Alabama ST

13.3

Alabama ST

Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points63,300

Main Battery

406 mm/45 Mk.6 in a turret3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire2 shots/min.

Reload Time30 sec.

Rotation Speed4.5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time40 sec.

Firing Range21.1 km.

Maximum Dispersion271 m.

HE Shell406 mm HE/HC Mk13

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,700

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity803 m./s.

HE Shell Weight862 kg.

AP Shell406 mm AP Mk8

Maximum AP Shell Damage13,100

Initial AP Shell Velocity701 m./s.

AP Shell Weight1225 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount10 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second151

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount12 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second190.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount52 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second187.2

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed27.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius710 m.

Rudder Shift Time15.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.71 km.

Air Detectability Range9.72 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.3

Alabama ST

Battleship | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points63,300

Main Battery

406 mm/45 Mk.6 in a turret3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire2 shots/min.

Reload Time30 sec.

Rotation Speed4.5 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time40 sec.

Firing Range21.1 km.

Maximum Dispersion271 m.

HE Shell406 mm HE/HC Mk13

Maximum HE Shell Damage5,700

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell36 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity803 m./s.

HE Shell Weight862 kg.

AP Shell406 mm AP Mk8

Maximum AP Shell Damage13,100

Initial AP Shell Velocity701 m./s.

AP Shell Weight1225 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount10 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.32 mount10 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second151

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount12 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second190.8

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount52 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second187.2

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed27.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius710 m.

Rudder Shift Time15.3 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range15.71 km.

Air Detectability Range9.72 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

Special

Alabama ST — American special premium Tier VIII battleship.

One of the South Dakota-class battleships. Alabama boasted powerful AA defenses and sophisticated surveillance systems. She had a sensible armor layout including an internal main armor belt and a solid horizontal protection.

USS Alabama is now preserved as a military museum ship in Mobile, Alabama.

Alabama ST is a clone of Alabama that is rewarded to Supertesters at Wargaming's discretion. She is statistically identical to Alabama, but comes with a unique camouflage.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
406 mm/45 Mk.6 in a turret	2	40	271	5,700	36	13,100		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Alabama ST	63,300	6	457	3	10	52/12/10				0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk8 mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 130,000 hp	27.5		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Alabama is a Tier VIII American battleship that shares many characteristics with her tech tree counterpart, North Carolina. The most obvious similarity is that both share the identical 16-inch, 45-caliber guns mounted in triple turrets in an A-B-X configuration, as well as firing the same 13,100 damage AP shells. Both battleships also feature powerful suites of anti-aircraft guns that make them unappealing targets for same- or lower-tier aircraft carriers. Captains familiar with North Carolina’s primary, secondary, and AA armaments will feel right at home behind the helm of Alabama.

The big things that set Alabama apart from North Carolina are her torpedo defense system — the best of any American battleship in the game — and her improved handling characteristics. With a two second faster rudder shift time and a 50 meter smaller turning circle radius, she is both better able to dodge incoming torpedoes and better able to withstand damage from any she is unable to avoid. While Alabama and North Carolina share the same bow armor scheme that enables them to better resist incoming fire when bow-on towards enemies, they also share the same citadel location; enemy battleships with broadside shots on Alabama can very easily strip off large amounts of her health, especially at longer ranges.

Captains who enjoy the play style of North Carolina will find Alabama to be an enjoyable ship, and will very much appreciate her improved torpedo protection and turning.

LittleWhiteMouse's Premium Ship Review: Alabama from the NA Forums

Pros:

• Best-in-tier torpedo protection.
• Tight turning circle.
• 16-inch guns fire the same super-heavy shells as Iowa and Montana, so the shell penetration and damage are devastating with good hits.
• Unrivaled AA suite at her tier.
• Very durable when angled.
• Underwater citadel makes her more durable.
• Decently fast at nearly 28 knots.

Cons:

• Her 45 caliber gun shells are slow to land on target; extra lead is needed at range (similar to North Carolina).
• Rudder shift — while faster than North Carolina — is still fairly slow.
• Below average armor piercing shell velocity.
• Dispersion can be unfriendly at times, and she can't mount Aiming Systems Modification 1 to improve it.
• Not as well-armored as lower-tier American battleships; flashing her broadside to enemy battleships is suicidal.
• Small volume of secondaries compared to other Tier VIII battleships.

Research

As a premium ship, Alabama ST doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

As a Tier VIII American battleship with access to five upgrade slots, the following upgrades are recommended for Alabama:

Slot 1 is most commonly filled with Main Armaments Modification 1 , though Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 is a popular pick for captains who go for a full AA build with other upgrades and commander skills.

Slot 2 has one choice for battleships - Damage Control System Modification 1 . This will reduce chances of fire and flood.

