Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #11
  • Home
  • The Admiral
    • Biography of the Admiral
    • Stories of the Statue of the Admiral
  • Service Afloat – The Ships of Raphael Semmes
    • USS Sommers
    • CSS Sumter
    • CSS Alabama >
      • Histories of the CSS Alabama
      • Voyages of the Alabama
      • Photographs of the Alabama
      • Sinking of the Alabama
      • Legal Ramifications of the Alabama
      • Raising History: The Story of the Wreck of the CSS Alabama
      • "Roll Alabama" The Seaman's Shanty and Other Songs
      • CSS Alabama at the MMOA
    • US Navy Ships named in honor of Adm. Semmes
    • US Navy Ships named in honor of Alabama
  • Camp Activities
    • 20th Century Activities
    • Activities from 2000-2010 >
      • 2007 SCV Reunion
    • 2012
    • 2013
    • 2014
    • 2015
    • 2016
    • Reenactors of Camp #11 >
      • Reenactors Report 2012
      • Reenactors Report 2013
      • Reenactors Report 2014
      • Reenactors Report 2015
      • Reenactors Report 2016
  • Camp Presentations
  • Camp Calendar
  • Compatriots Only
    • Compatriot Announcements
    • Camp #11 Compatriot News
  • Publications
    • Admiral's Log
    • Books About the WBTS Written by Camp#11 Compatriots
    • Books of Note Written by Camp#11 Compatriots
    • Books About the WBTS Written by Mobilians
    • Additional Resources
  • Mobile during the War Between the States
    • Military Conflicts around Mobile during the War between the States
    • Military Units serving in Mobile >
      • 21st Alabama Infantry Regiment
      • 24th Alabama Infantry Regiment
      • 25th Alabama Infantry Regiment
      • 1st Alabama Artillery Battalion
      • 2nd Alabama Artillery Battalion
      • WARD'S (CRUSE'S) ARTILLERY BATTERY
    • Medical Care in Mobile during the War
    • Shipbuilding >
      • Locally Constructed Ships
      • HL Hunley Resources
      • News about the Hunley
    • The Mobile and Ohio Railroad
    • Mobile's Top Secret Air War
    • Guide to History Collections in Mobile
    • Mobile Campaign for Researchers
  • Confederate Rest
  • Fort McDermott
    • Ft. McDermott Confederate Memorial Park
    • Memorial Statue at Ft. McDermott
    • Fort McDermott Maps
    • Reclamation Project
  • Shipwrecks of Mobile Bay and Alabama 1861-1865
  • News of Interest
  • This Day in the History of the War Between the States
  • Mobilians during the War Between the States
    • Father Ryan - Poet-Priest
    • John L. Rapier
  • How They Lived
    • The Confederate Soldier
    • The Civilians of the Confederacy
  • Resources
    • Local Heritage Sites
    • Alabama Department of Archives and History
    • Other Alabama Camp Websites
    • Sons of Confederate Veterans National Links
    • Confederate Veterans Magazine Back Issues
    • Confederate Veterans Grave Sites >
      • Applying for a Headstone for your CSA Veteran Ancestor
    • Ancestry Sites
    • Classic Books online about the WBTS
    • For the Underwater Adventurer –
  • Membership
  • Contact

ADMIRAL RAPHAEL SEMMES CAMP #11
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS
MOBILE, ALABAMA

The following excerpt was published in the Mobile Register August 19, 2005

History Still Buried in Mobile Bay

We all watched with fascination as Clive Cussler led his team at the National Underwater and Marine Agency and the divers he hired, who have been credited by the South Carolina Hunley Commission with finding the CSS Hunley, a submarine built in Mobile for the Confederacy.

Since that event, we have also seen the turret of the USS Monitor, the United States’ first ironclad, raised from the ocean depths. Both of these items have turned into large tourist attractions for the areas displaying these historical items.

Lying beneath the waters of Mobile Bay are historical items that match or exceed the artifacts listed above. The Battle of Mobile Bay was a brutal naval battle that tested the courage of men of the U.S. Navy and the Confederate Navy. Many lives and ships were lost during this battle.

While the souls of these brave men have long since passed on, the ships upon which they served, in many cases, rest below the waters of Mobile Bay. Mobile has a fleeting opportunity to harvest these artifacts and to create a historical center that allows visitors to relive part of Mo- bile’s great history.

There will continue to be an increase in tourist traffic through Mo- bile as Baldwin County transforms itself into a much larger tourist economy. A center, based on the CSS Hunley Center model, would be a great tourist attraction for people to visit as part of their vacation journeys.

Just some of the ships in and around Mobile are:

The USS Tecumseh. This ship has been examined by NUMA and the Smithsonian Institute. Both organizations felt that the Tecumseh was the best preserved monitor of the four known monitors in the United States. During their examinations, artifacts including bottles, candlesticks, saucers, plates and human remains were removed. To my knowledge, these items were not turned over to the Mobile Museum for display. They also noted damage to the ship that was caused by vandals who used underwater cutting torches.

The CSS Huntsville and the CSS Tuscaloosa. These were unfinished ironclads that were sunk in the Spanish River just north of Mobile. There is some movement in Huntsville to raise the CSS Huntsville and display it in Huntsville.

CSS Phoenix. The Phoenix was an incomplete side-wheel ironclad warship that was one of 14 sunk as part of the Dog River Bar obstructions. These obstructions still exist today.

CSS Ivanhoe. The Ivanhoe was an iron-hulled paddlewheel steam ship designed to evade the blockading Union fleet. The archeology department from Florida State University has located the Ivanhoe in an area where it would be extremely easy to recover artifacts. There are many more wrecks than the ones I have mentioned here. In addition to the artifacts themselves, there is a great wealth of written text that describes the battle and life in general in and around Mobile during this time.