CSS Alabama

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A 1961 painting of CSS Alabama
History
Confederate States of America
Name	Alabama
Builder	John Laird Sons & Company
Laid down	1862
Launched	July 29, 1862
Commissioned	August 24, 1862
Motto	"Aide Toi, Et Dieu T'Aidera," (God helps those who help themselves)[1]
Fate	Sunk June 19, 1864
General characteristics
Displacement	1050 tons
Length	220 ft (67 m)[2]
Beam	31 ft 8 in (9.65 m)
Draft	17 ft 8 in (5.38 m)
Installed power	2 × 150 HP horizontal steam engines (300 HP collectively), auxiliary sails
Propulsion	Single screw propeller
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)[2]
Complement	145 officers and men
Armament	6 × 32 lb (15 kg) cannons, 1 × 110 lb (50 kg) cannon, 1 × 68 lb (31 kg) cannon

CSS Alabama was a screw sloop-of-war built in 1862 for the Confederate States Navy. The vessel was built in Birkenhead on the River Mersey opposite Liverpool, England, by John Laird Sons and Company.^[3] Launched as Enrica, she was fitted out as a cruiser and commissioned as CSS Alabama on August 24, 1862. Under Captain Raphael Semmes, Alabama served as a successful commerce raider, attacking, capturing, and burning Union merchant and naval ships in the North Atlantic, as well as intercepting American grain ships bound for Europe. The Alabama continued its wrath through the West Indies and further into the East Indies, destroying over seven ships before returning to Europe. On June 11, 1864, the Alabama arrived at Cherbourg, France, where she was overhauled. Shortly after, a Union sloop-of-war, USS Kearsarge, arrived; and on June 19, the Battle of Cherbourg commenced outside the port of Cherbourg, France, whereby the Kearsarge sank the Alabama in approximately one hour after the Alabama's opening shot.