Ed Semmes, a descendant of Admiral Raphael Semmes, said the story of the C.S.S. Alabama and his great-great-great-grandfather was one of service and one for Alabama.
The Alabama is celebrated as the most successful Southern raider commerce ship. During the Civil War it fought against Union ships including the Hatteras.
Construction began on the C.S.S. Alabama in July 1861 in Liverpool at a cost of $250,000.
The ship was built to power by steam or sail. As a commerce ship, it accommodated 120 men and 24 officers.
The Alabama was able to leave Liverpool on a faked dry run.
Semmes boarded the ship later while docked in the Caymen Islands.
Ten weeks into the cruise, it had captured 23 enemy ships.
Semmes collected intelligence from newspapers during the war for the fight against the Union.
During the nearly two years of operation, the ship sank or captured 66 ships belonging to the Union.
The Alabama took 2,000 prisoners during its’ cruise and Semmes was credited for not losing one of the captured.
The ship’s final battle was near Cherbourg, France with the U.S.S. Kearsarge. After nearly an hour of fierce fighting, the Alabama sank.
Semmes was a lawyer following the war and died from poisoning in 1877.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Ed Semmes, right, presented to the Athens Rotary Club recently a historical account of the cruise of the C.S.S. Alabama and Admiral Raphael Semmes during the Civil War. Jason Thomas, left, and John Totten were program chairs.
Discussion
War hero’s descendant speaks to Rotary
- Local News
-
- Holiday closings
-
Memorial Day ceremony slated for Monday
The event, presented by American Legion Post 49 with assistance from the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives, will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the Limestone County Event Center on Pryor Street.
-
Tornado artifacts sought for exhibit
Scientists at the National Weather Service in Huntsville are asking Limestone County residents to contribute to a historical and educational display about the tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011.
-
Schools chief is 'ecstatic' over job
Board members cited Sisk’s experience in handling personnel issues, his working for a large school system, his outgoing personality and his willingness to help obtain money to buy laptop computers for students as evidence of his promise.
-
'Significant' local arrests net drugs, cash
Limestone County deputies made what Sheriff Mike Blakely termed “significant arrests” with a Friday evening drug bust of a house at 817 Westmoreland Street.
-
BREAKING: Reward offered in Limestone burglary
-
MORE STORIES: Click LOCAL NEWS bar at top left
Click "Local News" bar at top left for more stories
-
Bills in meth trash lead to arrest
Trash included the portions of phone and cable bills that led investigators to the address of 43-year-old Larry M. Mason of Tuscumbia.
-
Space Camp celebrating 30th anniversary
The center is hosting a weekend of family-friendly activities and a reunion of Space Camp alumni on June 15.
-
Community colleges seeing declining enrollment
American Association of Community Colleges spokeswoman Norma Kent says changes in the economy are to blame.
- More Local News Headlines
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
