolts with marlines and secured by iron dogs. Her chain armor was concealed behind 1-inch deal-boards painted black to match the upper hull's color. This "chaincladding" was placed along ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s port and starboard midsection down to the waterline, for additional protection of her engine and boilers when the upper portion of her coal bunkers were empty (coal bunkers played an important part in the protection of early steam vessels, such as [[protected cruiser]]s).

A hit to her engine or boilers could easily have left ''Kearsarge'' dead in the water, or even caused a boiler explosion or fire that could destroy the cruiser. Her armor belt was struck twice during the fight. The first hit, by one of ''Alabama''{{'}}s 32-pounder shells, was in the starboard gangway, cutting the chain armor and damaging the hull planking underneath. A second 32-pounder shell exploded and broke a link of the chain armor, tearing away a portion of the deal-board covering. Had those rounds come from ''Alabama''{{'}}s more powerful 100-pounder Blakely pivot rifle, they would have easily penetrated, but the likely result would not have been very serious, as both shots struck the hull a little more than five feet above the waterline. Even if both shots had penetrated ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s side, they would have missed her vital machinery. However, a 100-pound shell could have done a great deal of damage to her interior; hot fragments could have easily set fire to the cruiser, one of the greatest risks aboard a wooden vessel.
 
A little more than an hour after the first shot was fired, ''Alabama'' was reduced to a sinking wreck by ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s powerful {{convert|11|in|mm|adj=on}} Dahlgrens, forcing Captain Semmes to [[striking the colors|strike his colors]] and to send one of his two surviving boats to ''Kearsarge'' to ask for assistance.

[[File:La Gloire.jpg|thumb|left| The ironclad frigate [[French battleship La Gloire|French battleship ''La Gloire'']] was in the [[English Channel]], near [[Cherbourg]], during the battle between ''Alabama'' and ''Kearsarge'']]

According to witnesses, ''Alabama'' fired about 370 rounds at her adversary, averaging one round per minute per gun, a fast rate of fire compared to ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s gun crews, who fired less than half that number, taking more careful aim. In the confusion of battle, five more rounds were fired at ''Alabama'' after her colors were struck. (Her gun ports had been left open and the broadside cannon were still run out, appearing to threaten ''Kearsarge''.) A hand-held white flag at ''Alabama''{{'}}s stern spanker boom finally halted the engagement.

Prior to this, she had her steering gear damaged by shell hits, but the fatal shot came later when one of ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s {{convert|11|in|mm|adj=on}} shells tore open a mid-section of ''Alabama''{{'}}s starboard waterline. Water quickly rushed through the hull, eventually flooding the boilers and taking her down by the stern to the bottom. As ''Alabama'' sank, the injured Semmes threw his sword into the sea, depriving ''Kearsarge''{{'}}s commander, Winslow, of the traditional surrender of the sword (an act which was seen as dishonorable by many at the time).

Of her 170 crew, the ''Alabama'' had 19 fatalities (9 killed and 10 drowned) and 21 wounded<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/battlesleadersof04john/page/614 |title=Cruise and Combats of the "Alabama" |last=Kell |first=John McIntosh |work=Battles and leaders of the Civil War |publisher=Century Co. |year=1887 |editor-last=Johnson |editor-first=Robert Underwood |volume=Four |location=New York |pages=614 |access-date=April 3, 2019 |editor-last2=Buel |editor-first2=Clarence Clough}}</ref> ''Kearsarge'' rescued most of the survivors, but 41 of ''Alabama''{{'}}s officers and crew, including Semmes, were rescued by [[John Lancaster (MP)|John Lancaster's]] private British steam yacht ''Deerhound'', while ''Kearsarge'' stood off to recover her rescue boats as ''Alabama'' sank.<ref name="Tread">{{cite book|last=Crocker III|first=H. W.|title=Don't Tread on Me|publisher=Crown Forum|year=2006|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/donttreadonme40000croc/page/216 216]|isbn=978-1-4000-5363-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/donttreadonme40000croc/page/216}}</ref> Captain Winslow had to stand by and watch ''Deerhound'' spirit his adversary away to England. Semmes and the 41 crew members successfully reached England. Semmes eventually returned to the Confederacy and became a Confederate admiral in the last weeks of the war.<ref>Barnett, "Alabama," 105.</ref>

The sinking of ''Alabama'' by ''Kearsarge'' is honored by the [[United States Navy]] with a [[battle star]] on the Civil War [[campaign streamer]].

