CSS Shenandoah With (Neil Chatelain)
New for March 2026
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1h 5m
In this episode of the American Civil War & UK History podcast, host Daz is joined by an author and historian Neil Chatelain to discuss the CSS Shenandoah, which was a Confederate commerce raider during the American Civil War.
CSS Shenandoah, one of the most legendary ships in naval history — an iron-framed, teak-planked, full-rigged sailing vessel with auxiliary steam power. Launched in 1863 as the British merchant ship Sea King, she was later transformed into one of the most feared commerce raiders of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.
Under the command of Lieutenant Commander James Waddell, the Shenandoah undertook a daring 12½-month voyage around the world to disrupt Union trade. From 1864 to 1865, she captured or destroyed 38 merchant ships, most of them New Bedford whalers, dealing a significant blow to the Union’s economy. Even more astonishingly, the Shenandoah continued her mission for months after the Civil War had officially ended — firing what is considered the last shot of the war off the Aleutian Islands. Finally, on 6 November 1865, she surrendered on the River Mersey in Liverpool, marking the final Confederate surrender.
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