Stuff You Should Know
USS Alabama was a South Dakota-class battleship laid down on February 1, 1940 and launched on February 16, 1942. It was commissioned on August 16, the same year under Capt. George B. Wilson’s command with the hull number BB-60 and served in the US Navy for 5 years until it was decommissioned on January 9, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 1,793 people on board and had the main missions in Sicily, Scapa Flow, southern Norway, Norfolk, Panama or the Marianas. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on June 1, 1962 and used as a museum ship since 1946. For the services brought to the country during the World War II, USS Alabama received 9 battle stars.