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USS Alabama BB-60 |
Type: |
Battleship |
Class: |
|
Builder: |
Norfolk Naval Shipyard Portsmouth, Virginia |
Hull Number: |
BB-60 |
Ordered: |
April 1, 1939 |
Commissioned: |
August 16, 1942 |
Keel Laid: |
February 1, 1940 |
Decommissioned: |
January 9, 1947 |
Launched: |
February 16, 1942 |
Stricken: |
June 1, 1962 |
Fate: |
On display at Battleship Memorial Park 2703 Battleship Parkway Mobile, Alabama. |
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Dimensions, Machinery and Performance |
Length: |
680' |
Engines: |
4 geared steam turbines by Westinghouse |
Beam: |
108' 2" |
Boilers: |
8 Foster Wheeler (oil fired) |
Draft: |
36' |
Shafts: |
4 |
Displacement: |
35,000 std. / 44,374 full |
SHP: |
130,000 |
Speed: |
28 knots |
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Crew: |
2,332 |
Range: |
N/A |
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Main Armament |
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Number Carried
|
Type
|
Arrangement |
Maximum Range / Ceiling |
9 |
16"/45 (406mm) Mk 6 |
3 triple turrets |
36,900 yards @ 45° (20.9 miles) with 2,700 lb. armor piercing shell |
20 |
5"/38 (127mm) DP Mk 12 |
10 twin turrets |
17,575 yards @ 45° (9.9 miles) AA ceiling 37,200' |
Service Timeline |
May 19 - Aug. 1, 1943: |
Assigned to the British Home Fleet and used for escort duty. *July 1943 Operation Governor an attempt to make the German's believe that the invasion would come in southern Norway. |
Aug. 20, 1943: |
Departed for the Pacific. |
Sept. 14, 1943: |
Arrived at Havana Harbor, Efaté, New Hebrides. |
Nov. 7, 1943: |
Arrived at Fiji. |
Nov. 11, 1943: |
Operation Galvanic: Assault on the Gilbert Islands. *Supported carrier strikes on Jaluit Atoll and Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands. |
Nov. 20, 1943: |
Supported landings on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands. |
Dec. 8, 1943: |
Bombarded Nauru Island. |
Jan. 25, 1944: |
Operation Flintlock: Invasion of the Marshall Islands. *Jan. 29, 1944 Bombarded Roi Island, Marshall Islands. *Jan. 30, 1944: Bombarded Namur Island, Marshall Islands. |
Feb. 16-17, 1944: |
Supported carrier strikes on Truk Island, Caroline Islands. |
Feb. 1944: |
Supported carrier strikes against Tinian and Saipan in the Marianas Islands and Guam. |
Feb. 21, 1944: |
Mount #9 accidentally fired into mount #5 killing 5 and wounding 11. |
March 1944: |
Supported carrier strikes against Palau. Also against Yap, Ulithi and Woleai in the Caroline Islands. |
April 1944: |
Supported carrier strikes against Hollandia, Wakde, Sawar and Sarmi, New Guniea And covered landings at Aitape, Tanahmerah Bay and Humboldt Bay, New Guniea and further supported strikes against Truk, Caroline Islands. |
May 1944: |
Bombarded Ponape Island, Caroline Islands. |
June 12, 1944: |
Operation Forager: Attack on the Marianas Islands. * June 13, 1944 Bombarded Saipan, Marianas Islands. |
June 19, 1944: |
Battle of the Philippine Sea. |
July 14, 1944: |
Supported carrier strikes and landings at Guam. |
Aug. 30, 1944 |
Operation Stalemate 2: Attacks on Yap and Ulithi, Caroline Islands and Palau. |
Sept. 12-24, 1944: |
Supported carrier strikes against Cebu, Leyte, Bohol and Negros, Philippines. |
Oct. 6-14, 1944: |
