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War on the Water

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War on the Water

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    1. War on the Water CSS Alabama

    2. CSS Alabama

    3. CSS Alabama CSS Alabama was a screw sloop of warbuilt for the Confederate States Navyat Birkenhead, United Kingdom, in 1862 by John Laird Sons and Company. Alabama served as a commerce raider, attacking Unionmerchant and naval ships over the course of her two-year career, during which she never laid anchor in a Southern port.

    4. List of Officers Of The Confederate States Steamer Alabama

    7. Raphael Semmes

    8. Confederate Career Appointed a Commander in the Confederate Navy in April 1861, Raphael Semmes was sent to New Orleans to convert a steamer into the cruiser CSS Sumter. He ran her through the Federal blockade in June 1861 and began a career of commerce raiding that is without equal in American naval history. During Sumter's six months' operations in the West Indies and the Atlantic, he captured eighteen merchant vessels

    9. New Assignment After taking himself and many of his officers to England, Semmes was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the newly-built cruiser CSS ALABAMA.

    10. Weaponry Alabamas British-made ordnance was composed of six broadside, 32-pounder, naval smoothbores and two larger and more powerful pivot cannons. Both pivot cannons were positioned roughly amidships along the deck's centerline, fore and aft of the main mast. The fore pivot was a heavy, long-range 100-pounder 7-inch (178mm) Blakely rifle, the aft pivot a heavy, 8-inch (203mm) smoothbore.

    11. Guns

    12. The new Confederate cruiser was powered by both sail and by two John Laird Sons and Company horizontal steam engines, driving a single, Griffiths-type, twin-bladed brass screw. With the screw retracted using the stern's brass lifting gear mechanism, Alabama could make up to ten knots under sail alone and when her sail and steam power were used together.

    13. Onboard

    14. Captain Raphael Semmes, Alabama's commanding officer, standing by his ship's 110-pounder rifled gun during her visit to Capetown in August 1863. His executive officer, First Lieutenant John M. Kell, is in the background, standing by the ship's wheel.

    15. Two of the ship's officers on deck, during her visit to Capetown in August 1863. They are Lieutenant Arthur Sinclair IV, (left) and Lieutenant Richard F. Armstrong. The gun beside them is a 32-pounder of Lt. Sinclair's Division.

    16. All together, Alabama conducted a total of seven expeditionaryraids, spanning the globe, before heading back to France for refit and repairs and a date with destiny: The CSS Alabama's Eastern Atlantic Expeditionary Raid(AugustSeptember, 1862) commenced immediately after she was commissioned. She immediately set sail for the shipping lanes southwest and then east of the Azores, where she captured and burned ten prizes, mostly whalers. The CSS Alabama's New England Expeditionary Raid(OctoberNovember, 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 Bermudaand the coast of Virginia, burning ten prizes while capturing and releasing three others.

    17. The CSS Alabama's Gulf of Mexico Expeditionary Raid(December, 1862 January, 1863) was centered around a needed rendezvous with her supply vessel, CSS Agrippina. After that, she rendered aid to Texas during Major General Banks invasion near Galveston, Texas. There, she quickly sank the Union side-wheeler USS Hatteras. The CSS Alabama's South Atlantic Expeditionary Raid(FebruaryJuly, 1863) was her most successful raiding venture, taking 29 prizes while raiding off the coast of Brazil. Here, she recommissioned the bark Conrad as the CSS Tuscaloosa.

    18. The CSS Alabama's South African Expeditionary Raid(AugustSeptember, 1863) occurred primarily while ranging off the coast of South Africa, as she worked together the CSS Tuscaloosa. The CSS Alabama's Indian Ocean Expeditionary Raid(SeptemberNovember, 1863) was composed of a long trek across the Indian Ocean. The few prizes she gathered were in the East Indies. The CSS Alabama's South Pacific Expeditionary Raid(December, 1863) was her final raiding venture. She took a few prizes in the Strait of Malaccabefore finally turning back toward France for a much needed refit and long overdue repairs.

    19. Successful Raider Upon the completion of her seven expeditionary raids, Alabama had been at sea for 534 days out of 657, never visiting a single Confederate port. She boarded nearly 450 vessels, captured or burned 65 Unionmerchant ships, and took more than 2,000 prisoners without a single loss of life from either prisoners or her own crew.

    20. Final Cruise On 11 June 1864, Alabama arrived in port at Cherbourg, France. Captain Semmes soon requested permission to dry dock and overhaul his ship, much needed after so long a time at sea and so many naval actions. Pursuing the raider, the American sloop of war, USS Kearsarge, under the command of Captain John Ancrum Winslow, arrived three days later and took up station just outside the harbor. While at his previous port-of-call, Winslow had telegraphed Gibraltar to send the old man-o-warUSS St Louiswith provisions and to provide blockading assistance. Kearsarge now had Alabama boxed-in with no place left to run.

    21. The Battle is staged Having no desire to see his worn-out ship rot away at a French dock while quarantined by Union warships, and given his instinctive aggressiveness and a long-held desire once again to engage his enemy, Captain Semmes chose to fight.

    22. Semmes issued, through diplomatic channels, a bold challenge to the Kearsarge's commander "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."

    23. Battle begins On 19 June, Alabama sailed out to meet the Union cruiser. As Kearsarge turned to meet her opponent, Alabama opened fire. Kearsarge waited patiently until the range had closed to less than 1,000 yards.

    24. Early Stages of the Battle

    25. The two ships steamed on opposite courses in seven spiraling circles, moving southwesterly, each commander trying to cross the bow of his opponent to deliver a heavy raking fire. The battle quickly turned against Alabama due to the superior gunnery displayed by Kearsarge.

