USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
The keel of the USS ALABAMA (BB-60) was laid at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 1 February 1940, the sixth vessel to bear the name of Alabama. At the outbreak of hostilities, her hull construction was nearing completion. Some two years later (16 February 1942), the new South Dakota Class battleship was launched in a colorful ceremony attended by many national figures. Sponsoring the vessel was Mrs. Lister Hill, wife of Alabama's Senator Hill. On 16 August 1942, in ceremonies at Portsmouth, Virginia, the new ship was placed in full commission and Captain George B. Wilson, USN, assumed command.
The name ALABAMA was first assigned to the 74-gun ship-of-the-line whose keel was laid in June 1819 at Portsmouth Navy Yard. Work proceeded slowly until the outbreak of the Civil War when "Almost Alabama" was renamed the NEW HAMPSHIRE.
The first ALABAMA, a 56 ton Revenue Cutter built at New York and acquired June 22, 1819 at a cost of $ 4,500, was active in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico in the 1820s. She was responsible for the capture of more than one dozen pirate vessels and slave traders, and sold in 1833.
The second and third ALABAMAs, both U.S. Steamers, also pre-date the American Civil War. The second was a 700 ton ship, which was transferred to the Navy Department from the War Department under Act of Congress of 3 March 1849. Being unfit for Naval purposes, the troop carrier was sold at auction in October 1849 after the war with Mexico. The third ALABAMA, a sidewheel steamer of 1,261 tons, was commissioned on 30 September 1861. She served in the Navy as a troop and cargo transport until 14 July 1865, at which time she was placed out of commission and sold on 10 August 1865.
The Legendary Confederate Raider CSS ALABAMA captured or sank 69 Union
vessels during the War Between the States. Commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes(whose great grandson later served on BB-60), the 1,050 ton screw sloop was built in Liverpool, England in 1862. She was sunk by the USS KEARSARGE off Cherbourg, France in 1864.
The fifth ALABAMA BB-8 was a battleship of the 1st Rate Class. She was commissioned on 16 October 1900 and was a member of the Great White Fleet. She was the flagship for Division 1, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet during World War I. She was placed out of commission, and on 15 September 1921, was transferred to the War Department for use as a target in experiments in aircraft bombing. Her hulk, after lying on the bottom of Chesapeake Bay, where she had been sunk on 27 September 1921, was sold on 19 March 1924.
Commissioned in 1985, the seventh USS ALABAMA, SSBN-731, a fleet ballistic missile submarine, was assigned to Commander Submarine Force Pacific in early 1986. She is currently still on patrol in the world's seas as a deterrent to nuclear attack.
Explore Related Categories
