USS Alabama (BB-8)

USS Alabama (BB-8) was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy and the third ship to bear the name. She was the second member of the three-ship Illinois-class battleship, which also included USS Illinois (BB-7) and USS Wisconsin (BB-9). Commissioned in 1900, her career spanned the post-Spanish-American War era, serving primarily in the Atlantic Fleet and participating in the Great White Fleet's historic circumnavigation before being decommissioned in 1920.

Design and description

The design of Alabama followed the standard pattern for American pre-dreadnoughts of the era, emphasizing a mixed-caliber main battery. Her primary armament consisted of four 13-inch guns mounted in two twin gun turrets, one forward and one aft. Secondary firepower was provided by fourteen 6-inch guns mounted in a casemate battery along the sides of the hull. Protection was centered on a full-length waterline armor belt of Harvey armor, with a maximum thickness of 16.5 inches, and a heavily armored conning tower. Propulsion came from two vertical triple-expansion steam engines fed by five Scotch marine boilers, driving two shafts for a designed speed of 16 knots. Her overall design was considered robust but was rendered obsolete by the launch of the revolutionary HMS Dreadnought in 1906.

Construction and commissioning

The contract for the construction of Alabama was awarded to the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in Philadelphia. Her keel was laid down on 1 December 1896, and she was launched on 18 May 1898, sponsored by Miss Mary Morgan, daughter of John T. Morgan, a Senator from Alabama. Fitting-out work continued for over two years before the new battleship was placed in commission on 16 October 1900 at the League Island Navy Yard, under the command of Captain Willard H. Brownson.

Service history

Following sea trials and shakedown in the Atlantic Ocean, Alabama was assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron. In late 1903, she made a port visit to Southampton, England, and in early 1904, she transited the Strait of Magellan to join the Pacific Squadron, operating along the coast of South America and later based at San Francisco. Her most notable service began in December 1907 when she departed Hampton Roads as part of the Great White Fleet, the sixteen-battleship armada sent on a global cruise by President Theodore Roosevelt. The fleet visited numerous ports including Trinidad, Rio de Janeiro, Punta Arenas, Valparaíso, Callao, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Albany, Manila, Yokohama, Amoy, and Colombo before returning via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea in February 1909. After the cruise, Alabama was modernized at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, receiving cage masts and new boilers. She subsequently served as a training ship for Naval Academy midshipmen and Naval Militia units along the East Coast. During World War I, she was used as a training vessel for engine room personnel and armed guard crews in the Chesapeake Bay.

Decommissioning and fate

Alabama was placed in reduced commission after the Armistice and was finally decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 7 May 1920. In accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 September 1921. On 27 September 1921, the obsolete battleship was towed to a position off the Virginia Capes and used as a target in a live-fire exercise. She was sunk by the guns of the coastal batteries at Fort Monroe and by ordnance from the newer battleship USS Wyoming (BB-32). Her wreck was later sold for scrap to the H. H. B. Corporation. Category:Illinois-class battleships Category:Ships built in Philadelphia Category:World War I auxiliary ships of the United States