The only American to ever have held the ranks of admiral and general at the same time, Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes is best known as the commander of the Confederate raider, "Alabama." During his time commanding that ship, a record 65 U.S. merchant ships were captured by his crew and the Union warship Hatteras was sunk. Ranging the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific, and the Europe, from August 1862 to June 1864 the much despised "Alabama" was a sought-after target for U.S. warships. The U.S. ship "Kearsarge" finally caught up with the "Alabama" off France on June 19, 1864. She was destroyed and her crew, along with Semmes, was captured.