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Famous Ships

{DOU}Cygnus · 2005-08-06T12:26:41Z

One of my too numerous hobbies has been ships. I've built literally hundreds of models, read about and seen movies having to do with ships. I thought I'd bore most of you with a post or 2 each week on this thread about notable ships throughout history. C.S.S. Alabama History CSS Alabama was a screw sloop-of-war built for the Confederacy in 1862 by John Laird Sons and Company, Liverpool, England. Launched as Enrica, it was fitted out as a cruiser and commissioned 24 August 1862 as CSS Alabama. Under Captain Raphael Semmes, Alabama spent the next two months capturing and burning ships in the North Atlantic and intercepting American grain ships bound for Europe. Continuing the path of destruction through the West Indies, Alabama sank USS Hatteras along the Texas coast and captured her crew. After a visit to Cape Town, South Africa, Alabama sailed for the East Indies where the ship spent six months cruising, destroying seven more ships before redoubling the Cape en route to Europe. On 11 June 1864, Alabama arrived in Cherbourg, France and Captain Semmes requested permission to dock and overhaul his ship. Pursuing the raider, the American sloop-of-war USS Kearsarge arrived three days later and took up a patrol just outside the harbor. On 19 June, Alabama sailed out to meet Kearsarge. As Kearsarge turned to meet its opponent, Alabama opened fire. Kearsarge waited patiently until the range had closed to less than 1,000 yards. According to survivors, the two ships steamed on opposite courses moving around in circles as each commander tried to cross the bow of his opponent to deliver a heavy raking fire. The battle quickly turned against Alabama because of the poor quality of its powder and shells, while Kearsarge benefitted from the additional protection of chain cables along its sides. A little more than an hour after the first shot was fired, Alabama was reduced to a sinking wreck, causing Semmes to strike his colors and send a boat to surrender. According to witnesses, Alabama fired 150 rounds at its adversary, while Kearsarge fired 100. When a shell fired by Kearsarge tore open a section at Alabama's waterline, the water quickly rushed through the cruiser, forcing it to the bottom. While Kearsarge rescued most of Alabama's survivors, Semmes and 41 others were picked up by the British yacht Deerhound and escaped to England. During its two-year career as a commerce raider, Alabama caused disorder and devastation across the globe for United States merchant shipping. The Confederate cruiser claimed more than 60 prizes valued at nearly $6,000,000. The Wreck One hundred and twenty years after its loss, the French Navy mine hunter Circe discovered a wreck under nearly 200 feet of water off Cherbourg, France. French Navy Captain Max Guerout later confirmed the wreck to be Alabama's remains. In 1988, a non-profit organization, the Association CSS Alabama, was founded to conduct scientific exploration of the shipwreck. Although the wreck resides within French territorial waters, the U.S. government, as the successor to the former Confederate States of America, is the owner. On 3 October 1989, the United States and France signed an agreement recognizing this wreck as an important heritage resource of both nations and establishing a Joint French-American Scientific Committee for archaeological exploration. This agreement established a precedent for international cooperation in archaeological research and in the protection of a unique historic shipwreck. The Association CSS Alabama and the U.S. Navy/Naval Historical Center signed on 23 March 1995 an official agreement accrediting Association CSS Alabama as operator of the archaeological investigation of the remains of the ship. This agreement will be in effect for five years and is renewable by mutual consent. The signing of the agreement establishes a precedent for international cooperation in archaeological cooperation and the protection of a unique historic shipwreck. Association CSS Alabama, which is funded solely from private donations, is continuing to make this an international project through its fund raising in France and in the United States, thanks to its sister organization, the CSS Alabama Association, incorporated in the State of Delaware. Here's a link to this same article:There's a bunch of links there to other related articles, photos, engravings & prints. JB Btw, I have an unbuilt 3-foot model of this ship. I hope to eventually get a display case built for it's construction. Revell/Germany is currently producing the U.S.S. Kearsarge and I hope to get that model as well.

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{DOU}Cygnus

(@doucygnus)

Illustrious Member

Snake wrote: What bubble? 😈

Was wondering if anyone would pick up on that 🙂

Uh, huh........ 😉

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Topic starter Posted : 19/08/2005 7:14 pm

{DOU}Cygnus

(@doucygnus)

Illustrious Member

A cursed ship? Wait 'til you get to the end of this one!

