|
|
听
|
The
Alabama took 60 Union ships in total. 10 were released on
bond, one turned over to Confederate use, the rest were destroyed.
|
The
Alabama cost the Union over 4 million Dollars in lost ships
and cargoes
|
|
The
Deerhound which picked up Semmes
and his men, had been built by John Laird in the same Birkenhead
yard as the Alabama.
|
The
Deerhound was later to become the first British steam vessel
to enter the Suez Canal.
|
|
58
men who took part in the battle with the Kearsarge were from
Merseyside.
|
10
of the crew from Merseysiders lost their lives. Two are buried
at Cherbourg.
|
|
Of
the Alabama crew, less than a dozen of them were killed in
battle, but another dozen were drowned in the English Channel.
|
Britain
was accused of aiding the Confederates by allowing the Alabama
to be built in British yards, and so was forced to pay compensation
of over 3 million pounds in gold.
|
The wreck of the Alabama was discovered nearly 200 feet under the
water off Cherbourg in November 1984. by Lieutenant Commander Bruno
Duclos of the French Navy minesweeper Circe.
In
1988, a non-profit organization, the Association CSS Alabama, was
founded to conduct scientific exploration of the shipwreck.
Although the wreck resides within French territorial waters, the
U.S. government, as the successor to the former Confederate States
of America, is the owner. On 3 October 1989, the United States and
France signed an agreement recognizing this wreck as an important
heritage resource of both nations and establishing a Joint French-American
Scientific Committee for archaeological exploration.
Artifacts recovered from the wreck include:
June 26th 2000 - The 32-pound cannon cast specially for the CSS
Alabama was raised.
June 29th 2000 - a porthole from the ship was recovered.
Work
continues on the site in order to preserve and investigate the ship.
|
|
|
|
|
