The Battleship Uss Alabama

Powerful: this single word aptly describes a naval vessel known as a battleship. The USS Alabama (BB-60) was the last of four South Dakota-class battleships built for World War II. She is well armored and designed to survive an attack while continuing to fight. Her main battery, known as "Big Guns," consisted of nine 16-inch guns; each could launch a projectile weighing as much as a small car that could hit a target 21 miles away. Her crew numbered 2,332 men, none of whom were lost to enemy fire, earning her the nickname "Lucky A." She served as more than just a battleship: she carried troops, supplies, and seaplanes and served in the Pacific and Atlantic; her doctors treated patients from other ships; she was the wartime home for a major-league ballplayer; the movie setting for Hollywood films; and she traveled home to the state of Alabama with the help of schoolchildren.

The fourth and final battleship in the South Dakota class, the USS Alabama served in both the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II, participating in many of the most famous battles of the war. Armed with nine 16-inch guns, 20 5-inch guns, and a myriad of 40 mm and 20 mm weapons, Alabama was one of the most powerful warships afloat. This volume illustrates the modifications and improvements made to the ship during her service, and the battles fought by her men. The battleship today is a floating museum and veterans memorial moored in Mobile Bay in her namesake state of Alabama. Additional detailed photos capture the workings of this powerful, complex warship. Through carefully researched archival documents and photographs, the history of this iconic warship and the men who crewed it is presented in this profusely illustrated volume.

Home to thousands of US sailors, the USS Alabama fought bravely in World War II, but after she finished her service, the battleship was set to be scrapped. The people of Alabama decided they had to save the ship named for their proud state. No one was more determined than Alabama's schoolchildren. Author Karyn Tunks traces the story of the children's efforts in this informative and entertaining account. Tunks reveals a wealth of detail about life at sea before the ship was decommissioned and the many challenges Alabamians faced in securing the ship's permanent home. Artist Julie Dupré Buckner captures the feeling of the era in her detailed, vivid illustrations of the ship, those who called her home, and those who saved her for future generations. Complete with a glossary, illustrated ship's diagram, and timeline, USS Alabama: Hooray for the Mighty A! offers beginning readers a glimpse of the fascinating history of the battleship and how even the smallest of actions can produce incredible results.

On a quiet Sunday morning in 1941, a ship designed to keep the peace was suddenly attacked. This book tells the remarkable story of a battleship, its brave crew, and how their lives were intertwined. Jeff Phister and his coauthors have written the comprehensive history of the USS Oklahoma from its christening in 1914 to its final loss in 1947. Phister tells how the Oklahoma served in World War I, participated in the Great Cruise of 1925, and evacuated refugees from Spain in 1936. But the most memorable event of the ship’s history occurred on December 7, 1941. Phister weaves the personal narratives of surviving crewmen with the necessary technical information to recreate the attack and demonstrate the full scope of its devastation. Captured Japanese photographs and dozens of historic U.S. Navy photographs deepen our understanding of this monumental event. Raised after the attack, the Oklahoma sank again while being towed stateside and now rests on the ocean floor, 540 miles northeast of Oahu. Battleship Oklahoma: BB-37 tells the complete story of a proud ship and her fall through the eyes of those who survived her loss.

A city wrapped by the Gulf of Mexico's beaches, Mobile has a history as rich as the azalea-saturated soil on which it rests. Recipient of the All-American City distinction, Mobile is home to the original Mardi Gras celebration, the Junior Miss Scholarship Program, the Battleship U.S.S. Alabama, and Hammerin' Hank Aaron. The city's passion for baseball has endured through its tumultuous past, marked by yellow fever, World War II prominence, and the Civil Rights Movement. Spanning from the late 1800s to the present day, Baseball in Mobile recounts the introduction of baseball to the Port City, chronicles the vast talent of Mobile natives who have influenced the sport, and introduces the players and teams of modern Mobile, many of whom are sure to become tomorrow's legends. Historic photographs of the changing baseball landscape are captured in Baseball in Mobile, showcasing the fact that while the fields, uniforms, and teams have changed, the game remains ingrained in Mobile, as constant as the bay that surrounds it.