    26. Alabamas Unlucky Break Her most important shot, fired from the forward 7-inch Blakely pivot rifle, hit very near Kearsarges vulnerable stern post, the impact binding the ship's rudder badly. That rifled shell, however, failed to explode. If it had done so, it would have seriously disabled Kearsarges steering, possibly sinking the warship, and ending the contest.

    27. Alabamas too rapid rate-of-fire resulted in frequent poor gunnery, with many of her shots going too high Kearsarge benefited little that day from the protection of her outboard chain armor, whose presence Semmes later said was unknown to him at the time of his decision to issue the challenge to fight. In fact, in the years that followed, Semmes steadfastly claimed he would have never fought Kearsarge if he had known she was armor-clad.

    28. A little more than an hour after the first shot was fired, Alabama was reduced to a sinking wreck by Kearsarges powerful Dahlgrens, forcing Captain Semmes to strike her colorsand to send one of his two surviving boats to Kearsarge to ask for assistance.

    29. Alabama Sinking by Kearsarge

    30. Alabama fired 370 rounds at her adversary, averaging one round per minute per gun, while Kearsarges gun crews fired less than half that many, taking more careful aim

    31. During 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 come to bear on Kearsarge. Then a hand-held white flag came fluttering from Alabamas stern spanker boom, finally halting the engagement.

    32. Prior to this, she had her steering gear compromised by shell hits, but the fatal shot came later when one of Kearsarges shells tore open a mid-section of Alabamas starboard waterline. Water quickly rushed through the defeated cruiser, eventually drowning her boilers and forcing her down by the stern to the bottom

    33. Semmes escapes Kearsarge rescued the majority of the survivors, but 41 of Alabamas officers and crew, including Semmes, were rescued by the Deerhound, a private yacht, while the Kearsarge stood off to recover her rescue boats while waiting for Alabama to sink. Captain Winslow was forced to stand by helplessly and watch Deerhound spirit away to England his much sought after adversary, Captain Semmes and his surviving shipmates.

    34. Semmes December 16, 1865 Arrested by Federal Troops in Mobile, Semmes is taken to New Orleans on the steamer Louise.

    35. Semmes Semmes was taken from NYC to the Washington Navy Yard where he was held prisoner until the new Johnson Administration decided there wasn't enough support...or evidence... to put him on trial. He's released on April 7, 1866 and returns to Mobile. he worked as a teacher and newspaper editor until returning to Mobile, where he pursued a legal career. Raphael Semmes died on 30 August 1877.

    36. Repercussions During her two-year career as a commerce raider, Alabama caused disorder and devastation across the globe for Union merchant shipping. The Confederate cruiser claimed 65 prizes valued at nearly $6,000,000 (approximately $123,000,000 in today's dollars). In an important development in international law, the U. S. Government pursued the Alabama Claims" against the British Government for the devastation caused, and following a court of arbitration, won heavy damages.

    38. Hunley Crew

    39. H. L. Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War, but a large role in the history of naval warfare. The Hunley demonstrated both the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. It was the first combat submarine to sink an enemy warship

    40. Inboard profile and plan drawings

    41. Hunley was originally intended to attack by means of a floating explosive charge with a contact fuse (a torpedo in Civil War terminology) towed behind it at the end of a long rope. Hunley would approach an enemy vessel, dive under it, and surface beyond. As it continued to move away from the target, the torpedo would be pulled against the side of the target and explode. However, this plan was discarded as impractical due to the danger of the tow line fouling Hunley's screw or drifting into Hunley herself.

    42. The floating explosive charge was replaced with a spar torpedo, a cask containing 90pounds (41kilograms) of black powder attached to a 22-foot (6.7 m)-long wooden spar, as seen in illustrations of the submarine made at this time. The spar was mounted on Hunley's bow and was designed to be used when the submarine was some 6 feet (1.8 m) or more below the surface. The spar torpedo had a barbed point, and would be stuck in the target vessel's side by ramming. The spar torpedo as originally designed used a mechanical trigger attached to the attacking vessel by a cord, so that as the attacker backed away from her victim, the torpedo would explode

    43. The Confederacy lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings of the Hunley during her short career. The submarine was named for her inventor, Horace Lawson Hunley, shortly after it was taken into service under the control of the Confederate Army at Charleston, South Carolina.

    44. The Hunley, nearly 40 feet (12 m) long, was built at Mobile, Alabama, and launched in July 1863. It was then shipped by rail on August 12, 1863 to Charleston, South Carolina. Hunley (then called Fish Boat) sank on August 29, 1863, during a training exercise, killing five members of her crew.

    45. It sank again on October 15, 1863, killing all eight of her second crew, including Horace Hunley himself, who was aboard at the time, even though he was not enlisted in the Confederate armed forces. Both times the Hunley was raised and returned to service.

    46. USS Housatonic Hunley made her first and only attack against a live target on the night of February 17, 1864. The vessel was the USS Housatonic. Housatonic, a 1240-ton (1.1 million-kilogram) steam-powered sloop of war with 12 large cannons, was stationed at the entrance to Charleston, South Carolina harbor, about 5miles (8 kilometers) out to sea. In an effort to break the naval blockade of the city, Lieutenant George E. Dixon and a crew of seven volunteers attacked Housatonic, successfully embedding the barbed spar torpedo into her hull. The torpedo was detonated as the submarine backed away, sending Housatonic and five of her crew to the bottom in five minutes, although many survived by boarding two lifeboats or by climbing the rigging until rescued

    47. . Soon after, Hunley sank for unknown reasons, killing all eight of her third crew. This time, the innovative ship was lost.

    48. Ressurrecting the Hunley

    49. video http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/300450-1

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