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The FReeper Foxhole Revisits the Sinking of the C.S.S. Alabama (6/19/1864) - July 15th, 2005
history.navy.mil ^

Posted on 07/15/2005 2:29:04 AM PDT by snippy_about_it



Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.



...................................................................................... ...........................................

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The FReeper Foxhole Revisits

Sinking of C.S.S. Alabama
by U.S.S. Kearsarge
19 June 1864

Report of Captain Semmes, C.S. Navy,
commanding C.S.S. Alabama.

SOUTHAMPTON, June 21, 1864.


SIR: I have the honor to inform you, in accordance with my intention as previously announced to you, I steamed out of the harbor of Cherbourg between 9 and 10 o'clock on the morning of June 19 for the purpose of engaging the enemy's steamer Kearsarge, which had been lying off and on the port for several days previously. After clearing the harbor we descried the enemy, with his head offshore, at a distance of about 9 miles. We were three-quarters of an hour in coming up with him. I had previously pivoted my guns to starboard, and made all my preparations for engaging the enemy on that side. When within about a mile and a quarter of the enemy he suddenly wheeled, and bringing his head inshore presented his starboard battery to me. By this time we were distant about 1 mile from each other, when I opened on him with solid shot, to which he replied in a few minutes, and the engagement became active on both sides. The enemy now pressed his ship under a full head of steam, and to prevent our passing each other too speedily, and to keep our respective broadsides bearing, it became necessary to fight in a circle, the two ships steaming around a common center and preserving a distance from each other of from a quarter to half a mile.



When we got within good shell range, we opened on him with shell. Some ten or fifteen minutes after the commencement of the action our spanker gaff was shot away and our ensign came down by the run. This was immediately replaced by another at the mizzenmast-head. The firing now became very hot, and the enemy's shot and shell soon began to tell upon our hull, knocking down, killing, and disabling a number of men in different parts of the ship. Perceiving that our shell, though apparently exploding against the enemy's sides, were doing but little damage, I returned to solid shot firing, and from this time onward alternated with shot and shell. After the lapse of about one hour and ten minutes our ship was ascertained to be in sinking condition, the enemy's shell having exploded in our sides and between decks, opening large apertures, through which the water rushed with great rapidity. For some few minutes I had hopes of being able to reach the French coast, for which purpose I gave the ship all steam and set such of the fore-and-aft sails as were available. The ship filled so rapidly, that before we had made much progress the fires were extinguished in the furnaces, and we were evidently on the point of sinking.

I now hauled down my colors to prevent the further destruction of life, and dispatched a boat to inform the enemy of our condition. Although we were now but 400 yards from each other, the enemy fired upon me five times after my colors had been struck, dangerously wounding several of my men. It is charitable to suppose that a ship of war of a Christian nation could not have done this intentionally. We now turned all our exertions toward the wounded and such of the boys as were unable to swim. These were dispatched in my quarter boats, the only boats remaining to me, the waist boats having been torn to pieces.



Some twenty minutes after my furnace fires had been extinguished, and the ship being on the point of settling, every man, in obedience to a previous order which had been given to the crew, jumped overboard and endeavored to save himself. There was no appearance of any boat coming to me from the enemy until after the ship went down. Fortunately, however, the steam yacht Deerhound, owned by a gentleman of Lancashire, England (Mr. John Lancaster), who was himself on board, steamed up in the midst of my drowning men and rescued a number of both officers and men from the water. I was fortunate enough myself thus to escape to the shelter of the neutral flag, together with about forty others, all told. About this time the Kearsarge sent one and then, tardily, another boat.

Accompanying you will find lists of the killed and wounded, and of those who were picked up by the Deerhound. The remainder there is reason to hope were picked up by the enemy and by a couple of French pilot boats, which were also fortunately near the scene of action. At the end of the engagement it was discovered by those of our officers who went alongside the enemy's ship with the wounded that her midship section on both sides was thoroughly iron-coated, this having been done with chains constructed for the purpose, placed perpendicularly from the rail to the water's edge, the whole covered over by a thin outer planking, which gave no indication of the armor beneath. This planking had been ripped off in every direction by our shot and shell, the chain broken and indented in many places, and forced partly into the ship's side. She was most effectively guarded, however, in this section from penetration. The enemy was much damaged in other parts, but to what extent it is now impossible to tell. It is believed he was badly crippled.



