There was no undervover resell prospect not agreement between the Confederacy and Denmark, which really needed the ship. The true project however later was no longer to resell the vessel to the Confederacy. This became the official version and credible cover, allowing the Yard to proceed with the construction without alarming more Union delegates in France. So the armoured ram steamer, already laid down in 1863 was now planned to be under cover of a sale to Denmark, by the time hard-pressed by Prussia for territorial concessions (which would end with the Second Schleswig War in 1864). Cheops even had a document attesting she was to be sold to Prussia as Prinz Adalbert, and Sphinx to Denmark as “Stærkodder”, on 31 March 1864. Rather than Egypt, now that the ships were known to be armed, he declared having new owners and that contracts had been signed both by Denmark and Prussia as the Second Schleswig War was looming. It was not long before the US attaché, under orders fro the White House, rushed into Napoleon III’s office and had the French government blocking the sale. Minister’s office in Paris with a wallet containing documents proving clearly Arman’s intention to arm the vessels, and that he was in contact with Confederate agents. In fact, the Arman shipyard clerk betrayed his boss for personal divergences, and went straight into the U.S.
However in 1863 the white house made an official warning not to sell any armaments to the Confederacy under threats of ending displomatic relations. View of the Sphinx in construction in Bordeaux: The ram bow and forward gun port. Both vessels were initially named “Cheops” and “Sphinx”, spreading rumors about a sell to the Egyptian Civilian Navy as trade and transport teamers, on which nobody enquired. To avoid suspicion, their guns were manufactured separately without informations about their destination. The initial plan was even to build not a single, but a pair of ironclad rams, each capable of breaking the blockade. In July 1863, Bulloch signed a contract with Lucien Arman at the head of the Bordeaux-based yard, a French shipbuilder which was recommended due to its personal ties with Napoleon III. View of the Sphinx in construction in Bordeaux, forward forecastle turret. Napoleon made clear their destination would remain a secret. The ironclad ram was built for the Confederate Navy, but under cover of a sell to Egypt at first as “Sphinx”. Yards in Bordeaux (SW France), with the official sanction of Emperor Napoleon III. Eventually Negociations succeeded with Arman Bros. They were confident he would be able to circumvent these laws. Bulloch however would find simpathy from the Emperor of France, which had the time had many personal and business connections in Souther States. However this, for a recognized belligerent was illegal under French law. In June 1863 John Slidell, Confederate commissioner to France asked Emperor Napoleon III in a private audience if it would be possible to build an ironclad in France.
The ex Union Frigate Merrimack was being converted, and at the same time, a commission was sent in Europe to order one or several ironclad vessels. Soon after the start of the American Civil War, the Confederate Navy planned to either convert and acquire ironclads ships they knew could break the Union blockade created since the start of hostilities. From 1871 she became IJN Azuma, the first Imperial Japanese ironclad, a flag under which she served until 1888. She was planned for the Confederate navy under cover, first laid down as the Egyptian ship “Sphinx”, then during construction as the Danish “Stærkodder” to fight Prussia, transferred after completion to the Condeferacy as USS Stonewall, making a single sortie before the capitulation, being purchased by the Cuban Spanish fleet, then to the US Navy, and resold to a Japanese Faction in the Boshin War, the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kotetsu was quite unique as being an ironclad changing at least five or six times names and flags during her 20-years long career. The twisted origins of the first Japanese Ironclad The “ship with five lives”
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