She is easily distinguished by her twin smoke stacks (funnels)
and rakish (slanted) masts.
Confederate States Steamer
(CSS)
FLORIDA
*The first cruiser built overseas in England.
Sailed unarmed as the "Oreto" from
Liverpool
on 22 March 1862 and arrived at Nassau, Bahamas. Was impounded for
several
months until released by the courts. Here Capt. Maffitt took
charge
after blockade running from Wilmington, NC.
*Commissioned 17 August 1862 off the
Island
of Green Cay, Bahamas. Sailed to Cardenas and Havana, Cuba
before
making the famous run into Mobile Bay, Alabama on 4 September 1862.
Spent several months being rebuilt from the damage inflicted by the
bombardment
(read story) on the run in and escaped again on 16 January 1863. After
capturing numerous ships (the Jacob Bell was the largest at 1.5 million
dollars value) and stopping in the harbor of St. Georges, Bermuda, she
ran into the harbor at Brest, France.
Capt. Maffitt requested to be relieved
due to health and Capt. Barney took charge to repair the ship.
When ready to sail, Capt. Morris took
command until his unfortunate arrival in the Bay of Bahia, Brazil.
Ship was illegally captured by the USN in the
neutral harbor of Bahia, Brazil 7 October 1864.
Towed to Hampton Roads, Virginia by USN and
purposely
sunk in harbor to keep her from getting to sea again (don't
believe
what you might have read about being "accidentally" hit by an Army
transport
ship). All a gross
injustice and violation of International Law
by the US Navy and produced a huge international incident (read story
below).
Some of her remains and relics
may be seen at Nauticus, Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk,
Virginia.
She is easily distinguished by
her twin smoke stacks (funnels)
and rakish (slanted) masts.
Capt.
John N. Maffitt (read
his journal and log from Nassau to Mobile Bay, Alabama)
(added 3 August 2000)
(Log & Journal -
first cruise from Mobile Bay, Alabama to Brest, France) (added
4 August 2000)
Capt. Joseph N.Barney (was
responsible for the ship's rebuilding in Brest, France)
Capt. Charles M.Morris (read
some of the log book of his cruise)
(read
the illegal capture reports---hosted by the University of North
Carolina
at Chapel Hill)
She captured the largest prize of ANY
cruiser,
the Jacob Bell, valued between 1.5 and 2 Million dollars in
1863.
She also captured the Second Largest
prize,
the Oneida, valued between 760 thousand and 1 million dollars.
She received and exchanged the ONLY foreign
salute
to the Confederacy at St. Georges, Bermuda.
She and her tenders captured MORE ships for the
amount of time at sea
than the CSS Alabama and tenders.
She has MORE of her crew buried overseas
than any other ship.
She is the ONLY cruiser whose hull
remains
in the Confederacy.
MUCH MORE TO COME, please check back
Roy Rawlinson of the website "When Liverpool
Was
Dixie" has on his site a very good article on the CSS FLORIDA.
Here is a link to it: http://www.csa-dixie.com/Liverpool_Dixie/florida.htm
Use your 'back' button to return here.
In the meantime, read these books on the CSS
FLORIDA:
Sea Devil of the Confederacy by Boykin (1959)
The CSS FLORIDA, Her Building and Operations
by Owsley (1965 and 1987)
Gray Raiders of the Sea by Hearn (1992)