Css "alabama"

Built secretly by Laird's on the Mersey, to the order of the Confederate States during the American Civil War, the Alabama embarked on a hugely destructive world-wide campaign against Federal shipping that made the ship a household name. Eventually tracked down by the Union sloop Kearsarge, the raider was sunk off Cherbourg in an epic ship-to-ship action. However, the almost legendary quality of the ship's career was further enhanced post-war by a bestselling autobiography by Alabama's captain, Raphael Semmes. Nor did the ship's impact on history finish with her sinking, as her depredations caused a diplomatic row between the USA and Britain that was not resolved until the latter agreed to substantial compensation in 1871. Despite enduring interest in the ship, many details of her structure and fitting are still a matter of debate. The clandestine nature of the ship's construction and the fact that she was only armed after leaving British waters produced minimal and contradictory evidence. For this book the author responded to the challenge by sifting contemporary photographs, paintings, models and plans - as well as consulting the archaeologists working on the wreck - to develop a set of drawings on the ship. Furthermore, the visual evidence is also reproduced, with the author's commentary on their accuracy.