June 19, 1864

The CSS Alabama sank outside the harbor of Cherbourg, France during a naval battle with the USS Kearsarge. Built in England in 1862, the CSS Alabama became the most successful Confederate raiding vessel of the Civil War. The 220-foot-long ship, commanded by Cpt. Raphael Semmes and manned by an English crew, captured a total of 65 U.S. merchant vessels and sank the Union warship USS Hatteras. In 1984, the French Navy discovered the wreck of the Alabama, and several hundred artifacts from the ship are currently housed at the Washington Navy Yard, including the ship’s 7-inch Blakely cannon.

Read more at http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-973.

Rear Admiral John A. Winslow, USN (1811-1873), was promoted to the rank of commodore as a result of his successful engagement with CSS Alabama. (National Museum of the U.S. Navy)

Confederate States Navy officers who served with Raphael Semmes. Line engraving by H.B. Hall Jr., New York, featuring portraits of seven officers who served with Semmes in CSS Alabama and were present during her engagement with USS Kearsarge. (National Museum of the U.S. Navy)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.