Looking for deck logs & muster rolls of USS Alabama

Dear Mr. Hickman,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941 - 1983 and the Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1/1/1939 - 1/1/1949 in the Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24) that include the deck logs of the USS Alabama (BB-60) for 16 August 1942 through 8 January 1947 and the muster rolls of the USS Alabama for 1942 through 1946.  We also located World War II Action and Operational Reports in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (Record Group 38) that may include reports submitted by the USS Alabama. For access to and/or copies of these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.

As part of our on-going commitment to preserve our records, the National Archives has entered into partnership with Ancestry.com to digitize some of NARA's holdings. Digitized records include Muster Rolls of U.S. Naval Ships and Stations for the dates of January 1,1941 through January 1, 1949. These records are now available in digital form and can be viewed online via http://www.ancestry.com. There may be a fee for this service. Instead, you may view these records online at one of NARA's facilities for free via a NARA PC. For the nearest NARA location, please consult our web page at http://www.archives.gov/locations/. Additionally, you may check with your local public or university library as these institutions often provide access to Ancestry.com.

We also located World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, ca. 1/1/1942 - ca. 6/1/1946 in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (Record Group 38) which contains war diaries and reports concerning the USS Alabama’s activities during World War 2. These records have been digitized and can be viewed online through the Catalog.  Please keep in mind that the Catalog does not always list files in chronological order.

In addition, we searched the website of the Naval History and Heritage Command and located an article about Alabama III (BB-60) as well as multiple photographs.

You may also be interested in the cruise book for the USS Alabama covering 1942 through 1944. Cruise books are unofficial publications published by a ship's crew to document a cruise, deployment, or war. They often include photographs of the crew and aspects of ship life not found in official records. Copies can be found in the Navy Department Library's Collection as well as on Ancestry.

The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park may also have information concerning the ship and its crew during World War II.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!