==Officers==
[[File:The Photographic History of The Civil War Volume 06 Page 307.jpg|thumb|upright 1.2|A montage of the officers of the CSS ''Alabama'': top row left to right:Kell; Dr. Llewellyn [drowned]; Semmes; Wilson; Schroeder; Bullock; Sinclair; Freeman; Armstrong; Smith; Dr Galt; Brooke; Maffitt; Anderson; Fullman; Lt. Howell; Robinson [Ships Carpenter-killed]; Yonge; Lowe; Cummings]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Colspan = "2"|Officers
|-
! Officer
! Post
|-
|Colspan="2"|List of Officers Of The Confederate States Steamer ''Alabama''
As They Signed Themselves.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sinclair |first=Arthur, Lt. CSN |title=Two Years on the Alabama |url=https://archive.org/details/twoyearsonalaba01sincgoog |publisher=Lee and Shepard Publishers |location=Boston |year=1896 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/twoyearsonalaba01sincgoog/page/n423 343] }}</ref>
|-
|[[Raphael Semmes]]
|Commander
|-
|[[John McIntosh Kell]]
|First Lieutenant And Executive Officer
|-
|Richard F. Armstrong
|Second Lieutenant
|-
|Joseph D. Wilson
|Third Lieutenant
|-
|John Low
|Fourth Lieutenant
|-
|Arthur Sinclair
|Fifth Lieutenant
|-
|Francis L. Galt
|Surgeon And Acting Paymaster
|-
|Miles J. Freeman
|Chief-Engineer
|-
|Wm. P. Brooks
|Assistant- Engineer
|-
|Mathew O Brien
|Assistant-Engineer
|-
|Simeon W. Cummings{{ref label|cummings|A|A}}
|Assistant-Engineer
|-
|John M. Pundt
|Assistant-Engineer
|-
|Wm. Robertson{{ref label|Robertson|B|B}}
|Assistant-Engineer
|-
|Becket K. Howell{{ref label|Howell|C|C}}
|Lieutenant Marines
|-
|[[Irvine Bulloch|Irvine S. Bulloch]]
|Sailing-Master
|-
|D. Herbert Llewellyn{{ref label|Llewellyn|D|D}}
|Assistant-Surgeon
|-
|Wm. H. Sinclair
|Midshipman
|-
|E. Anderson Maffitt
|Midshipman
|-
|E. Maffitt Anderson
|Midshipman
|-
|Benjamin P. Mecaskey
|Boatswain
|-
|Henry Alcott
|Sailmaker
|-
|Thomas C. Cuddy
|Gunner
|-
|Wm. Robinson{{ref label|Robinson|E|E}}
|Carpenter
|-
|Jas. Evans
|Master's Mate
|-
|Geo. T. Fullam
|Master's Mate
|-
|Julius Schroeder
|Master's Mate
|-
|Baron Max. Von Meulnier
|Master's Mate
|-
|W. Breedlove Smith
|Captain S Secretary
|-
|}

: {{note label|cummings|A|A}} Died in [[Saldanha Bay]] from accidental gunshot on 3 August 1863.<ref name="green-280"/>
: {{note label|Robertson|B|B}} Drowned in the sinking of the ''Alabama'' 19 June 1864.<ref name="css-alabama.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com">{{Cite web|url=http://css-alabama.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/crew.html|title=CSS Alabama Association (USA) - The Crew|website=css-alabama.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com}}</ref>
: {{note label|Howell|C|C}} Lt of CS Marines. Brother-in-law of CS President [[Jefferson Davis]]
: {{note label|Llewellyn|D|D}} Drowned in the sinking of the ''Alabama'' 19 June 1864.<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/battlesleadersof04john/page/611 |title=Cruise and Combats of the "Alabama" |last=Kell |first=John McIntosh |work=Battles and leaders of the Civil War |publisher=Century Co. |year=1887 |editor-last=Johnson |editor-first=Robert Underwood |volume=Four |location=New York |pages=611 |access-date=April 3, 2019 |editor-last2=Buel |editor-first2=Clarence Clough}}</ref>
: {{note label|Robinson|E|E}} Killed in action in the sinking of the ''Alabama'' 19 June 1864<ref name="css-alabama.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com"/>

Dr. David Herbert Llewellyn, a Briton and the ship's assistant surgeon, tended the wounded during the battle. At one point the operating table was shot away.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Baker |first=Mark |date=1973 |title=David Herbert Llewellyn 1837-1864 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/136357#page/81 |journal=Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine |volume=68 |issue=B |page=110}}</ref> He worked in the wardroom until the order to abandon ship was finally given. As he helped wounded men into ''Alabama''{{'}}s only two functional lifeboats, an able-bodied sailor attempted to enter one, which was already full. Llewellyn, understanding that the man risked capsizing the craft, grabbed and pulled him back, saying "See, I want to save my life as much as you do; but let the wounded men be saved first."

