CSS Florida ( cruiser ) CSS Florida was a cruiser in the Confederate States Navy . " Florida " was built by the British firm of William C . Miller & Sons of Toxteth , Liverpool , and purchased by the Confederacy from Fawcett , Preston & Co . , also of Liverpool , who engined her . Known in the shipyard as " Oreto " and initially called by the Confederates " Manassas " , the first of the foreign - built commerce raiders was commissioned " Florida " . Union records long continued to refer to her as " Oreto " or to confuse her with CSS " Alabama " although , fitted with two funnels , she was readily distinguishable from single - stacked " Alabama " . " Florida " departed England on March 22 , 1862 for Nassau , Bahamas , to coal and contrived to fill her bunkers , although entitled only to enough to make the nearest Confederate port . She was the subject of much diplomatic correspondence . The governor of Nassau drew the line , however , at an attempted rendezvous with her tender in Nassau harbor ; so she transferred stores and arms at isolated Green Cay . There she commissioned as " Florida " on August 17 , with veteran Lieutenant John Newland Maffitt , CSN , in command . During her outfit , yellow fever raged among her crew , in 5 days reducing her effective force to one fireman and four deckhands . In desperate plight , she ran across to Cuba . There in Cárdenas , Maffitt too was stricken with the dreaded disease . In this condition , against all probability , the intrepid Maffitt sailed her from Cárdenas to Mobile , Alabama . In an audacious dash the " Prince of Privateers " braved a hail of projectiles from the Union blockade rs and raced through them to anchor beneath the guns of Fort Morgan for a hero ' s welcome by Mobile . " Florida " had been unable to fight back not only because of sickness but because rammers , sights , beds , locks and quoins had , inadvertently , not been loaded in the Bahamas . Having taken stores and gun accessories she lacked , along with added crew members , " Florida " escaped to sea on January 16 , 1863 under Captain John Newland Maffitt . After coaling at Nassau , she spent 6 months off North and South America and in the West Indies , with calls at neutral ports , all the while making captures and eluding the large Federal squadron pursuing her . Florida sailed 27 July from Bermuda for Brest , France where she lay in the French government dock from August 23 , 1863 to February 12 , 1864 . There , broken in health , Maffitt relinquished command to Lieutenant Charles Manigault Morris . Departing for the West Indies , " Florida " bunkered at Barbados , although the 3 months specified by British law had not elapsed since last coaling at a British Empire port . She then skirted the U . S . coast , sailed east to Tenerife in the Canaries and thence to Bahia , Brazil , arriving October 4 , 1864 . Anchored in the Brazilian haven , on October 7 " Florida " , while her captain was ashore with half his crew , was caught defenseless in an illegal night attack by Commander Napoleon Collins of USS " Wachusett " . Towed to sea , she was sent to the United States as a prize despite Brazil ' s protests at this clear violation of their sovereignty . Commander Collins was court - martial ed and was convicted of violating Brazilian territorial rights , but the verdict was set aside by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles ; Collins won fame and eventual promotion for his daring . At Newport News , Virginia on November 28 , 1864 , " Florida " reached the end of her strange career when she sank under dubious circumstances after a collision with the USAT " Alliance " , a troop ferry . The sinking was most likely done at Admiral David Dixon Porter ' s encouragement , if not his orders . The Florida could therefore not be delivered to Brazil in satisfaction of the final court order , and could not rejoin the ranks of the Confederate Navy . Florida captured 37 prizes during her impressive career ; her prizes CSS " Tacony " and CSS " Clarence " in turn took 23 more . Today , many of the artifacts from CSS " Florida " are at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum .