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January 11, 2021
Today in Texas history
Confederate Navy Sinks U.S. Ship
By Bandera Spirits of Texas
On Jan. 11, 1863, the USS “Hatteras” was sunk by the CSS “Alabama.” The “Hatteras,” a converted merchant ship formerly named the “St. Mary,” was commissioned in October 1861 and first saw duty in the South Atlantic.
After assignment to the blockading squadron in the Gulf of Mexico, she was raiding along the Confederate coast when she was sunk by Confederate Captain Raphael Semmes. She lies in 60 feet of water 20 miles south of Galveston. The federal government has been able to preserve the wreck for scientific and historical research.
After assignment to the blockading squadron in the Gulf of Mexico, she was raiding along the Confederate coast when she was sunk by Confederate Captain Raphael Semmes. She lies in 60 feet of water 20 miles south of Galveston. The federal government has been able to preserve the wreck for scientific and historical research.