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CSS Alabama
The CSS Alabama was the most successful of the Confederate commerce raiders. Commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes, the Alabama, during her 22-month life, cruised the shipping lanes along the eastern seaboard of the United States to the Caribbean and as far distant as the Indian Ocean and South China Sea. She captured 65 Union merchant ships and sunk the USS Hatteras.
The remarkable cruise of the CSS Alabama ended on June 19, 1864 off the coast of Cherbourg, France. The Alabama was at the port to refit when the USS Kearsage arrived in pursuit of the raider. The Alabama left port to engage and after an hour of fighting, the Alabama struck her colors and eventually sank. Captain Semmes and about 40 of her crew were rescued by a British yacht watching the battle; they helped them escape to England.
The crossed cannon and anchor design is based on the design used by the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. The design can be found on buttons worn by naval officers and on china patterns used in the wardrooms of officers. |
