After the outbreak of the American Civil War in April 1861, the Confederate ports were blockaded by the Union warships. As the intention was that this blockade would prevent any supplies from reaching the south, the Confederacy ordered a large and powerful steam ship (disguised as a merchant ship) designed to attack the Union merchantmen and also for defence purposes. In June 1861 Lairds Shipyard in Birkenhead, England began to build a sleek vessel. When this ship was launched in July 1862 it attracted the attention of the American ambassador in England. Enquiries of the British authorities were fruitless and so the vessel under the designation "Enrica" set off on her trial run, never to return. A month later the "Enrica" anchored in a harbour in the Azores, was armed and taken over by her new Captain Raphael Semmes. Flying the Confederate flag, the warship, now renamed the "Alabama", embarked on her "commerce raids". Due to the increasing presence of Union warships, on 11th June 1864, the "Alabama" sailed into the French port of Cherbourg. This news reached the commander of the Union warship "Kearsarge", Captain Winslow, leading to the famous sea battle off the French coast on 19th June. In a 60-minute battle the opponents pursued each other mercilessly. Due to the superior firing accuracy of the "Kearsarge" cannon the "Alabama" was grievously damaged and finally abandoned.

Many model-details!

Model details
Scale	1:96
No. of parts	735
Length	838 mm
Height	457 mm
Skill Level	5

Original details
Type description	Steam ship
Year/Period	1861
Origin	GB
Engine capacity	600 hp
Engine	2 steam engines
Speed	13 kn