Battle of Cherbourg

19 June 1864, Off Cherbourg, France

Union victory

Worn out after nearly two years at sea, Alabama put into Cherbourg for repairs and was trapped there by Kearsarge. Semmes came out to fight, watched by crowds on the cliffs. The two ships circled each other for about an hour; Kearsarge's heavier, more accurate fire holed Alabama below the waterline and she sank. A British yacht, Deerhound, picked up Semmes and took him to England.