An officer in the boat, seeing that Llewellyn was about to be left aboard the stricken ''Alabama'', shouted "Doctor, we can make room for you." Llewellyn shook his head and replied, "I will not peril the wounded." Unknown to the crew, Llewellyn had never learned to swim, and he drowned when the ship went down.

His sacrifice did not go unrecognized in England. In his native village, a memorial window and tablet were placed at [[Easton Royal]] Church.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1364554|desc=Church of the Holy Trinity, Easton Royal|access-date=12 August 2016}}</ref> Another tablet was placed in [[Charing Cross Hospital]], London, where he attended medical school.

==Repercussions==
{{Main|Alabama Claims}}
[[File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14576197040).jpg|thumb|"The gun that sunk the Alabama" (from ''The Photographic History of The Civil War'')]]
During her two-year career as a [[commerce raiding|commerce raider]], ''Alabama'' damaged Union merchant shipping around the world. The Confederate cruiser claimed 65 prizes valued at nearly $6,000,000 (about ${{Inflation|US|6000000|1864|fmt=c|r=-6}} in today's dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}); in 1862 alone 28 were claimed.<ref>{{cite book|title=Appleton's Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year: 1862|year=1863|publisher=D. Appleton & Company|location=New York|page=600|url=https://archive.org/stream/1862appletonsan02newyuoft#page/n607/mode/1up}}</ref> In an important development in international law, the U.S. government pursued the "[[Alabama Claims|''Alabama'' Claims]]" against the United Kingdom for the losses caused by ''Alabama'' and other raiders fitted out there. A joint arbitration commission awarded the U.S. $15.5 million in damages.

Ironically, in 1851, a decade before the Civil War, Captain Semmes had observed:

{{Blockquote|(Commerce raiders) are little better than licensed pirates; and it behooves all civilized nations [...] to suppress the practice altogether.<ref>Semmes, Raphael. ''Service Afloat and Ashore During the Mexican War''. Cincinnati, OH: Wm. H. Moore & Co., 1851, pp. 80-82</ref>}}

However, she and other raiders failed in their primary purpose, which was to draw Union vessels away from the blockade of the southern coastline that was slowly strangling the Confederacy. The Confederate government had hoped that panicking shipping companies would force the Union to dispatch ships to protect merchant shipping and hunt down the raiders, a task which always requires a proportionately greater force when compared with the numbers of ships attacking (see [[Battle of the Atlantic]]). Union officials proved immovable on the blockade, however, and although insurance prices soared, shipping costs went up, and many vessels transferred to a neutral flag, very few naval vessels were taken off the southern blockade. In fact, with clever use of resources and a mammoth shipbuilding program, the Union managed to steadily increase the blockade throughout the war. It also sent vessels to protect merchant shipping and to hunt and destroy the few Confederate raiders and privateers still operating.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

===The wreck===
In November 1984 the [[French Navy]] mine hunter ''Circé'' discovered a wreck under nearly 200&nbsp;ft (60&nbsp;m) of water off [[Cherbourg]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cap.info/alabama.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000919233615/http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cap.info/alabama.htm |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2000-09-19 |title=épave de l'Alabama / wreck of the Alabama/ Cherbourg 1864 |first=Bertrand |last=Sciboz }}</ref> at {{coord|49|45|9|N|1|41|42|W}}.<ref>More accurate location shown at: [http://www.hnsa.org/conf2004/papers/watts_files/image012.jpg nautical chart] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609124419/http://www.hnsa.org/conf2004/papers/watts_files/image012.jpg |date=2011-06-09 }}</ref> Captain Max Guerout later confirmed the wreck to be ''Alabama''{{'}}s remains.

In 1988 a non-profit organization, the CSS ''Alabama'' Association, was founded to conduct scientific exploration of the shipwreck. Although the wreck is in French [[territorial waters]], the United States Government, as the successor to the former [[Confederate States of America]], is the owner. On 3 October 1989 the US and France signed an agreement recognizing this wreck as an important heritage resource of both nations and establishing a Joint French-American Scientific Committee for archaeological exploration. This agreement established a precedent for international cooperation in archaeological research and in the protection of a unique historic shipwreck.

