The Illustrious Career of the CSS Shenandoah
In August of 1863, the steamship SS
Sea King slid down the launching dock at Glasgow, Scotland. This
ship was designed to be one of the fastest of its day. It would soon
gain fame and see the world under a unique captain.
The Confederate States in 1863 were
still in the midst of their effort to try to gain independence from
the United States. As a result they had agents throughout Europe
looking to negotiate the building and purchase of ships capable of
being made into ocean going commerce raiders. The agents in Scotland
had heard of the SS Sea King and had their eyes upon the ship.
Through their connections the agents of the Confederate Navy were
able to purchase the ship and add it to their fleet of commerce
raiders.
The SS Sea King was purchased in
1864 by the Confederate Navy and was sent to sea under secrecy with
the cover that she was headed for India on a commercial voyage. Once
at sea the ship was directed to Madiera where she was outfitted with
cannon and crew and was commissioned as the CSS Shenandoah.
The ship was commanded by Commander James Iredell Waddell. Under
Waddell's command, the CSS Shenandoah would be the only
Confederate Navy ship to circumnavigate the world.
As the first leg of her
circumnavigation voyage, the CSS Shenandoah cruised through
the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. In this leg of the voyage
the ship met success and captured 9 US ships during the voyage. The
ship then arrived in Melbourne, Australia in January of 1865.
After getting needed repairs in
Melbourne, the ship set sail for the rich whaling grounds of the
North Pacific. This was after finding out that the American South
Pacific whaling fleet had been warned of the CSS Shenandoah's
presence in the region. In the voyage to the North Pacific, the ship
stopped in the Eastern Carolines where it captured and sank four US
merchant ships.
Arriving in the North Pacific in June
of 1865, the ship attacked and sank or captured 24 vessels. This
success was soon tinged with sad news however for the crew. The CSS
Shenandoah set course to attack San Francisco, California but on
the way received news from an English sailing vessel that the
Confederate Government had been forced to surrender thus ending the
American Civil War.
Rather than face the possibilities of
receiving ruthless treatment at the hands of US authorities the
officers and crew of the ship decided to head for Liverpool, England,
by way of South America. The ship stored its armaments and was
repainted to look like a standard merchant ship of the era. Leaving
the North Pacific in August of 1865, the ship arrived in Liverpool in
early November of 1865. The ship then surrendered to British
authorities who took ownership of the ship.
The ship in her short one year career
managed to take 38 prizes and traveled over 58,000 miles. Also it
gained the recognition of being the only Confederate ship to
circumnavigate the globe. In 1866 it was sold to the Sultan of
Zanzibar and was renamed the El Majidi. The ship finally met
its end in 1879 and was reported as lost at sea with all hands.
Sources
“CSS Shenandoah”, Civil War Wiki
“When Liverpool was Dixie”, CSA
Dixie
“CSS Shenandoah (1864-1865)”,
Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center
No comments:
Post a Comment