THE GREAT EASTERN

http://www.greatoceanliners.net/greateastern.html

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Topic starter Posted : 24/08/2005 1:01 am

AAAGGHHH!!

(@aaagghhh)

Estimable Member

wow...I wonder how the hell he got in there?

Life isn't about Finding Yourself.

Life is about Creating Yourself.

Never Look Down on Someone

Unless You are Helping Them Up.

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Posted : 24/08/2005 1:17 am

.::/3I§ON::.

(@3ion)

Member Admin

AAAGGHHH!! wrote: wow...I wonder how the hell he got in there?

If they told you then you wouldn't have to wonder, now would you 😈

:peace_v:

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Posted : 24/08/2005 2:43 am

]POT[H0N012

(@poth0n012)

Eminent Member

he gets a point there

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Posted : 24/08/2005 2:48 am

AAAGGHHH!!

(@aaagghhh)

Estimable Member

lol I guess not...maybe he fell asleep..or was murdered 😮 but I bet they never found out.

Life isn't about Finding Yourself.

Life is about Creating Yourself.

Never Look Down on Someone

Unless You are Helping Them Up.

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Posted : 24/08/2005 2:54 am

.::/3I§ON::.

(@3ion)

Member Admin

AAAGGHHH!! wrote: lol I guess not...maybe he fell asleep..or was murdered 😮 but I bet they never found out.

ok, that dance thing is just wrong, put it away and NEVER bring it out again

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Posted : 24/08/2005 3:02 am

AAAGGHHH!!

(@aaagghhh)

Estimable Member

Man I took that last link down..lol..that crap was not what I thought it was after I read it some more. That crap was a BOARD game for crying out loud....hehe...and these people seemed to really get into with their reviews...lol...jeese..

I thought it was a PC game for Riverboat racing lol.

Life isn't about Finding Yourself.

Life is about Creating Yourself.

Never Look Down on Someone

Unless You are Helping Them Up.

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Posted : 24/08/2005 3:03 am

{DOU}Cygnus

(@doucygnus)

Illustrious Member

AAAGGHHH!! wrote: wow...I wonder how the hell he got in there?

There are versions of the Great Eastern story that tell of numerous complaints in her passenger carrying days of a mysterious metal-on-metal tapping that no one could track down. And the ship-wright that was entombed in her double-hull was reported to have been found with a riveters hammer still in what was left of his hand. I also recall yet another version that stated a second skeleton was found next to the first. The father and his young apprentice son.

In any case that vessel was definitely a bad-luck ship.

BTW, I believe her original name was Leviathan. Never, ever rename a ship. No good almost always comes of it.

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Topic starter Posted : 25/08/2005 12:44 am

.::/3I§ON::.

(@3ion)

Member Admin

)(er)(es wrote:

BTW, I believe her original name was Leviathan. Never, ever rename a ship. No good almost always comes of it.

JB

Thats what they say ❗ Wonder why that is ❓

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Posted : 25/08/2005 12:46 am

{DOU}Cygnus

(@doucygnus)

Illustrious Member

{DOU} -=Bi§oN=- wrote: [quote=)(er)(es]

BTW, I believe her original name was Leviathan. Never, ever rename a ship. No good almost always comes of it.

JB

Thats what they say ❗ Wonder why that is ❓

There's all kinds of superstitions that have evolved around seafarers. That one ranks right up there with the one about having a woman on board.

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Topic starter Posted : 25/08/2005 1:00 am

KILLER BEE

(@killer-bee)

Estimable Member

WOW never knew there where that many ship's never paid attention in school to them thought it was boring but it is not 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆

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Posted : 25/08/2005 12:29 pm

{DOU}FLSTC

(@douflstc)

Reputable Member

Loose lips sick ships 8) 8)

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Posted : 31/08/2005 12:43 am

{DOU}Cygnus

(@doucygnus)

Illustrious Member

Been busy lately so I've been a bit behind on these...

H.M.S VICTORY

Nelson's Flagship at Trafalgar

Here's the official Website:

http://www.hms-victory.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

And here's short histories on her predecessors that bore the name 'Victory'

http://www.twogreens.com/wakeup/ships/6victory.htm

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Topic starter Posted : 25/09/2005 8:06 pm

.::/3I§ON::.

(@3ion)

Member Admin

)(er)(es wrote: Been busy lately so I've been a bit behind on these...

Damn, I was hoping you just ran out

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Posted : 25/09/2005 9:39 pm

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