The Association CSS ''Alabama'' and the [[Naval History and Heritage Command]] signed on 23 March 1995 an official agreement accrediting Association CSS ''Alabama'' as operator of the archaeological investigation of the remains of the ship. The association, which is funded solely from private donations, is continuing to make this an international project through its fundraising in France and in the US, thanks to its sister organization, the CSS ''Alabama'' Association, incorporated in the State of [[Delaware]].

''Alabama'' was fitted with eight pieces of [[cannon|ordnance]] after she arrived at the Azores; six of those were 32-pounder smooth bores. Seven cannon were identified at the wreck site: Two were cast from a [[Royal Navy]] pattern and three were of a later pattern produced by Fawcett, Preston, and Company in [[Liverpool]].

One of the Blakely pattern 32-pounders was found lying across the starboard side of the hull, forward of the boilers. A second Blakely 32-pounder was identified outside the hull structure, immediately forward of the propeller and its lifting frame; the forward 32-pounder was recovered in 2000. Both of the Royal Navy pattern 32-pounders were identified: One lies inside the starboard hull, forward of the boilers, adjacent to the forward [[Downton pump]]. The second was identified as lying on the iron deck structure, immediately aft of the smoke pipe; it was recovered in 2001. The sole remaining 32-pounder has not been positively identified, but it could be underneath hull debris forward of the starboard Trotman anchor.

''Alabama''{{'}}s heavy ordnance were one Blakely Patent 7-inch 100-pounder shell rifle mounted on a pivot carriage forward and one 68-pounder smoothbore similarly mounted aft. The Blakely 7-inch 100-pounder was found beside its pivot carriage, atop the forward starboard boiler; this was the first cannon recovered from ''Alabama''. The 68-pounder smoothbore was located aft, at the stern, immediately outside the starboard hull structure; it is possible that the remains of its truck and pivot carriage lie underneath the gun barrel. Both heavy cannon were recovered in 1994.

In addition to the seven cannon, the wreck site contained shot, gun truck wheels, and brass tracks for the gun carriages; many of the brass tracks were recovered. Two shot were recovered, and one conical projectile was inside the barrel of the 7-inch Blakely rifle. A shell for a 32-pounder was recovered from the stern, forward of the propeller; that shot was attached to a wood [[Sabot (firearms)|sabot]] having been packed in a wood box for storage. Additional round shot were observed scattered forward of the boilers and in the vicinity of the aft pivot gun, one possibly having been fired from ''Kearsarge''.

In 2002, a diving expedition raised the ship's bell along with more than 300 other artifacts, including more cannons, structural samples, tableware, ornate commodes, and numerous other items that reveal much about life aboard the Confederate warship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The CSS Alabama Dishes |first=Caitlin |last=Shaffer |url=http://www.jefpat.org/CuratorsChoiceArchive/2008CuratorsChoice/JUL2008-TheCSSAlabamaDishes.html |publisher=Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum - State Museum of Archaeology |date=July 2008 |access-date=2016-08-22 |archive-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629192946/http://www.jefpat.org/CuratorsChoiceArchive/2008CuratorsChoice/JUL2008-TheCSSAlabamaDishes.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Many of the artifacts are now housed in the [[Underwater Archaeology Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command]] conservation lab.

==Folklore and heritage==
[[File:CSS Alabama plaque Simonstown.jpg|thumb|right|CSS ''Alabama'' plaque in [[Simon's Town]] ]]
''Alabama'' is the subject of a [[sea shanty]], "[[Roll, Alabama, Roll]]"<ref>{{cite web |url= https://civilwarfolkmusic.com/2016/06/01/1864-roll-alabama-roll/ |title=Roll, Alabama, Roll |publisher=The Hardtacks |year=2016 |first1=Marek |last1=Bennett}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81820#1496516 |title=Origins: Roll, Alabama Roll |work=The Mudcat Café |access-date=17 September 2008 |archive-date=26 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726135731/http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81820#1496516 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which was also the basis of a 2014 record of the same name by British contemporary folk band [[Bellowhead]].

