In 1862, during the American Civil War, the CSS Alabama, a Confederate raiding ship, was launched from Birkenhead, England. It quickly became renowned for its mission to disrupt Union merchant shipping, successfully capturing or destroying over 60 Union vessels. The Alabama's actions severely impacted Union trade routes and led to intricate diplomatic tensions between the United States and the United Kingdom, as the US contended that British neutrality was breached by the vessel's construction in England.