In 1943, she received a Mark 3 fire-control radar, mounted on her conning tower to assist in the direction of her main battery guns. Alabama arrived in Mobile on 14 September having traveled some 5,600 nautical miles (10,400 km; 6,400 mi), the longest tow of a vessel that was not an active warship. USS Alabama (SSBN 731) is the sixth submarine of the Ohio class of ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Guest speakers at the ceremony were Rep. Dickinson, U.S. Sen. Jeremiah Denton, Adm. Kinnaird McKee, and Adm. On 9 August, Alabama shelled targets at Kamaishi in company with two battleships and six American and British cruisers. Hugely successful in disrupting Union commerce and inflating insurance rates, Alabama's cruise led to the use of additional raiders such as CSS Shenandoah. Over the next few days, sailors endeavored to mount the heavy guns which included six 32-pdr smoothbores as well as a 100-pdr Blakely Rifle and an 8-in. Turning south, Semmes steamed for Martinique with the goal of meeting Agrippina and resupplying. The Confederacy's top performing commerce raider, Alabama claimed sixty-five prizes which were valued at a total of $6 million.
The South Dakota class was ordered in the context of global naval rearmament during the breakdown of the Washington treaty system that had controlled battleships construction during the 1920s and early 1930s. The ship had a cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). She carried three Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes for aerial reconnaissance, which were launched by a pair of aircraft catapults on her fantail. Seeing little reason to remain in the area, Alabama turned west and arrived at Singapore on December 22. guns, 1 x 100 lb. As the two vessels neared, Semmes opened fire first, while Winslow held Kearsarge's guns until the ships were only 1,000 yards apart. Though additional ships were sighted, the raider's fouled bottom and aging machinery allowed the potential prey to out-run the once-swift Alabama. ... 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. The final action in the series of raids saw the fleet return to the Carolines to strike Pohnpei, which Alabama and five other battleships bombarded on 1 May. Among those who received word was Captain John A. Winslow of USS (7). The 16" guns are the distinguishing mark of the USS Alabama. [23] The operations off Okinawa continued for the next two weeks and on 4–5 June, the fleet was hit by another typhoon and Alabama—part of TG 38.1 at this time—again suffered only superficial damage, though many other vessels in the group were badly damaged. [7][14], Alabama supported the landing at Leyte on 15 October before returning to the carrier screen to escort them for another series of air strikes on islands throughout the Philippines on 21 October, by now having been transferred to TG 38.4. Reaching Cherbourg on June 11, Semmes entered the harbor. [27][32] During her career as a museum ship, Alabama has been used as a set for several movies including Under Siege in 1992 and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage in 2016. This proved a poor choice as the only dry docks in the city belonged to the French Navy whereas La Havre possessed privately-owned facilities. At the same time, the submarine USS Drum, another component of the museum, was moved from the water to a display on land so her hull could be repaired. The fleet then continued on to raid Japanese bases on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam.
At the same time, an SG surface search radar was installed on the forward superstructure; a second SG set was added to the main mast after experiences during the Guadalcanal campaign in 1942. She then supported the landing on Betio in the Tarawa Atoll on 20 November, followed by the landing at Makin.