The Battle of Cherbourg, or sometimes the Battle off Cherbourg or the Sinking of CSS ''Alabama'', was a

single-ship action A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions. Single-shi ...

fought during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

between a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

warship, , and a

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

warship, , on June 19, 1864, off

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Febr ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Background

After five successful

commerce raiding Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than en ...

missions in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, turned into Cherbourg Harbor on June 11, 1864. The Confederate States

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' en ...

was commanded by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Raphael Semmes Raphael Semmes ( ; September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Until then, he had been a serving officer in the US Navy from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes ...

, formerly of . It was Captain Semmes' intention to drydock his ship and receive repairs at the French port. The Confederate Navy vessel was crewed by about 170 men and armed with six

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, mounted

broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

, three guns per side, and two heavy

pivot gun A pivot gun was a type of cannon mounted on a fixed central emplacement which permitted it to be moved through a wide horizontal arc. They were a common weapon aboard ships and in land fortifications for several centuries but became obsolete aft ...

s, mounted on the centerline and able to fire to either side: one ,

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

gun and one ,

rifled In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the ...

gun. ''Alabama'' had been pursued for two years by the

screw sloop A screw sloop is a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. In the 19th century, during the introduction of the steam engine, ships driven by propellers were differentiated from those driven by paddle-wheels by referring to the ship's ''screws'' (propelle ...

-of-war , under Captain John Winslow. ''Kearsarge'' was armed with two smoothbore Dahlgren guns which fired about 166 pounds of solid shot, four 32-pound guns and one 30-pounder

Parrott rifle The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle-loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War. Parrott rifle The gun was invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He was an American soldier and inven ...

. She was crewed by around 150 sailors and officers. ''Kearsarge'' had a form of makeshift armor-cladding, medium-weight chain cable triced in tiers along her port and starboard midsections, basically acting as the equivalent of

chain mail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

for vulnerable sections of her hull, where shot could potentially penetrate and hit her

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central ...

s or

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be ...

. This armor protection potentially gave the Union warship a definitive advantage over the Confederate raider; however, the armor was only capable of stopping shots from ''Alabama''s lighter 32-pound balls; either of her heavier guns could easily penetrate such lightweight protection. In the event, it was a moot point, as ''Alabama'' only managed to score two hits in this area, both of which were well above the waterline and the vulnerable engineering areas, and would have done little lasting damage even if they had successfully penetrated the hull. On June 14, ''Kearsarge'' finally caught up with ''Alabama'' as she was receiving repairs. ''Kearsarge'' did not attack, as ''Alabama'' was in a neutral port; instead, she waited, initiating a

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

of CSS ''Alabama'' in Cherbourg. Union Captain Winslow telegraphed to request her assistance, but the fighting began before she could arrive. Confederate Captain Semmes used the time to drill his men for the coming battle. On June 19, CSS ''Alabama'', with nowhere else to go, ran up the Stars and Bars and exited the harbor to attack ''Kearsarge''. She was escorted by the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

ironclad , whose mission was to ensure that the ensuing battle occurred outside the French harbor.

Battle

Captain Winslow spotted the departing Confederate raider, so they turned his ship around to take the impending battle out of French territorial waters. Once out, ''Kearsarge'' turned about again, hoisted the United States Navy Jack, and lined up for a broadside. Captain Winslow ordered his gunners to hold their fire until the range closed. CSS ''Alabama'' fired the first shots. They are not known to have hit. Eventually ''Kearsarge'' was under way, and the range closed to within when she fired her first shot. The two

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster ...

s maneuvered on opposite courses throughout the battle. ''Kearsarge'' and ''Alabama'' made seven spiraling circles around each other, moving southwest in a current. Both Captain Semmes and Captain Winslow attempted to cross each other's bow, hoping to inflict heavy

raking fire In naval warfare during the Age of Sail, raking fire was cannon fire directed parallel to the long axis of an enemy ship from ahead (in front of the ship) or astern (behind the ship). Although each shot was directed against a smaller profile ...

