What were the results of the sea battle between the CSS Alabama and the USS Kearsarge in 1864?

Answer 1

The CSS Alabama was a feared "commerce raider", very fast, built in England. Her mission was to destroy northern merchant ships, and cause the US Navy to divert ships from the blockade to search for her. This she did very well. But she was not designed to fight other warships. The Alabama ravaged American shipping for almost two years, but by the June of 1864 was badly in need of an overhaul and repairs from such a prolonged time at sea. The Alabama put in to Cherbourg, France, seeking permission to be drydocked and overhauled. A few days later the USS Kearsarge, one of the ships assigned to search for the Alabama, arrived and took up a station outside the harbor of Cherbourg, to wait for the Alabama to come out.

The Alabama's captain was a very aggressive sailor, named Raphael Semmes. He decided to go out and fight. Word spread and people were lining the breakwater and the coast, and wealthy people with private yachts cruised near the battle. Everyone wanted to see what would happen when Semmes took the Alabama out to meet the Kearsarge on June 19, 1864. The Rebels had bad ammunition. On land and sea their shells often failed to explode. The Alabama got in a shot which would have won the battle, but it did not explode. The shell fired by the Alabama lodged in the rudder of the Union ship. If the shell had detonated it would have blown the rudder off the Union ship and it would have been uncontrollable, and might have sunk. After the battle the Kearsarge's rudder had to be replaced and the section with the Confederate shell embedded in it was sawed out and sent to President Lincoln. The Kearsarge displayed better gunnery through the battle and the Confederate gunpowder and fuses were defective. After about an hour of pounding the Rebels struck their colors and the battle was over. The shells of the Kearsarge had opened a large hole in the side of the Alabama and she began to flood and sink. The Kearsarge rescued most of her crew, but 41 members of the Alabama's crew, including Captain Semmes, were rescued by the Deerhound, a private yacht, from England. While the Kearsarge was recovering its ships boats from the rescue operation the Deerhound sailed off to England, with the much sought after Semmes.