Alabama's first expeditionary raid in 1862 captured and burned ten ships, generally described as mostly whalers. Some other captures were probably connected to whaling, while one was probably an ordinary merchant vessel. Ships' flexible employment in this period complicates those descriptions. The next cruise carried Alabama around Newfoundland, New England, and Bermuda, where she burned another ten vessels. Semmes also released three captured ships that he did not consider suitable for further action. The opening cruises illustrate both the geographical reach of the raider and the decisions made over individual captures.
Chapter · 26:29-27:45
Alabama's whaling and North Atlantic raids
Alabama's opening cruises attacked whalers and merchant shipping across the North Atlantic before Semmes released captures he considered unsuitable for further use.