"April of 1861, Stephen Mallory, Secretary of the Confederate Navy, met with James Dunwoody Bulloch, a private citizen, in Montgomery, AL.
"Bulloch was inducted into the Confederate Navy, with the rank of Lieutenant, and given orders to travel to Liverpool, England, there to build and equip, ships of war for the Confederate Navy. What followed is one of the most remarkable stories of the conflict, a story that continued, long after the conflict itself had finished.
"The story of the South`s hidden hero Commander James Dunwoody Bulloch." Via The 290 Foundation on Facebook
The ships,,foremost of them all being the British-built Alabama. Read her fascinating story: "Originally designated the 290 (she was the 290th vessel to be built in the Lairds yard). She was launched as the Enrica, and was once referred to as the Barcelona upon her arrival in the Azores. Being commissioned into the Confederate States Navy in August 1862 as the CSS Alabama."
The ships,,foremost of them all being the British-built Alabama. Read her fascinating story: "Originally designated the 290 (she was the 290th vessel to be built in the Lairds yard). She was launched as the Enrica, and was once referred to as the Barcelona upon her arrival in the Azores. Being commissioned into the Confederate States Navy in August 1862 as the CSS Alabama."
Hence the name of the 290 Foundation, our source for this information.
Lower deck construction blueprint
Elevation drawing of Alabama Notice the storage for "Spirits","Bread' and "Shells" all together.
Elevation drawing of Alabama Notice the storage for "Spirits","Bread' and "Shells" all together.
Hear Alabama's story in song by Kimber's Men. There are more polished versions of this, but I particularly loved KM's harmonies even though they were just jammin' here.
| U. S. S. KEARSARGE, Cherbourg, France, June 19, 1864 |
SIR: I have the honor to inform the Department that the day subsequent to the arrival of the Kearsarge off this port, on the 14th instant, I received a note from Captain Semmes, begging that the Kearsarge would not depart, as he intended to fight her and would not delay her but a day or two.
According to this notice, the Alabama left the port of Cherbourg this morning at about 9:30 o'clock.
At 10:20 a. m. we discovered her steering toward us. Fearing the question of jurisdiction might arise, we steamed to sea until a distance of 6 or 7 miles was attained from the Cherbourg breakwater, when we rounded to and commenced steaming for the Alabama. As we approached her within about 1,200 yards she opened fire, we receiving two or three broadsides before a shot was returned. The action continued, the respective steamers making a circle round and round at a distance of about 900 yards from each other. At the expiration of an hour the Alabama struck, going down in about 20 minutes afterwards, and carrying many persons with her.
It affords me great gratification to announce to the Department that every officer and man did his duty, exhibiting a degree of coolness and fortitude which gave promise at the outset of certain victory.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient servant,
| JNO. A. WINSLOW, Captain, |
Hon. GIDEON WELLES,
Mentioned in this account is the city of Birkenhead. This is the account of the sinking of the HMS Birkenhead and the origin of the phrase, "The Birkenhead Drill" and "Women and children first"...
The account includes this quote from Somerset Maugham:
"I much prefer travelling in non-British ships. There's none of that nonsense about women and children first."
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