Supported strikes against Okinawa, The Pescadores and Formosa. |
Oct. 21-30, 1944: |
Supported carrier strikes against Cebu, Negros, Panay and northern Mindanao, Philippines. |
Nov. 3-24, 1944: |
Supported strikes against Luzon, Mindoro and Visayas, Philippines. |
Dec. 14-17, 1944: |
Supported strikes against Luzon, Philippines. |
Dec. 18-19, 1944: |
Hit by typhoon (both aircraft lost). |
Jan. 18 - March 25, 1945: |
At Puget Sound Navy Yard for repairs. |
May 9, 1945: |
Supported strikes against the Ryukyus, Okinawa and Kyushu, Japan. |
June 4-5, 1945: |
Hit by typhoon. |
June 10, 1945: |
Bombarded Minami Daito Shima Island. |
July 1945: |
Supported strikes against the Japanese home islands (Honshu, Hokkaido and Kyushu). |
July 17-18, 1945: |
Bombarded Hitachi-Mito, Honshu, Japan. |
Aug. 15, 1945: |
Off the southern coast of Honshu, Japan. *(Not present at Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremony, Arrived Sept. 5, 1945) |
Sept. 20, 1945: |
Departed Japan. |
Oct. 15, 1945: |
Arrived at San Francisco, CA. |
Oct. 29 - Feb. 27, 1945: |
At San Pedro, CA. |
Mar. 1946: |
Placed in U.S. Pacific reserve fleet at Puget Sound Navy Yard until decommissioned. |
Jan. 9, 1947: |
Decommissioned |
June 16, 1964: |
Awarded to the State of Alabama. |
July 7, 1964: |
Turned over to the State of Alabama. |
Sept. 14, 1964: |
Arrived at Mobile Bay, Alabama. |
Jan. 14, 1986: |
Designated as a National Historic Landmark # 86000083. |
Combat Victories |
USS Alabama is credited with downing 22 Japanese aircraft |
Commanders |
Aug. 16, 1942 |
Mar. 17, 1943 |
George B. Wilson |
Mar. 17, 1943 |
Mar. 20, 1943 |
Neil K. Dietrich (Temporary Capt. due to Capt. Wilson being ill) |
Mar. 20, 1943 |
Aug. 12, 1944 |
Fred D. Kirtland |
Aug. 12, 1944 |
Jan. 18, 1945 |
Vincent R. Murphy |
Jan. 18, 1945 |
Nov. 26, 1945 |
William B. Goggins |
Nov. 26, 1945 |
Aug. 12, 1946 |
Edward H. Pierce |
Aug. 12, 1946 |
Aug. 20, 1946 |
Claude F. Bailey |
Aug. 20, 1946 |
Jan. 9, 1947 |
Charles B. Phillips |
Casualties |
February 21, 1944 5" gun mount #9 accidentally fired into mount #5 killing five men and wounding 11 others. The five who were killed are listed below. |
Robert L. Langston |
David P. Leopard Jr. |
Albert D. Roberts |
Matthew Trojan |
Manuel Vegas |
Notable Visitors |
July 1945: Admiral Richard E. Byrd |
Awards |
USS Alabama received 9 battle stars for service in World War 2 |
* Gilbert Islands Operation * |
* Marshall Islands operation: Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls * |
* Truk attack * |
* Hollandia operation: Aitape-Humbolt Bay-Tanahmerah * |
* Marianas operation: Capture and occupation of Saipan * |
* Western Caroline Islands: Raids on Volcano-Bonin Islands and Yap Island * |
* Leyte operation: 3rd. fleet supporting operations Okinawa attack * |
* Okinawa operation: Raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operation * |
* 3rd. fleet operations against Japan * |
Earned the Navy occupation service medal for 2-23-Sept-1945
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Additional information for this page was provided by Mr. Bill Tunnell at the USS Alabama Memorial |
Builder's Data |
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Page published Jan. 7, 2007 |
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