. The battle continued in this manner for several minutes; in the meantime, on the French coast, hundreds watched the battle. ''Kearsarge''s armor cladding sustained two hits during the engagement. The first shell, a 32-pounder, struck within the starboard gangway. The shot cut part of the chain armor and dented the wooden planking underneath. The second shot was again a 32-pounder that exploded and broke a link of the chain. Both hits struck the chain five feet above the waterline and therefore did not threaten the boilers or machinery. The gunnery of USS ''Kearsarge'' was reportedly more accurate than that of the Confederates. She fired slowly with well-aimed shots, while ''Alabama'' fired rapidly. CSS ''Alabama'' fired a total of over 370 rounds during the fighting; it is not known how many ''Kearsarge'' fired, but it is known that she fired many fewer than the Confederates did. Eventually, after just over an hour of exchanging artillery fire, ''Alabama'' had received shot-holes beneath the waterline from ''Kearsarge''s Dahlgren guns and began to sink. Captain Semmes struck the Confederate colors, but still ''Kearsarge'' continued firing until a white flag was seen, raised by one of the Confederate sailors with his hand. The battle was over, so Captain Semmes sent his remaining

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, whic ...

to Captain Winslow, to ask for aid. During the battle, 40 Confederate sailors were casualties (19 killed in action or drowned and 21 wounded). Another seventy or so were picked up by ''Kearsarge''. Thirty or so were rescued by ''Deerhound'', a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, which Captain Winslow asked to help evacuate ''Alabama''s crew, and three

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

pilot boats. Captain Semmes and fourteen of his officers were among the sailors rescued by ''Deerhound''. Instead of delivering the captured Confederates to ''Kearsarge'', ''Deerhound'' set a course for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, thus enabling Captain Semmes' escape. This act severely angered ''Kearsarge''s crew, who begged their captain to allow them to open fire on the British yacht. Captain Winslow would not allow this, so the Confederates got away and avoided imprisonment. Three men were wounded aboard the United States' vessel, one of whom died the following day.

Aftermath

In art

For many years after the battle, Confederate Captain Semmes stated that he would never have chosen to test USS ''Kearsarge'' had he known of her armor-clad protection. CSS ''Alabama'' had destroyed or captured dozens of Union merchant vessels during her Atlantic cruises; when word of ''Alabama''s sinking reached the northeastern United States, many Northerners were joyful.

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bor ...

produced two paintings of the fight, The Battle of the ''Kearsarge'' and the ''Alabama'', now at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin ...

, and ''Kearsarge'' at Boulogne, now at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

. American marine artist Xanthus Smith painted six versions of the naval battle. The most famous of these, a massive work exhibited at the

1876 Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

, is in the collection of the

Union League of Philadelphia The Union League of Philadelphia is a private club founded in 1862 by the Old Philadelphians as a patriotic society to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln. As of 2022, the club has over 4,000 members. Its main building was built in 1865 and ...

. The 37th album of ''

Les Tuniques Bleues ''Les Tuniques Bleues'' (Dutch: De Blauwbloezen) is a Belgian series of ''bandes dessinées'' (comic books in the Franco-Belgian tradition), first published in '' Spirou'' magazine and later collected in albums by Dupuis."Best of Belgium's Cart ...

'', titled ''Duel dans la Manche'' ("Duel in the Channel"), takes place during the Battle of Cherbourg, on USS ''Kearsarge''. The battle was commemorated in the

sea shanty A sea shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ''shanty ...

Roll, Alabama, Roll "Roll, Alabama, Roll" is an American-British sea shanty of the nineteenth century. It is based on the exploits of the CSS Alabama, a sloop-of-war of the Confederate States Navy which enjoyed success as a commerce raider against Union shipping du ...

