604 



NAVY, UNITED STATES. 



On the llth of January, 1863, about 3 p. M., 

 as the Federal squadron, consisting of the 

 steamers Brooklyn, Hatteras, and five others, 

 was cruising off Galveston, a vessel hove in 

 sight at the southeast, which the Hatteras was 

 ordered to proceed to and learn her character. 

 As she came in sight she appeared to the 

 officers of the Hatteras to be endeavoring to 

 escape. Just after dark the officers of the Hat- 

 teras could perceive that she was bark rigged, 

 and set a topgallant sail ; and, as they ap- 

 proached, found her lying to, under steam. 

 The crew of the Hatteras were at quarters, and 

 Oapt. Blake hailed and asked what ship it was. 

 The answer was, " Her Britannic Majesty's 

 ship Spitfire." Oapt. Blake replied that he 

 would send a boat aboard. The Alabama 

 ranged a little ahead, her officer declaring 

 that she was the Confederate steamer Alaba- 

 ma, and immediately opened fire on the Hat- 

 teras. It was returned by the Hatteras, and 

 both started ahead under a full head of steam, 

 exchanging broadsides as fast as they could 

 load and fire. 



The heavy guns of the Alabama soon dis- 

 abled the Hatteras, so that it was impossible 

 to keep her afloat. Two guns were fired to the 

 leeward, the contest ceased, and the officers 

 and crew of the Hatteras, which soon sunk, 

 were taken to Kingston, Jamaica, and paroled. 



The following were the principal officers of 

 the Alabama: Captain, Raphael Semmes; First 

 Lieutenant and Executive Officer, J. M. Kell ; 

 Second Lieutenant, R. T. Armstrong ; Third 

 Lieutenant, J. D. Wilson ; Fourth Lieutenant, 

 J. Low ; Sailing Master, Arthur St. Clair; Sur- 

 geon, F. M. Gait ; Assistant Surgeon, R. H. 

 Lewelien ; Lieutenant of Marines, B. K. How- 

 ell ; Engineer, Michael Freeman ; Paymaster, 

 C. T. Young (since discharged) ; Midshipmen, 

 Maffit (son of Capt. Maffit, of the Oreto), St. 

 Clair, Bullock, and Anderson. 



The Alabama was supposed not to be the 

 only vessel built in England for the Confederate 

 service. 



NAVY, UNITED STATES. The organiza- 

 tion of the Navy Department of the United 

 States embraces a secretary and two assist- 

 ants; a bureau of navy yards and docks; a 

 bureau of construction and repairs ; a bureau 

 of provisions and clothing; a bureau of ord- 

 nance ; a bureau of medicine and surgery ; a 

 bureau of steam engineering; a bureau of 

 equipments and recruiting ; a bureau of navi- 

 gation, embracing the naval observatory and 

 hydrographical office. 



The officers of the navy, by an act of Con- 

 gress of July 16, 1862, are divided into nine 

 grades, taking rank according to the date of 

 commission in each grade, as follows : 



1. Rear-Admirals, 



Rear-Admirals to rank with Major-Generals, 



2. Commodores, 



3. Captains, 



4. Commanders, 



5. Lieut-Commanders, 



6. Lieutenants, 



7. Masters, 



8. Ensigns, 



9. Midshipmen. 



Commodores 



Captains 



Commanders 



Lieut.-Comm'ders 



Lieutenants 



Masters 



Ensigns 



Brigadier-Generals, 



Colonels. 



Lieutenant-Colonels, 



Majors, 



Captains, 



First Lieutenants, 



Second Lieutenants. 



The number of officers of each rank, at the 

 close of the year, was as follows : 



Rear-Admirals ........... 



" " acting.... 



Commodores ............ 



Captains ........ ........ 



Commanders ............ 



Lieutenant-Commanders. 



Active list. Reserved list. Retired list. 



4 9 

 5 



16 .. 16 



39 10 22 



90 11 7 

 144 



Their rank as compared with officers of the 

 army is as follows : 



Lieutenants ............ 104 17 6 



The vessels of the navy building and in ser- 

 vice, and the number of guns carried by them, 

 and the class to which they belonged, were on 

 Nov. 1, 1862, as follows : 



STEAMERS : 



No. of vessels. Gum. 



Side-wheel steamers .................. 102 532 



Screw steamers ....................... 114 672 



Iron-clad steamers .................... 63 266 



Steam gunboats and rams ............. 13 67 



Total ............................. 282 1,537 



SAILING VESSELS. 



Ships and frigates ..................... 12 804 



81oops-of-war ......................... 21 346 



Mortar fleet .......................... 19 56 



Ships, barks, brigs, &c. ................ 50 194 



Total ............................. 102 1,400 



The vessels in service have formed the follow- 

 ing squadrons: West Gulf squadron, 59 vessels ; 

 West Indies, 8 vessels ; East India squadron, 3 

 vessels; Mediterranean, 6 vessels ; Pacific squad- 

 ron, 5 vessels; South Atlantic blockading 

 squadron, 63 vessels ; North Atlantic blockad- 

 ing squadron, 65 vessels; Western Flotilla, 79 

 vessels ; East Gulf squadron, 24 vessels ; Poto- 

 mac fleet, 21 vessels; coast of Africa, 1. 



For the operations of the navy in contest 

 with the Confederate forces, see NAVAL OPERA- 

 TIONS, and ARMY OPERATIONS. 



The most important subject before the Gov- 

 ernment and people of the United States rela- 

 tive to their navy respects the iron-clad ves- 

 sels. The operations of the Government dur- 

 ing the year, with the principles that have 

 been developed, and the improvements which 

 have been made relative to these vessels, so far 

 as they are allowed to be known, are presented 

 in the annexed pages. 



IRON-CLAD, or ARMORED VESSELS. The 

 ground occupied by either army in an engage- 

 ment in open field being of uncertain character 

 and extent, and liable to continual change, it 

 results that here no definite system of defence 

 is practicable, and that a land battle is chiefly 

 waged, on both sides, in the way of offensive 

 operations. On the contrary, in naval engage- 

 ments, and those carried on from within forti- 

 fications, the area and objects against which 

 the assault is directed are limited and well 

 defined ; in effect, the ground (so to speak) of 

 the defending party is for the time not only 

 small but unchangeable. However simple and 

 obvious this distinction, it is radical, and one 

 that is even now developing consequences of 