Slot 3 offers several options. AA Guns Modification 2 () will boost maximum AA range, while Secondary Battery Modification 1 () will boost the range and accuracy of secondaries instead. Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1 will increase range and give secondaries a slight boost in range and accuracy, but may be a weaker choice than the other two.

Slot 4 Steering Gears Modification 2 is recommended and will reduce rudder shift time. Captains with fire problems could also consider Damage Control System Modification 2 , reducing the amount of time on fire and conserving hit points.

Slot 5 Maximizing stealth is never a bad choice. With the Concealment Expert commander skill, Concealment System Modification 1 , and appropriate camouflage, this ship can choose when to engage the enemy.

Commander Skills

For the Level 1 skills, there is no clear-cut choice as to which skill to pick first. Skills such as Preventative Maintenance and Priority target may help in terms of survivability, while other skills like Expert Loader may help in cases where a different target suddenly appears and you need to swap shell type.

For the Level 2 skills, Expert Marksman is priority. The Alabama's turrets are quite slow, as with most battleships, and Expert Marksman will help remedy that. Other skills that may be useful are Adrenaline Rush for faster reload at low health and High Alert to get Damage Repair Party up faster.

For the Level 3 skills, Superintendent should be the first choice. The extra heal is extremely handy to have in a battleship that may take a lot of damage from tanking enemy shells. Basic Firing Training is also helpful making the ship's AA even better than it already is. Basics of Survivability and Vigilance are also useful for survival purposes.

For the Level 4 skills, either Concealment Expert or Advanced Firing Training are excellent first choices to take. Concealment Expert is useful for disengaging from fights and disappearing into stealth or for making flanking maneuvers against the enemy fleet. Advanced Firing Training extends the range of your excellent AA, allowing the Alabama to shoot down enemy planes from farther out and better protecting yourself and your allies from potential aerial attacks. If desired, Manual Fire Control for AA Armament is an option for those who want to be an extra nuisance to enemy planes, however Advanced Firing Training is the better first pick for an AA build Alabama. Fire Prevention is also an option for players who feel that they take too much fire damage and would like to minimize fire damage as much as possible.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Endurance		Attack		Support		Versatility
1	Priority Target Situational Awareness indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at you with main battery guns. ★★	Preventative Maintenance -30% to the risk of incapacitation of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, engines. ★	Expert Loader -50% to reload time when shell type is switched. ★	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time.	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to carrier fighter squadrons or catapult fighters.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time.	Incoming Fire Alert Indicator of long-range enemy artillery fire. ★	Last Gasp Completely restores the engine boost for the last attack flight of the carrier's planes.
2	High Alert -10% to reload time of Damage Control Party consumable. ★★	Jack of All Trades -5% to reload time of all consumables. ★	Expert Marksman +2.5 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber up to 139mm. +0.7 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber above 139mm. ★★★	Torpedo Acceleration +5 knots to torpedo speed. -20% to torpedo range.	Smoke Screen Expert +20% to the radius of the smoke screen.	Improved Engines +2.5% Squadron speed.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% to reload times of all types of armament for each 1% of total health lost. +0.2% squadron speed for each 1% of total health lost. ★★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
3	Basics of Survivability -15% to time of repair, fire extinguishing, and recovery from flooding. ★★	Survivability Expert +350 ship HP for each ship tier. +15 aircraft HP for each ship tier.	Torpedo Armament Expertise -10% to reload time of torpedo tubes.	Aircraft Armor Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones. -10% continuous damage.	Basic Firing Training -10% to reload time of main battery guns with a caliber up to and including 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +10% to continuous damage from AA guns. ★★★	Superintendent +1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship. ★★★	Demolition Expert +2% chance of HE shells causing a fire on target. +1% chance of rockets causing a fire on target. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire on target. ★	Vigilance +25% to detection range of enemy torpedoes. ★
4	Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament Tightens dispersion of shells from secondary batteries. -15% for Tier I-VI ships. -60% for Tier VII-X ships. Manually selected target only.	Fire Prevention -10% to the risk of fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three. ★★	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells +30% to the armor penetration capacity of HE shells. -1% chance of fire on target caused by shells <=139mm. -3% chance of fire on target caused by shells >139mm.	Sight Stabilization Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's aircraft. +5% attack aircraft aiming speed. +5% torpedo bomber aiming speed. +10% dive bomber aiming speed.	Advanced Firing Training +20% to firing range of main battery guns with a caliber up to 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +15% damage/sec. within the explosion radius of shells fired from long-range AA defenses. ★★★	Massive AA Fire Instantaneous Damage +100%. Priority AA sector cooldown +50%.	Radio Position Finding Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Concealment Expert -10% to the detection radius of all ships and aircraft. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful       ★★ - Frequently Useful       ★ - Occasionally Useful      No stars - Meh     Χ - Not recommended

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Alabama comes included with Type 10 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

Signals

As with most ships, the Alabama has 8 slots for signal flags. The most important are the flags that enhance your survivability, which are India Delta, Sierra Mike, and India Yankee. There is also the option to mount November Echo Setteseven to enhance your already formidable AA or November Foxtrot to shorten the reload of consumables. After that, you can choose to mount flags that impact xp and credit income, such as Zulu, Zulu Hotel, Papa Papa, Equal Speed Charlie London, and Dragon Flag.

