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Names of the Crew
Commanding Officers
Photo Album
Ship's Organization
Links
Suggested Reading
Credits Bibliography
to Alabama, Very Well Done
Web Administrator
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USS Alabama BB60 and
Crew
 This
site is dedicated to the men who served aboard Battleship Alabama. It's
focus is on the ship and the crewmen that served her during WW II. These were the men that made the ship a living entity. They lived on the
ship and maintained her battle readiness and seaworthy condition. They fought the enemy from
her decks. Some died on her.
The USS Alabama BB60 was launched in February 1942 at Norfolk
Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia. She was commissioned for active service
on 16 August 1942 and served until de-commissioned in January 1947.
During her active life, ship operations first took her into the
North Atlantic, ports of call included Argentia Newfoundland, Scapa Flow (in the
Orkney Islands, north of Scotland for duty with the British Home Fleet),
Reykjavik Iceland, Akureyri Iceland (north of the Artic circle). The Home
Fleet was a sizeable force, made necessary due to the German battleship Von
Tirpitz having taken refuge in Norway at Trondhiem. Operations included
shadowing allied convoys to Murmansk. In one instance, providing
protection to a convoy of ships carrying troops to relieve an allied garrison at
Spitsbergen.
In August 1943, Alabama returned to her birthplace, Norfolk
Virginia. After a very short stay, she proceeded to Balboa, Panama,
through the canal, and then to Havannah Harbor, Efate, New Hebrides in the South
Pacific. As a unit of the fast battleship/carrier task forces (Task Forces
38 and 58) she ranged the southern and western Pacific ocean supporting island
invasions and raids on enemy installations. Alabama received nine battle
stars for her service in the Pacific ocean areas during WW II.
The ship, now located at Battleship Park in Mobile,
Alabama, serves
as a war memorial for the state of Alabama..
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Gilbert Islands Operation - 19 Nov.
to 8 Dec., 1943 |
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| Marshall Islands Operation
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Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro
Atolls 29 January to 8 February, 1944 |
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| Asiatic-Pacific Raids - 1944 |
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Truk Attack - 16 - 17 February,
1944 |
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Marianas Attack - 21 - 22 February,
1944 |
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Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai Raid - 30
Mar. - 1 Apr., 1944 |
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| Hollandia Operation
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(Aitape Humboldt Bay Tanahmerah
Bay) - 21 - 24 April, 1944 |
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| Marianas Operation
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Capture and Occupation of Saipan -
11-24 June, 1944 |
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Battle of Philippine Sea - 19-20
June, 1944 |
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Ref:
U.S. Pacific Fleet, Advance Headquarters,
Guam, Press Release No. 182 of Monday 12 August 1945. "It
was the Alabama which first gave the warning to the rest of her
task force that a huge air-fleet of Japanese planes was
approaching. The resulting battle, in which the Japanese
force was turned back, has been called the first battle of the
Philippines Sea. American carrier pilots termed the air
battle a "turkey shoot". |
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Ref:
Vice Admiral Willis Lee's TBS
transmission at 1247 on 19 June 1944: "to Alabama Very Well
Done." |
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Capture and Occupation of Guam 12
July to 15 August, 1944 |
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Palau, Yap, Ulithi Raid - 25 - 27
July, 1944 |
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| Western Caroline Islands Operation |
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Raids on Volcano-Bonin
Islands and Yap Island 31 August - 8 September 1944 |
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Capture and Occupation of
Southern Palau Island 6 September - 14 October,
1944 |
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Assaults on the Philippine
Islands - 9-24 Sept., 1944 |
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| Leyte Operation |
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THIRD Fleet Supporting
Operations Okinawa Attack 10 October, 1944 |
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Northern Luzon and Formosa
Attacks - 11 - 14 October, 1944 |
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Luzon Attacks - 15-19
October; 5-6, 13-14, 20-22 November; and 14-16 December, 1944 |
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Visayas Attacks - 21
October, 1944 |
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| Okinawa Gunto Operation |
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FIFTH and THIRD Fleet Raids in Support
of Okinawa Gunto Operation 9 May - 11 June, 1945 |
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| THIRD Fleet Operations against Japan 10 July - 15
August 1945 |
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Names of the Crew
Commanding Officers
Photo Album Ship's Organization
Links Suggested Reading
Credits Bibliography
to Alabama, Very Well Done
Web Administrator
.
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