Should the CSS Alabama have made a run for it? Could it have?

Kentucky Derby Cavalier.

First Sergeant
Joined
Oct 24, 2019
If I remember correctly the Captain of the Alabama agreed to battle the Kearsarge off of Cherbourg France. From what I recall there was some what of a buffer zone before belligerents could engage one another. was there any documentation of the Kearsarge blocking the Alabama? Was Semmes forced into battle? Why not make a run for it?

Alabama.jpg
 
If I remember correctly the Captain of the Alabama agreed to battle the Kearsarge off of Cherbourg France. From what I recall there was some what of a buffer zone before belligerents could engage one another. was there any documentation of the Kearsarge blocking the Alabama? Was Semmes forced into battle? Why not make a run for it?

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IIRC although working from memory which could be dodgy the Alabama was in fairly poor condition after being at sea and without proper refit or repair for some time. Checking wiki see CSS Alabama final cruise, that seems to support this as Captain Semmes of the Alabama wanted to "dry dock and overhaul his ship, much needed after so long a time at sea and so many naval actions" With the arrival of the Kearsarge very shortly afterwards and "Having no desire to see his worn-out ship rot away at a French dock while quarantined by Union warships" Semmes decided to fight and issued the challenge. However the poor condition of the Alabama's powder and fuses and superior firing of the Kearsarge made it a substantial mismatch.

I suspect that given the better condition of the blockading ship running would have not been a practical option. It was either fight at longish odds or rot away in the French dock.

Steve
 
IIRC although working from memory which could be dodgy the Alabama was in fairly poor condition after being at sea and without proper refit or repair for some time. Checking wiki see CSS Alabama final cruise, that seems to support this as Captain Semmes of the Alabama wanted to "dry dock and overhaul his ship, much needed after so long a time at sea and so many naval actions" With the arrival of the Kearsarge very shortly afterwards and "Having no desire to see his worn-out ship rot away at a French dock while quarantined by Union warships" Semmes decided to fight and issued the challenge. However the poor condition of the Alabama's powder and fuses and superior firing of the Kearsarge made it a substantial mismatch.

I suspect that given the better condition of the blockading ship running would have not been a practical option. It was either fight at longish odds or rot away in the French dock.

Steve
Yah, I figured it might have been something like that.
 
When sailing around what we call today Indonesia, the Alabama had a hard time overtaking one of her prey, and it was noticed the copper sheathing on the hull had peeled back, slowing her down considerably. Hence why Semmes and his crew sailed her back to France to dry-dock her.

Considering how much it affected her speed, I'm not confident she could've got away. That's not even throwing in the fact Semmes viewed the affair as a duel of honor.
 
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