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy. ★	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time. ★	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

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  Two Alabamas prepare for battle.

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  Both Alabamas demolish an enemy Gearing-class destroyer.

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  Alabama bounces an enemy North Carolina battleship's shells.

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  North Carolina is nearly rammed by Alabama.

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  Alabama destroys an enemy Minotaur in one salvo.

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  Alabama and North Carolina touch tips.

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Historical Info

Construction

Norfolk Naval Shipyard; Virginia, United States

Laid down: 20 July 1939

Launched: 16 February 1942

Commissioned: 16 August 1942

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Specifications

37,970 tons displacement, standard

207.26m length

32.96m beam

8.91m draft

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Machinery

8 boilers, 4 turbines

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Performance

27.5 knots at 130,000 shaft horsepower

15,000 nautical miles at 15 knots

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Armor

Main belt: 310mm, 32mm outer hull plating

Lower belt: 310-25mm

Decks: 152mm armored deck, 38mm weather deck,
   16mm splinter deck

Bulkheads: 280mm

Barbettes and Turrets: 440mm barbette, 457mm face,
   241mm side, 305mm rear, 184mm roof

Conning tower: 406mm side, 184mm top

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Armament

Main

Nine (3x3) 406mm guns

Secondary

Twenty (10x2) 127mm dual purpose guns

Anti-Aircraft

Twelve (3x4) 28mm guns

Twelve (12x1) 12.7mm guns

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Aircraft

Three (3) Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes, two catapults

History

Design

The South Dakota-class battleships were the next evolution in battleship design from the previous North Carolina-class. Still designed in the late 1930s, they remained under the limitations imposed by the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty and the subsequent 1936 London Naval Treaty. Originally conceived to be more additions to the North Carolina-class ships, it was decided to delay their design by a year in order to implement some solutions to the shortcomings discovered on the preceding “fast-battleship” class.

The South Dakotas were the first “fast-battleship” class of the US Navy to implement sloped armor plating to address the issue of high angle oncoming shells from plunging fire, especially from 406mm shells. Due to the design itself being of an advanced phase already when this decision was made, only the main armor belt — located interior of the ship — was able to be angled inwards by 19 degrees, which stretched from the main deck down to the bottom plates. Moreover, the bottom plate armor and other major longitudinal armor sections were thickened in comparison to the North Carolina-class.

As a consequence of the additional armoring to increase the survivability of the South Dakota-class ships, they had to be made shorter to meet the displacement restrictions of 35,000 tons imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty. Subsequently, whey were roughly 14 meters shorter than their predecessors of the North Carolina class. The design requirements for the South Dakotas still required them to maintain the same top speed of 27 knots as the North Carolinas; more powerful propulsion systems were required and some creative design choices were made in order to fit everything into the more compact hull as a result. The machinery compartments were re-organized in order to squeeze in all of the boilers, turbines, and accompanying evaporating and distilling equipment, as opposed to North Carolina’s more dispersed engineering arrangement. Furthermore, the machinery rooms themselves took up to two deck spaces, as the boilers were placed on a level above the rest of the machinery to allow the propeller shafts — connected to their respective turbines — to run their full length, unhampered. One interesting design feature resulted from the changes: the bottom hull ended well before the stern of the ship, and the two outer propeller shafts formed a “skeg”, or an enclosure, around the inner propeller shafts. This had the added benefit of providing additional protection from torpedo damage.

The superstructure of the South Dakota-class was taller and narrower than previous American battleships. Due to the concentration of propulsion machinery in the midsection, the design required only one funnel as opposed to the usual two, saving some deck space. From the onset the South Dakota-class were designated the role of fleet flagships, therefore a flag bridge was placed above the ship's command bridge in the conning tower specifically for this purpose.

USS Alabama (BB-60), last of the South Dakota-class battleships, was laid down at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 1 February 1940, launched 16 February 1942, and commissioned exactly 6 months later on 16 August 1942.

