The CSS Alabama was a Confederate States Navy screw sloop-of-war built in 1862 in Birkenhead, England, by John Laird Sons and Company. Originally launched as Enrica on May 15, 1862, the vessel was constructed secretly under the direction of Confederate agent Commander James Bulloch, utilizing a legal loophole in British neutrality laws that allowed building armed ships without outfitting them with armaments until in international waters. The ship was fitted out as a cruiser and commissioned as CSS Alabama on August 24, 1862, under Captain Raphael Semmes. Constructed with a steel frame reinforced for weaponry but initially unarmed, Alabama featured a combination of sail and steam power. She was equipped with a two-cylinder, 300-horsepower horizontal steam engine driving a single brass screw propeller, with a telescopic funnel that could be lowered to disguise her steam propulsion. Under sail alone, Alabama could reach speeds of up to ten knots, but combined with steam, her maximum speed increased to approximately 13.25 knots. Her armament included six muzzle-loading, broadside 32-pounder naval smoothbore cannons—three on each side—and two pivot cannons, a 100-pounder Blakely rifled muzzleloader fore and an 8-inch smoothbore aft, mounted along her centerline. These weapons allowed her to conduct effective commerce raiding across the Atlantic, West Indies, and into the East Indies. During her service, Alabama was a highly successful commerce raider, sinking or capturing over 65 Union vessels, mostly merchant ships, damaging Union shipping globally, and capturing more than 2,000 prisoners across her 534 days at sea during her active cruise. She operated without visiting Confederate ports, conducting seven expeditionary raids and evading Union blockades. Her notable engagement was the Battle of Cherbourg on June 19, 1864, where she was sunk after a fierce hour-long fight with USS Kearsarge outside Cherbourg, France. Despite her loss, Alabama’s impact on maritime history remains significant as one of the most notorious Confederate raiders, symbolizing the extensive international dimensions of the American Civil War’s naval conflict. Her wreck was discovered in 1984 near Cherbourg, and efforts for archaeological exploration continue, contributing to her enduring maritime legacy.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.