Wreck of ''Alabama''

In November 1984, the located the wreck of ''Alabama'' at a depth of , a little under north of the western approaches of Cherbourg roads ().''Épave de l'Alabama, Cherbourg 1864'', Centre européen de recherches et d'études sous-marines
/ref> Captain Max Guerout later confirmed that the wreck was that of ''Alabama''. In 1988, a nonprofit organisation named the CSS Alabama Association was created to conduct a scientific survey of the wreck. Although it now lies in French territorial waters, the U.S. government claimed possession of it on the grounds that ''Alabama'' had struck to ''Kearsarge'' and that the location had not been within French territorial waters at the time of the battle. On 3 October 1989, France and the United States signed an agreement recognising the wreck as a common historic heritage for both nations and established a joint scientific team for its exploration. On 23 March 1995, the CSS Alabama Association and the

Naval History & Heritage Command The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. ...

signed an agreement to accredit the association for the archeological survey of ''Alabama''. In 2002, over 300 samples were recovered, including the ship's bell, guns, part of the ship's structure, furniture, and tableware. In 2004, a human jaw was found under a gun and was subsequently buried in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

Gallery

File:Captain Raphael Semmes and First Lieutenant John Kell aboard CSS Alabama 1863.jpg, Captain Raphael Semmes, ''Alabama''s commanding officer, standing aft of the mainsail by his ship's aft 8-inch smooth bore gun during her visit to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

in August 1863. His executive officer, First Lieutenant John M. Kell, is in the background, standing by the ship's wheel. File:DeckSceneCSSAlabama.JPG, Deck scene Cruiser ''Alabama'' in August, 1863 - Lts Armstrong and Sinclair at Sinclair's 32 pounder station File:USS Kearsarge (1861).jpg, USS ''Kearsarge,'' in an 1861 photograph File:USS Kearsarge (1861) deck.jpg, The deck of ''Kearsarge'' after her engagement with File:Crew of the USS Kearsarge at battle stations, circa 1864.jpg, Crew of the USS Kearsarge in 1864 after the battle; showing both 11 Inch guns pointed to starboard as they were during the battle. File:Battles and leaders of the Civil War - being for the most part contributions by Union and Confederate officers (1887) (14759843311).jpg, Firing the forward 11 inch gun on the Kearsarge File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14576197040).jpg, The aft 11 inch gun on the Kearsarge used against the CSS Alabama File:AlabamaSinkingHarpers23July1864.jpg, ''Sinking of the CSS Alabama'', engraving, Harper's Weekly Magazine, 23 July 1864 File:CSS Alabama battle with USS Kearsarge.jpg, ''The Fight between the Alabama and the Kearsarge'', 1864 engraving File:Édouard Manet-Kearsarge-Alabama2.jpg, ''The Battle of the ''Kearsarge'' and the ''Alabama (1864), by

File:Edouard Manet - Le „Kearsarge“ à Boulogne.jpg, '' The Kearsarge at Boulogne'' (1864), by Édouard Manet,

File:CSS 'Alabama'.JPG, ''The Sinking of the CSS Alabama'', unidentified artist File:Lebreton engraving-01.jpg, Engraving by Louis Le Breton (by 1866) File:GAR 1893 - Kearsage.jpg, Replica of USS ''Kearsarge'' on display at the 1893 Grand Army of the Republic national convention in Indianapolis, Indiana File:USS Kearsarge in Battle.jpg, ''USS Kearsarge in Battle'' (1936), by Jo Davidson,

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945). Located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New ...

File:CSSAlabama.jpg, ''CSS Alabama'' (1961), by J.W. Schmidt,

Naval History and Heritage Command The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. ...

File:Joachim Pease poster.jpg, U.S. Navy recruiting poster highlighting

Joachim Pease Joachim Pease (born 1842, date of death unknown) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the American Civil War. Biography Although Joachim Pease has been ...

, 1970s

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherbourg (1864), Battle Of Cherbourg (1864 Naval battles of the American Civil War Union victories of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in June 1864 Military history of the English Channel

Battle of Cherbourg The Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. It was fought immediately after the successful Allied landings on 6 June 1944. Allied troops, mainly American, isolated and captured the fortified port, which wa ...

1864 in France