Service History

Alabama’s first assignment was in the Atlantic; the Royal Navy was focused on the Mediterranean Sea in a build-up effort to support the Invasion of Sicily ("Operation Husky"), and they lacked the capital ships to protect their northern convoys. Requesting help from their American allies, Alabama and her sister ship USS South Dakota sailed for the Orkney Islands to join the British Home Fleet. Her first duties were as a convoy escort, until July 1943 when she participated in “Operation Governor”: a diversion exercise executed around Southern Norway in an attempt to draw Germany’s attention away from the Allies’ true target of Sicily (the Kriegsmarine never responded to the challenge). Alabama’s and South Dakota’s service with the British Home Fleet ended on 1 August 1943, and the duo plus their screening destroyers detached from the Home Fleet and steamed for Norfolk, Virginia. Alabama would undergo ten days of refits and repairs before setting sail for the Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor in the Pacific.

Following a month and a half of exercises with fast carrier task groups, Alabama moved to Fiji before setting sail again on 11 November 1943 to take part in “Operation Galvanic”, the assault on the Japanese-held Gilbert Islands. She screened the fast carriers, only opening fire with her AA guns when enemy aircraft approached her formation. Her first shelling operation, however, was on 8 December 1943, as Alabama and five other fast battleships bombarded the Japanese-held island of Nauru, causing severe damage to the vital phosphate-producing facilities. Alabama spent the rest of the year on carrier escort duty or standby, not returning to the front lines until 1944.

Alabama returned to action as a part of “Operation Forager”: the first invasion of the Marianas Islands focused on re-capturing the island of Guam. Alabama again rotated between carrier escorts and coastal bombardments, often alongside South Dakota. Later in 1944 she moved to join the screening fleet of USS Essex in “Operation Stalemate II”, serving in the Caroline Islands again before later moving to the Philippines and screening carriers striking the Japanese-held islands in the central Philippines. Between October and December 1944, Alabama was heavily invested in the Battle of the Philippines: serving as the lead ship in USS Enterprise’s screen during October; then screening the fast carrier strike forces as they attacked Japanese airfields around Luzon throughout November; and finally departing for home on 17 December 1944. Along with the rest of Task Force 38, she was battered by Typhoon Cobra on the way, and three of her destroyer escorts were lost.

Alabama returned to Pearl Harbor in early April 1945, following several months of repair and refit at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. She departed with Task Force 58 on 9 May 1945, bound for the Ryukyu Islands to support forces that had landed on Okinawa in early April that year. Screening allied carriers, Alabama served on the front lines from May through to July, her final combat operation being the coastal bombardment of industrial areas near Tokyo on mainland Japan, including the first night bombardment by battleships of Japanese industry on Japanese soil. She spent the rest of the war on standby, receiving word on 15 August of the Japanese capitulation, and she later entered Tokyo Bay in early September to receive men that had occupied Tokyo. Following her return to the United States — via Okinawa — Alabama took taking part in Navy Day celebrations in San Francisco harbor on 27 October 1945, and remained on standby until sailing for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for inactivation overhaul.

Alabama was decommissioned on 9 January 1947, and joined the United States Pacific Reserve Fleet, remaining there until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1962. Citizens of the state of Alabama formed the “USS Alabama Battleship Commission”, which raised funds to secure the preservation of Alabama as a wartime memorial. She was awarded to the state of Alabama on 16 June 1964, and was towed to her permanent berth at Mobile, Alabama. Arriving in Mobile Bay on 14 September 1964, Alabama has remained "in service" as an open museum ship ever since.

Historical Gallery

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  Alabama being launched, February 1942.

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  Alabama in Casco Bay, Maine, during sea trials. Note the Measure 12 camouflage.

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  A colorized photo of Alabama in Casco Bay, Maine.

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  A view of the forward main battery of Alabama. The snow and Measure 12 camouflage suggests this photo was taken during sea trials but before repainting in Norfolk.

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  Note the Measure 22 camouflage which has been applied.

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  USS Alabama (BB-60), 1 December 1942, in camouflage. Note trunked tower foremast and funnel, similar to that used in the design of the later Iowa-class battleships.

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  Alabama fires a salvo during exercises with the British Home Fleet in 1943.

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  Alabama escorting the Independence-class carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) en route to the Marshall Islands.

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  Cleveland Indians All-Star pitcher Bob Feller poses by a 40 mm quadruple anti-aircraft gun mount, probably on board USS Alabama in 1943.

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  Alabama cruising with her screen of escorting destroyers in April 1944; USS Knapp (DD-653) is in the foreground.

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  Alabama in what appears to be Measure 11 camouflage. Visible radar systems suggest this photo was taken in 1943 or 1944.

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  A boiler room view inside Alabama.

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  Alabama at permanent berth.

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  Alabama as a museum ship in Mobile Bay, circa 1985.

Video

Ships of U.S.A.

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