''Alabama''{{'}}s visit to [[Cape Town]] in 1863 has passed (with a slight spelling change) into South African folklore in the [[Afrikaans]] song, ''[[Daar Kom die Alibama]]''.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.scouting.org.za/songs/southafrican.html
 |title=South African Scout Campfire songbook: South African songs
 |publisher=South African Scout Association
 |year=2008
 |access-date=2008-07-31
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080725035330/http://www.scouting.org.za/songs/southafrican.html
 |archive-date=2008-07-25
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=van Niekerk JJ |date=2007-01-01 |title=The story of the CSS ("Daar kom die...") Alabama: some legal aspects of her visit to the Cape of Good Hope, and her influence on the historical development of the law of war and neutrality, international arbitration, salvage and maritime prize |url=https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC-72bece40b |journal=Fundamina: A Journal of Legal History |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=175–250 |hdl=10.10520/EJC-72bece40b}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Duby |first=Marc |date=2014-01-02 |title=Alweer "die Alibama"? Reclaiming indigenous knowledge through a Cape Jazz lens |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18125980.2014.893101 |journal=Muziki |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=99–117 |doi=10.1080/18125980.2014.893101 |s2cid=153555180 |issn=1812-5980|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The [[Alabama Hills]] in Inyo County, California, are named after the vessel.<ref name=kyle>Kyle, Douglas E. and Hoover, Mildred Brooke (1990). ''Historic Spots in California'', p. 122. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. {{ISBN|0-8047-4483-1}}.</ref>

==Claimed links between the CSS ''Alabama'' and Captain Nemo’s fictional submarine the ''Nautilus''==

In 1998, the [[Jules Verne]] scholar William Butcher was the first to identify a possible link between the Birkenhead-built ''Alabama'' and [[Captain Nemo]]’s ''[[Nautilus (fictional submarine)|Nautilus]]'' from the Jules Verne 1869 novel ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas]].'' Butcher stated ''The Alabama, which claimed to have sunk 75 merchantmen, was destroyed by the Unionist Kearsarge off Cherbourg on 11th June 1864…. This battle has clear connections with Nemo’s final attack, also in the English Channel.''<ref>William Butcher Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas - Jules Verne - Google Books Explanatory Notes Page 422 ISBN 0-19-282839-8</ref>

Verne had himself made a previous comparison between the Birkenhead-built CSS ''Alabama'' and the ''Nautilus'' in a letter to his publisher Jules Hetzel in March 1869.<ref>Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas - Jules Verne - Google Books Explanatory Notes Page 422 ISBN 0-19-282839-8</ref> Other arguments in favor of a connection were made by Birkenhead born geography teacher John Lamb.<ref name="julesverneandtheheroesofbirkenhead.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://julesverneandtheheroesofbirkenhead.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/31.-Jules-Vernes-Twenty-Thousand-Leagues-Under-the-Sea.-compressed.pdf|title=Jules Verne and the Heroes of Birkenhead. Part 31|website=julesverneandtheheroesofbirkenhead.co.uk|access-date=21 April 2024|archive-date=10 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810163051/https://julesverneandtheheroesofbirkenhead.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/31.-Jules-Vernes-Twenty-Thousand-Leagues-Under-the-Sea.-compressed.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Writing in the April 2025 edition of Foundation – The International Review of Science Fiction, John Lamb stated there were many links between the fictional Captain Nemo, the Nautilus and Raphael Semmes the Confederate Captain of the commerce raider CSS Alabama in the American Civil War. Lamb wrote

Both the ''Alabama'' and the ''Nautilus'' were mainly built in Birkenhead. Both Semmes and Nemo were gifted natural historians. Nemo’s motto was ‘Mobilis in Mobile’ while Semmes was from Mobile Alabama. Semmes was branded a pirate by Abraham Lincoln, who put a bounty on Semmes’s head, and Semmes was chased around the seas by Admiral Farragut of the US Navy. Nemo, conversely, was branded a pirate by Captain Farragut of the US Navy, who put a bounty on Nemo’s head, and Nemo was chased around the seas by the ship ''Abraham Lincoln''. Both Semmes and Nemo encounter an imaginary island, sail through a patch of white water, encounter fake Havana cigars, mention coral mausoleums, shelter in an extinct volcanic island, and have their final battle off Cherbourg. Semmes had a portrait of the Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, in his cabin while Nemo had a portrait of the Union President, Abraham Lincoln, in his. The ''Alabama'' was bankrolled from the Confederate headquarters at Nautilus House Liverpool. <ref>Foundation. The International Review of Science Fiction (April 2025). P116-127.  </ref>

