Alabama
Quick Summary
The CSS Alabama was a commerce raider used by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Built and fitted out in Britain, it captured or sank 68 Union ships in just 22 months before being sunk by the USS Kearsarge off the coast of France.12
The actions of the Alabama and similar ships led to the "Alabama claims," a dispute between the United States and Great Britain. The U.S. argued that Britain, as a neutral nation, failed to prevent British-built Confederate ships from attacking Union commerce. This dispute was eventually settled through arbitration, establishing important principles in international law regarding the responsibilities of neutral countries during wartime.2
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American Civil WarThe naval war…the Confederate cruisers was the Alabama, commanded by Semmes, which captured 69 Federal ships in two years; not until June 19, 1864, was the Alabama intercepted and sunk off Cherbourg, France, by the Federal warship Kearsarge, captained by John Winslow. A great many other Federal ships were captured, and marine…
Read More…the Confederate cruisers was the Alabama, commanded by Semmes, which captured 69 Federal ships in two years; not until June 19, 1864, was the Alabama intercepted and sunk off Cherbourg, France, by the Federal warship Kearsarge, captained by John Winslow. A great many other Federal ships were captured, and marine…
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United StatesForeign affairs…Union and England when the Alabama, built in the British Isles, was permitted upon completion to sail and join the Confederate navy, despite Adams’s protestations. And when word reached the Lincoln government that two powerful rams were being constructed in Britain for the Confederacy, Adams reputedly sent his famous “this…
Read More…Union and England when the Alabama, built in the British Isles, was permitted upon completion to sail and join the Confederate navy, despite Adams’s protestations. And when word reached the Lincoln government that two powerful rams were being constructed in Britain for the Confederacy, Adams reputedly sent his famous “this…
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naval warfareGuerrilla war at sea: the submarine…as Raphael Semmes in the Alabama harried Northern shipping despite the overwhelming superiority of the Union navy.
Read More…as Raphael Semmes in the Alabama harried Northern shipping despite the overwhelming superiority of the Union navy.
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