My officers and men behaved steadily and gallantly, and though they have lost their ship they have not lost honor. Where all behaved so well it would be invidious to particularize; but I cannot deny myself the pleasure of saying that Mr. Kell, my first lieutenant, deserves great credit for the fine condition in which the ship went into action, with regard to her battery, magazine, and shell rooms; also that he rendered me great assistance by his coolness and judgment as the fight proceeded.

The enemy was heavier than myself, both in ship, battery, and crew; but I did not know until the action was over that she was also ironclad. Our total loss in killed and wounded is 30, to wit, 9 killed and 21 wounded.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. SEMMES,
Captain.

Flag Officer Samuel Barron, C.S.S. Navy,
Paris



Source: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, vol. 3 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896): 649-651.






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TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: civilwar; cssalabama; dixielist; freeperfoxhole; history; navy; samsdayoff; usskearsarge; veterans; warbetweenstates
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To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf; Aeronaut; quietolong; alfa6; E.G.C.; GailA; bentfeather; ...

"For God's sake, do what you can to save them!"

The Duel Between The "Alabama" And The "Kearsarge"

Reports of the Union Navy
From the Official Records, a series of reports dealing with this battle.

Reports of the Confederate Navy
From the Official Records, a series of reports dealing with this battle.

Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren (1809-1870) was a naval ordnance innovator and commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War. Dahlgren became a midshipman in 1826. Service on the U.S. Coast Survey (1834-37) distinguished his early career. In 1847, Lieutenant Dahlgren was assigned to ordnance duty at the Washington Navy Yard. Over the next fifteen years, he invented and developed bronze boat guns, heavy smoothbore shell guns, and rifled ordnance. He also created the first sustained weapons R&D program and organization in U.S. naval history. For these achievements, Dahlgren became known as the "father of American naval ordnance." His heavy smoothbores, characterized by their unusual bottle shape, were derived from scientific research in ballistics and metallurgy, manufactured and tested under the most comprehensive program of quality control in the Navy to that time, and were the Navy's standard shipboard armament during the Civil War. Promoted to commander in 1855, captain in 1862, and rear admiral in 1863, he became commandant of the Washington Navy Yard in 1861 and chief of the Bureau of Ordnance in 1862.

The Dahlgren Gun


61 posted on 07/15/2005 8:13:26 PM PDT by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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To: Peanut Gallery; SAMWolf
Oh my! It's... PINK.


62 posted on 07/15/2005 8:16:05 PM PDT by Professional Engineer (Dining room, we don't need no stinkin dining room! Classroom space, on the other hand, is valuable.)
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To: Professional Engineer

Your life just got a whole lot more...interesting!


63 posted on 07/15/2005 9:29:40 PM PDT by Valin (The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.)
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To: snippy_about_it
Great work on today's thread Snippy.


64 posted on 07/15/2005 9:43:57 PM PDT by Colonial Warrior ("I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag...")
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To: PhilDragoo
As you are aware, as Surgeon Browne of Kearsarge wrote the Dahlgren 11" guns on the Kearsarge were highly superior weapons in their day.

Image is of an eleven inch Dahlgren explosive shell, as destroyed Alabama. This machine is for sale too, only $700, darned cheap.


65 posted on 07/15/2005 11:48:16 PM PDT by Iris7 ("What fools these mortals be!" - Puck, in "Midsummer Night's Dream")
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To: w_over_w
One of these days I shall read

Memoirs of Service Afloat During the War Between the States

Admiral Semmes memoir.

66 posted on 07/16/2005 12:30:31 AM PDT by Iris7 ("What fools these mortals be!" - Puck, in "Midsummer Night's Dream")
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To: PhilDragoo

BTTT!!!!!!!!


67 posted on 07/16/2005 3:03:18 AM PDT by E.G.C.
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To: Professional Engineer

Does Bittygirl have "the knack"?


68 posted on 07/16/2005 3:03:56 PM PDT by Samwise ("You have the nerve to say that terrorism is caused by resisting it?")
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To: Samwise

LOL, you were the first person I thought of. I saved that "knack" file, and play it occassionally.


69 posted on 07/16/2005 4:38:11 PM PDT by Professional Engineer (Dining room, we don't need no stinkin dining room! Classroom space, on the other hand, is valuable.)
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To: Professional Engineer

"...pilot "Tex" Johnston..." But of course, a Texan.


70 posted on 07/16/2005 6:16:03 PM PDT by Iris7 ("What fools these mortals be!" - Puck, in "Midsummer Night's Dream")
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