==Battle ensigns and other naval flags==
{{See also|Flags of the Confederate States of America}}
Both the [[United States Navy]] and the [[Confederate States Navy]] flew an [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] and a [[Jack (flag)|jack]] (primary and secondary naval flags) following British naval tradition that originated in the 17th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Navy Ensigns, Pennants, and Jacks, 1861-1863 |url=http://confederateflags.org/navy/fotcnavy61/ |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Confederate Flags |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=History of British Naval Ensigns Part 1 (Great Britain) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-enshs.html#:~:text=British%20Union%20Flag%20of%201606&text=Although%20the%20traditional%20St.,Union%20flag%20(Union%20Jack) |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref> The fledgling Confederate Navy therefore adopted and used jacks, commissioning pennants, battle ensigns, small boat ensigns, designating flags, and signal flags aboard its warships during the Civil War.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flags of the Confederate States Navy |url=http://confederateflags.org/navy/ |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Confederate Flags |language=en-CA}}</ref>

===Surviving flags===
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2018}}
[[File:CSA FLAG 4.3.1861-21.5.1861.svg|thumb|left|First National Flag "Stars and Bars" 7-star battle ensign, 4 May 1861 – 21 May 1861, 1:2 aspect ratio]]

At the beginning of ''Alabama''{{'}}s raiding ventures, the newly commissioned cruiser may have been forced, out of necessity, to fly the only battle ensign available to Captain Semmes: an early 1861, 7-star First National Flag, possibly the same battle ensign flown aboard his previous command, the smaller commerce raider CSS ''[[CSS Sumter|Sumter]]''. Between 21 May and 28 November 1861, six more Southern states seceded and joined the Confederacy. Well before ''Alabama'' was launched as ''Enrica'' at Birkenhead, Merseyside in North West England, six more white, 5-pointed stars had been added to the "Stars and Bars" far away across the Atlantic on the Confederate mainland.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

One such early "Stars and Bars" battle ensign was salvaged from ''Alabama''{{'}}s floating debris, following her sinking by ''Kearsarge''. It still survives and is held by the [[Alabama Department of Archives and History]]. It is listed there as "Auxiliary Flag of the C.S.S. Alabama, Catalogue No. 86.3766.1." According to their provenance reconstruction, [[DeCost Smith]], an American from New England, discovered this "Stars and Bars" ensign in a Paris upholstery shop in 1884, where he purchased it for 15 francs. Smith's nephew, Clement Sawtell of Lincoln Square, Massachusetts, later inherited the ensign from his uncle. At the suggestion of retired Rear Admiral Beverly M. Coleman, Sawtell donated it to the State of Alabama on 3 June 1975.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

This battle ensign's overall dimensions are different from the Confederate flag regulations' required 2:3 ratio. It is 64-inches high (hoist) by 112-inches long (fly), a proportion of 5:9, and its dark blue canton contains ''eight'' white stars, 8-inches (203&nbsp;mm) high, in an unusual arrangement: The stars are not organized in a circle but configured in three, centered, horizontal rows of two, then three, and finally two. The additional 8th star is tucked into the lower left corner (and in the lower right corner on the opposite side), giving the canton's layout a unique, asymmetrical appearance. It seems plausible this was ''Alabama''{{'}}s original 7-star battle ensign, possibly flown aboard CSS ''Sumter'' as noted earlier, and later altered at some point when the long-delayed news of an 8th state joining the Confederacy finally reached the far distant cruiser.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Two "Star and Bars" battle ensigns, labeled as having belonged to ''Alabama'', also still exist. The first is a mounted and framed, ''14-star'' ensign located at the Mariner's Museum in Virginia. (A small number of these unusual 14-star national flags have survived to the modern era and are held in several Civil War archives.) From the several color photo available on the Internet, this ensign appears to have an approximate hoist-to-fly aspect ratio of 1:2.5 (i.e., very rectangular). A second "Stars and Bars" battle ensign is on display at the [[Pensacola]] Historical Museum. Its canton contains a circle of 12 stars surrounding a centered, larger 13th star.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

===Surviving stainless banners===
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2023}}
Four of ''Alabama''{{'}}s later-style ensigns have survived to the modern era. The first measures {{convert|67|x|114|in|cm|abbr=on}} and is located in South Africa at Cape Town's Bo-Kaap Museum. Its ''[[Southern Cross]]'' canton is oversize and made after the British navy fashion: Instead of being square, it has a very rectangular 1:2 aspect ratio. It was also made without any white stripes outlining its diagonal blue bars. A central 5-pointed white star, located where the two blue saltires' cross, is larger than the other twelve. This ensign appears to have been made by her British crew sometime between ''Alabama''{{'}}s two visits to Cape Town. This flown ensign was finally given in thanks to William Anderson, whose [[ship chandler|ship's chandler]] company helped make repairs and provide supplies to ''Alabama'' in Cape Town, shortly before the raider returned to Cherbourg, France (and her fateful battle with the sloop-of-war, USS ''Kearsarge'').[[File:Confederate States Naval Ensign after May 26 1863.svg|thumb|Second National Flag ("Stainless Banner") 13-star naval battle ensign after 26 May 1863, 1.5:1 aspect ratio]]

A second [[Stainless Banner]] ensign of South African origin was made and then presented to ''Alabama'' on one of her two port visits to Cape Town; it resides in the Tennessee State Museum, according to their website.

