January 29, 1943

The U.S. Navy commissioned the USS Birmingham, a light cruiser of the Cleveland class. Displacing 10,000 tons of water, the Birmingham carried a main armament of four turrets with three six-inch guns and six secondary turrets of dual-mounted five-inch guns and housed a crew of 1,200 that included more than a dozen from the city of Birmingham. The ship saw action in both the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters of World War II and suffered heavy damage on three occasions – the final time from a kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa. The Birmingham earned nine battle stars for her service and was decommissioned in 1947.

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USS Birmingham (CL-62) comes alongside the burning USS Princeton (CVL-23) to assist with fire-fighting, Oct. 24, 1944. (Photograph by the U.S. Navy, NARA, Wikipedia)

Crewmen on USS Birmingham (CL-62) play fire hoses on the burning USS Princeton (CVL-23), as their ship comes alongside to assist in damage control measures on Oct. 24, 1944. (Catalog #: 80-G-270357, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC)

Damage to the USS Birmingham (CL-62), caused when USS Princeton (CVL-23) blew up during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on Oct. 24, 1944. The USS Birmingham was alongside the Princeton, assisting with firefighting, when the carrier’s after bomb stowage detonated, showering Birmingham with fragments and causing heavy casualties among her crew. (Catalog #: NH 98128, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC)

USS BIRMINGHAM (CL-62), c. February 1943. (Catalog #: NH 45699, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC)

Propeller of a Japanese suicide plane which hit the USS Birmingham at Okinawa. On display at the USS Alabama (BB-60) Museum, Mobile. (Corruptinator, Wikipedia)

Plate affixed to the propeller of a Japanese suicide plane which hit the USS Birmingham at Okinawa. On display at the USS Alabama (BB-60) Museum, Mobile. (Corruptinator, Wikipedia)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.