5fish
Captain
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2007
- Location
- Central Florida
I found the most feared CSS ship of our civil war. The CSS Alexandra built in Liverpool but she may have been the cause of Confederate shipbuilding demise. She was impounded by Customs and the following court battle halted the shipbuilding for the Confederacy in the United Kingdom...
The whole story... https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/alexandra.html
Snippet...
Alexandra, a prospective cruiser, was a bark-rigged, very strong, wooden steamer with "rakish masts, round stern, very straight stem." Built in the United Kingdom by William C. Miller & Sons, Liverpool, to the order of Charles K. Prioleau of Fraser, Trenholm & Co., the Liverpool firm with Charleston roots whose partner, George A. Trenholm, was the able Confederate Secretary of the Treasury, Alexandra was built through the agency of Fawcett, Preston & Co. She quickly became a cause celebre in testing British policy toward Confederate building in British shipyards to fight the United States at sea.
Snippet...
"The gunboat presented to the Confederate Government by Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co. happened to be launched on the day [7 March 1863] the present Princess of Wales entered London, and in compliment or in commemoration of that event, was named Alexandra . . . while the Alexandra was fitting in the Toxtetle dock, the customs officer of this port seized her in obedience to orders from London" on 5 April under the "Foreign Enlistment Act." Bulloch continues bitterly, "-such was the apparent haste of the British authorities to carry out the wishes of the American minister that the seizure was effected on Sunday.
Snippet... She was so feared... She was wanted by Russia...
Meanwhile, the Russians had made overtures to buy her at a bargain from Comdr. James H. North, CSN, in Britain.
Snippet...
Alexandra has had her insides taken out and houses put up on her decks and has sailed." He thought she would be armed in Bermuda or Nassau, but there is no evidence she ever was. Consul M. M. Jackson at Halifax telegraphed Secretary Seward, 9 September: "Steamer Mary, formerly Alexandra ... is now at Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and carries, as is reported, 4 guns.
You all need to read about her last days in the Confederacy and her name change.... for the whole story... Hipe this up!
Here is itching of her...
Here is another link about her story with different details ... https://sites.google.com/site/290foundation/history/alexandra
Here is one detail from it...
Sir Hugh Cairns, a gifted attorney and George Mellish, a well-known trial lawyer appeared for the defence noting, the Crown's case essentially relied on the evidence of the three spies on Dudley's pay roll. Sir Hugh soon demolished any credibility of the evidence submitted by any of these three witnesses and by the time he had destroyed the last of these, Clarence R. Yonge, who had worked for Bulloch and Semmes until the latter discharged Yonge for embezzlement, the case for the Crown was well and truly lost. Fawsett, Preston made an immediate application for the restoration of 'Alexandra' but found the Crown had filed an appeal with the House of Lords. A year after the ship's seizure, this appeal also failed and her owners settled for damages, accepting the sum of 3,700 Pounds, half their original claim.
The whole story... https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/alexandra.html
Snippet...
Alexandra, a prospective cruiser, was a bark-rigged, very strong, wooden steamer with "rakish masts, round stern, very straight stem." Built in the United Kingdom by William C. Miller & Sons, Liverpool, to the order of Charles K. Prioleau of Fraser, Trenholm & Co., the Liverpool firm with Charleston roots whose partner, George A. Trenholm, was the able Confederate Secretary of the Treasury, Alexandra was built through the agency of Fawcett, Preston & Co. She quickly became a cause celebre in testing British policy toward Confederate building in British shipyards to fight the United States at sea.
Snippet...
"The gunboat presented to the Confederate Government by Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co. happened to be launched on the day [7 March 1863] the present Princess of Wales entered London, and in compliment or in commemoration of that event, was named Alexandra . . . while the Alexandra was fitting in the Toxtetle dock, the customs officer of this port seized her in obedience to orders from London" on 5 April under the "Foreign Enlistment Act." Bulloch continues bitterly, "-such was the apparent haste of the British authorities to carry out the wishes of the American minister that the seizure was effected on Sunday.
Snippet... She was so feared... She was wanted by Russia...
Meanwhile, the Russians had made overtures to buy her at a bargain from Comdr. James H. North, CSN, in Britain.
Snippet...
Alexandra has had her insides taken out and houses put up on her decks and has sailed." He thought she would be armed in Bermuda or Nassau, but there is no evidence she ever was. Consul M. M. Jackson at Halifax telegraphed Secretary Seward, 9 September: "Steamer Mary, formerly Alexandra ... is now at Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and carries, as is reported, 4 guns.
You all need to read about her last days in the Confederacy and her name change.... for the whole story... Hipe this up!
Here is itching of her...
Here is another link about her story with different details ... https://sites.google.com/site/290foundation/history/alexandra
Here is one detail from it...
Sir Hugh Cairns, a gifted attorney and George Mellish, a well-known trial lawyer appeared for the defence noting, the Crown's case essentially relied on the evidence of the three spies on Dudley's pay roll. Sir Hugh soon demolished any credibility of the evidence submitted by any of these three witnesses and by the time he had destroyed the last of these, Clarence R. Yonge, who had worked for Bulloch and Semmes until the latter discharged Yonge for embezzlement, the case for the Crown was well and truly lost. Fawsett, Preston made an immediate application for the restoration of 'Alexandra' but found the Crown had filed an appeal with the House of Lords. A year after the ship's seizure, this appeal also failed and her owners settled for damages, accepting the sum of 3,700 Pounds, half their original claim.
Bringing the