The third surviving Stainless Banner is one of ''Alabama''{{'}}s original small boat ensigns. This official-looking {{convert|25.5|x|41|in|cm|abbr=on|adj=on}} ensign is marked in brown pigment on its hoist: "Alabama. 290. C.S.N. 1st Cutter." In 2007 it was offered and sold through Philip Weiss Auctions. It was being sold by the grandson of its second owner, who had originally purchased it from the granddaughter of a USS ''Kearsarge'' sailor. Its buyer has since resold this small boat ensign through a later auction.

A fourth surviving ensign appears, from various clues observed in on-line photos, to be roughly {{convert|36|x|54|in|cm|abbr=on}}. Because ''Alabama'' was forced to replace several of her original small boats lost at different times during her lengthy cruise, this is likely a larger replacement boat ensign. While it could have been made aboard, its somewhat more accurate details suggest it might have been commissioned ashore during a port-of-call visit. This ensign was rescued from the sinking ''Alabama'' by W. P. Brooks, the cruiser's assistant-engineer. It was last flown, along with other historic flags, during a ceremony held on the parade ground at Fort Pulaski, GA, sometime during 1937. This ensign has since been mounted and framed and continues to reside with the Brooks family; four modern photos of it can be found at the website for the "Alabama Crew," a British-based naval reenactor group.

The Alabama Department of Archives and History has in its collection one more important Stainless Banner ensign listed as "Admiral Semmes' Flag, Catalogue No. 86.1893.1 (PN10149-10150)". Their provenance reconstruction shows that it was presented to Semmes after the sinking of ''Alabama'' by "Lady Dehogton and other English ladies". Such presentations of ceremonial colors were uncommon to ships' captains of the Confederate Navy, but a few were known to have received such honors. This Second National Flag is huge and made of pure silk, giving it an elegant appearance. While this ensign is in a remarkable state of preservation, its large size and delicate condition have made its up-close details and measurements unavailable. When Semmes returned to the Confederacy from England, he brought this ceremonial Stainless Banner with him. It was inherited by his grandchildren, Raphael Semmes III and Mrs. Eunice Semmes Thorington. Following his sister's death, Raphael Semmes III donated the ensign to the state of Alabama on 19 September 1929.

