This Day in History: 29 July 1863
On 29 July 1863, The Alabama, an American raider belonging to the Southern States during the American Civil War arrived in Saldana Bay, on the west coast of South Africa, to resupply.
During the course of the American Civil War, the Southern States realised that they could not match the Northern American States with regard to their navy, and instead adopted the strategy of sinking and capturing ships belonging to the Northern Union states.
The vessels that preyed on civilian shipping were called raiders and often described as being state sanctioned pirates. By the time the Alabama sailed into Cape Town she had sunk more than fifty Union trading vessels and had built up a reputation for being one of the most famous raiders in history.
In August 1863, The Alabama created great excitement as it sank a Union ship, The Sea Bride, within sight of Cape Town harbour. It then berthed in Cape Town for provisions and repairs again.
This gave rise to the song "Daar kom die Alabama", a folk song still sung in Cape Town today. After a brief but illustrious career, having sunk more than 60 ships, the Alabama met
References:
English account of the Alabama's career [online] Available at: www.nytimes.com [Accessed 23 July 2010]
Here comes the Alabama [online] Available at: www.jason-stevens.com [Accessed 23 July 2010]
The day guns blazed and a folk song was born [online] Available at: www.theherald.co.za [Accessed 23 July 2010]
