The Alabama was the most infamous vessel in the Confederate fleet, yet never sailed out of a Southern port, and only participated in a few military engagements against the Union. Built in England in 1862, this screw sloop-of-war embarked on a two-year crusade against Northern vessels, not only in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, but as far away as the East Indies. Sunk in the summer of 1864, by the end of her service, the Alabama and her crew had sunk 65 different vessels, with total damages rising upwards into the millions, approximately $100 million when valued today. Many in the South cheered the news of the Alabama’s successes, while the damage to Northern shipping raised the view that the rebels had turned to wanton piracy.
Follow the journey of the Alabama around the world, and learn its story – its origins, actions, and the controversy it raised – through maps here.