==See also==
{{Portal|American Civil War}}
*[[Irvine Bulloch]] – James's half-brother who was the youngest midshipman and officer on the ship
*[[James Dunwoody Bulloch]] – Confederate agent and uncle of [[Theodore Roosevelt]] who covertly bought the ''Alabama''
*[[Blockade runners of the American Civil War]]
*[[Bibliography of early American naval history#American Civil War|Bibliography of American Civil War naval history]]
*[[List of ships captured in the 19th century]]
*[[List of ships of the Confederate States Navy]]
*[[Trent Affair]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*''This article contains [[public domain]] material from the [[Naval History and Heritage Command]], entry [https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/alabama.html here].''
* Barnett, Gene. "Alabama," Dictionary of American History, Volume 1, Third Edition.
*Bowcock, Andrew. ''CSS Alabama, Anatomy of a Confederate Raider''<br />Chatham Publishing, London, 2002. {{ISBN|1-86176-189-9}}.
*{{cite journal |last1=D'Aubigny |first1=Michel |title=Question 30/86 |journal=Warship International |date=1988 |volume=XXV |issue=4 |page=422 |issn=0043-0374}}
*Delaney, Norman C. "'Old Beeswax': Raphael Semmes of the Alabama." <br />Harrisburg, PA, Vol. 12, #8, December, 1973 issue, ''[[Civil War Times Illustrated]]''. No ISSN.
*Fox, Stephen. ''Wolf of the Deep; Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama.'' 2007, Alfred A. Knopf Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-4000-4429-0}}.
*Gindlesperger, James. ''Fire on the Water: The USS Kearsarge and the CSS Alabama''<br />Burd Street Press, 2005. {{ISBN|978-1-57249-378-0}}.
*Hearn, Chester G., ''Gray Raiders of the Sea''<br /> Louisiana State Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-8071-2114-2}}.
*Luraghi, Raimondo. ''A History of the Confederate Navy''. U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1996. {{ISBN|1-55750-527-6}}.
*Madaus, H. Michael. ''Rebel Flags Afloat: A Survey of the Surviving Flags of the Confederate States Navy, Revenue Service, and Merchant Marine''<br />Winchester, MA, [[Flag Research Center]], 1986. ISSN 0015-3370. (An 80-page special edition of "The Flag Bulletin" magazine, #115, devoted entirely to Confederate naval flags.)
*Marvel, William. ''The Alabama & the Kearsarge: The Sailor's War''<br />University of North Carolina Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-8078-2294-9}}.
*Roberts, Arthur C., M. D. "Reconstructing USS ''Kearsarge'', 1864," Silver Spring, MD., Vol. 44, #4; Vol. 45, #s 1, 2, and 3, 1999, 2000,<br /> ''Nautical Research Journal''. ISSN 0738-7245.
*Secretary of the Navy. ''Sinking of the Alabama – Destruction of the Alabama by the Kearsarge''. Washington, D.C., Navy Yard, 1864. (Annual report in the library of the [[Naval Historical Center]].)
*Semmes, R., CSS, Commander. ''The Cruise of the Alabama and the Sumter'',(Two Volumes In One)<br />Carlton, Publisher, New York, 1864.
*Semmes, Raphael, Admiral, CSN. ''Memoirs of Service Afloat During the War Between the States''. Blue & Grey Press, 1987. {{ISBN|1-55521-177-1}}.
* {{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/twoyearsonalaba01sincgoog |quote=two years on the Alabama. |last=Sinclair |first=Arthur, Lt. CSN |title=Two Years on the Alabama |publisher=<br />Lee and Shepard Publishers, Boston |year=1896}}
*Still Jr., William N.; Taylor, John M.; Delaney, Norman C.(1998). ''Raiders and Blockaders, the American Civil War Afloat''<br />Brassy's, Inc., {{ISBN|1-57488-164-7}}.
*Uncredited reporter. ''Confederate Flag Flies At Pulaski'', Savannah News-Press, Savannah, GA., printed around 1937. (Depression-era newspaper article about W. P. Brooks' rescued CSS ''Alabama'' ensign being flown as part of a ceremony held on the parade ground at Fort Pulaski, GA.)
*Wilson, Walter E. and Gary L. Mckay. ''James D. Bulloch; Secret Agent and Mastermind of the Confederate Navy''. Mcfarland & Co. Inc., 2012. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-6659-7}}.
*[[Frank Showell Styles|Styles, Showell]] "Number Two-ninety" 1966.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Alabama (ship, 1862)|CSS Alabama}}
{{Collier's poster|Alabama, The|CSS ''Alabama''}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20220612084620/http://www.geocities.com/rivermersey%40btinternet.com Cruisers, Cotton and Confederates]
*Semmes, Raphael, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=uBbhsAs2sWwC&pg=PA7 The Cruise of the Alabama and the Sumter]'', Carleton, 1864, Digitized by Digital Scanning Incorporated, 2001, {{ISBN|1-58218-353-8}}.
*[http://www.marshall.edu/library/speccoll/virtual_museum/css_alabama/default.asp C.S.S. ''Alabama'': A Virtual Exhibit, Marshall University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720154845/http://www.marshall.edu/library/speccoll/virtual_museum/css_alabama/default.asp |date=20 July 2012 }}
*[http://purl.lib.ua.edu/112974 Edwin Maffitt Anderson photographs] (University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama) - photo album containing cartes de visite of Raphael Semmes and crew members, as well as drawings of the ship.
*[http://donhollway.com/alabama-kearsarge/index.html “High Seas Duel”] from ''Civil War Quarterly'' magazine, 2014. Numerous photos and first-hand accounts.

{{CSN Cruisers}}
{{Expeditionary Raids of the CSS Alabama}}
{{1864 shipwrecks}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|49|45|09|N|1|41|42|W|region:FR-P_type:landmark|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alabama}}
[[Category:CSS Alabama| ]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Mersey]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the Confederate States Navy]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the English Channel]]
[[Category:Alabama in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in June 1864]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in France]]
[[Category:Commerce raiders]]
[[Category:1862 ships]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the American Civil War]]
[[Category:1984 archaeological discoveries]]