Maury had suspicions that the British were about to detain the Japan,
and left Scotland in a hurry, his suspicionns were proven to be well founded
when orders to detain her arrived at Greenock, on April 2nd.
Standing
close by the French coast, off Ushant, she met by appointment the steamer
Alar, which had brought her guns, ordnance,stores and supplies out from
England.The officers who came out to join her, in the Alar, were Comm.
W. L. Maury, 1st Lt. Chapman, 2nd Lt. Evans, 3rd Lt. Smith,4th Lt. Ingraham,
Passed Midshipman Walker, Midshipman Morgan, Paymaster curtis, Surgeon
Wheedon, and Cheif Engineer Pearson. She was commissioned into the
Confederate States Navy as the CSS Georgia, with W. L. Maury in command.
Her armament consisted of five whitworth guns; two 100 pounders, two 24
pounders and one 32 pounder. Of the men who had signed for a trading voyage,
only thirteen consented to ship as man-of-wars-men, the rest returningto
England on the Alar, and the crew was made up by men brought out in the Alar.
In the Georgia`s short time at sea, she made prizes aggregating to a value of
$406,000, during her 6 month long career. She eventually put into Cherbourg,
France on October 28th 1863, where Commander Maury gave up his ship due to
ill health, and the command passed to Lt. Evans. The Georgia had insufficient
sail power for a craft of her nature, requiring to be re-coaled too often,
consequently it was deemed correct to discontinue her career as a cruiser.
She was taken to Liverpool, arriving there on May 2nd 1864, where she
was dismantled and offered for sale.
