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Monday 30 November 2015

Crews of American warships USS Niagara, USS Kearsage and CSS Alabama numbered several foreign sailors according to the Dutch newspaper Vlissings Weekblad dated 9 July 1864

An item dated Vlissingen, Netherlands 1st reported that the crew of 650 sailors of the steam warship USS Niagara (1) numbered more as 100 Dutchmen. Commodore Craver (2) was even from Dutch descent and captain J.A. Winslow(3) of the USS Kearsage (4) of Danish descent. When the Dutch steam frigate Zr. Ms. Zeeland (3) recently visited Cape of Good Hope, South Africa where the CSS Alabama (4) was lying. One crewmember of the Zeeland went on board of the Alabama where him was told by an officer that among the crew were 23 West Frisians, brave huge sailors and even a Dutchmen which name was especially not supplied in the newspaper but who served with a certain rank on board of the ship. In his fatherland he seemed to had an important position which was also the reason that his name stayed anonymous.

Notes
1 Screw steam frigate launched at the New York Navy, USA on 23 February 1855, commissioned on 6 April 1857, decommissioned on 28 September 1864, berthed since then on the Boston Navy Yard and finally sold on 6 May 1885. Her armament consisted of 12-11”/28cm Dahlgren smoothbore guns.
2. This must be Thomas Tingey Craven (30 December 1808 Washington, D.C., USA-23 August 1887 Boston, Massachusetts, USA), ended his career on the rank of rear-admiral.
3. John Ancrum Winslow (19 November 1811 Wilmington, North Carolina-29 September 1873 Boston, Massachusetts, USA), ended his career in the rank of rear admiral.
4. Of the Mohican-class sloops, building ordered in 1861, on stocks at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, USA in 1861, launched on 11 September 1861, commissioned on 24 January 1862, destroyed the CSS Alabama off Cherbourg, France on 19 June 1864 and finally wrecked on a reef off Roncador Cay on 2 February 1894. Armament consisted of 2-11”/28xm smoothbore Dahlgren guns, 4-32pd guns and 1-30pd Parrott rifle.
5. Screw steamship 1st class, call sign GRDC, wood-built, laid down at the navy yard at Vlissingen, Netherlands 28 February 1856, launched 31 July 1859, stricken 1874, guard ship at Batavia, Dutch East Indies 1875, decommissioned 8 December 1883, towed half January 1884 towards the roads of Surabaya, Dutch East Indies, sold on an auction for ƒ 20.600,00 to the Arab Sai Agil bin Hijdroes to be broken up morning of 15th March, dimensions 63,5 x 15,7 x 6,7 metres, displacement 3.300 tons, horsepower 400 hp, speed 8 miles, a crew numbering 500 men and an armament of 4 (as guard ship 1-15cm, 3-12cm guns)-51 guns (consisting of 1 long 60pd gun, 30-long 30pd guns, 12-20” grenade guns and 8 rifled 16cm guns).
6. On stocks at the shipyard of John Laird, Son&Company, Birkenhead, England with hull number 290 in1862, launched as the Enrica on 29 July 1862, fitted out as a commerce raider at Terceira Island, Azores and commissioned as the screw steam CSS Alabama on 24 August 1862 and sunk in a battle with the USS Kearsage off Cherbourg, France on 19 June 1864. With an armament of 6-32lb guns, 1-110lb gun and 1-68lb gun.