The battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) was commissioned on Aug. 16, 1942. The ship weighs 35,000 tons, though when in battle mose it can weigh over 45,000 tons. The assigned crew for the USS Alabama was 127 officers and 2,205 enlisted, though she typically had a crew of 2,500 men aboard. The ship earned nine battle stars and shot down 22 enemy airplanes during World War II.
The USS Alabama joined the Pacific Fleet in the middle of 1943. The ship was used in locations such as Leyte, the Gilbert Islands and Okinawa. It's first major engagement was in the Gilbert Islands in November of 1943, and then proceeded to heavily bombard at Roi and Nauru. The ship then continued on to attack in the Marianas islands, where the USS Alabama also sustained severe air attacks. The ship managed to down one Japanese ship in March of 1944. The USS Alabama continued on in several other battles during the year, and was docked briefly for a rest in late October. It underwent minor damage after riding out a typhoon during this time period. The ship returned to sea to perform successfully in several other battles up until the very end of the war. Once the surrender documents were signed in September of 1945, the USS Alabama led the American Fleet into Tokyo Bay.
The USS Alabama is now located in the bay in Mobile, Alabama in the "Battleship Memorial Park." Free tours of the ship can be taken daily, and overnight stays on the ship are available also. The battleship park-- which has had well over 11 million visitors-- also offers tours of the submarine USS Drum, and has a flight simulator ride, an audiovisual theatre, fighter planes, artillery and more. The USS Alabama was used as the main battleship in the movie Under Seige. It is currently undergoing some restoration.
Help for this node came from ussalabama.com.