BATTLESHIP USS ALABAMA

I had a great day today because me and my dad in law went to Alabama and get the chance to see the BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK. It's so amazing because i was able to ride the ship which was used during the WORLD WAR II,wow i wasn't born that time yet but I feel so proud that once in my life I've been there and had witnessed the historical event of that particular ship. I really had fun,my dad gave me some information about the ship. Here's some view about the BATTLESHIP USS ALABAMA:
The History of the USS ALABAMA (BB 60)

The keel of the USS ALABAMA (BB-60) was laid at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 1 February 1940, the sixth vessel to bear the name of Alabama. At the outbreak of hostilities, her hull construction was nearing completion. Some two years later (16 February 1942), the new South Dakota Class battleship was launched in a colorful ceremony attended by many national figures. Sponsoring the vessel was Mrs. Lister Hill, wife of Alabama's Senator Hill. On 16 August 1942, in ceremonies at Portsmouth, Virginia, the new ship was placed in full commission and Captain George B. Wilson, USN, assumed command.

The name ALABAMA was first assigned to the 74-gun ship-of-the-line whose keel was laid in June 1819 at Portsmouth Navy Yard. Work proceeded slowly until the outbreak of the Civil War when "Almost Alabama" was renamed the NEW HAMPSHIRE.

The first ALABAMA, a 56 ton Revenue Cutter built at New York and acquired June 22, 1819 at a cost of $ 4,500, was active in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico in the 1820s. She was responsible for the capture of more than one dozen pirate vessels and slave traders, and sold in 1833.

The second and third ALABAMAs, both U.S. Steamers, also pre-date the American Civil War. The second was a 700 ton ship, which was transferred to the Navy Department from the War Department under Act of Congress of 3 March 1849. Being unfit for Naval purposes, the troop carrier was sold at auction in October 1849 after the war with Mexico. The third ALABAMA, a sidewheel steamer of 1,261 tons, was commissioned on 30 September 1861. She served in the Navy as a troop and cargo transport until 14 July 1865, at which time she was placed out of commission and sold on 10 August 1865.

The Legendary Confederate Raider CSS ALABAMA captured or sank 69 Union vessels during the War Between the States. Commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes(whose great grandson later served on BB-60), the 1,050 ton screw sloop was built in Liverpool, England in 1862. She was sunk by the USS KEARSARGE off Cherbourg, France in 1864.

The fifth ALABAMA BB-8 was a battleship of the 1st Rate Class. She was commissioned on 16 October 1900 and was a member of the Great White Fleet. She was the flagship for Division 1, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet during World War I. She was placed out of commission, and on 15 September 1921, was transferred to the War Department for use as a target in experiments in aircraft bombing. Her hulk, after lying on the bottom of Chesapeake Bay, where she had been sunk on 27 September 1921, was sold on 19 March 1924.

Commissioned in 1985, the seventh USS ALABAMA, SSBN-731, a fleet ballistic missile submarine, was assigned to Commander Submarine Force Pacific in early 1986. She is currently still on patrol in the world's seas as a deterrent to nuclear attack.

With a fighting name to live up to, Battleship USS ALABAMA BB-60 commenced her shakedown training on 11 November 1942. This series of trials, exercises, and drills was conducted in the Chesapeake Bay area and the operating area of Casco Bay, Maine. Upon completion of her post shakedown repair period, ALABAMA stood out from Norfolk and made the up-coast run to Casco Bay where she conducted tactical maneuvers in company with the USS SOUTH DAKOTA, her sister ship and namesake of the class.

On 20 March 1943, Captain Fred D. Kirtland, USN, relieved Capt. Wilson as skipper of USS ALABAMA. It was under Capt. Kirtland's conn that the ship completed a tour of duty protecting lend-lease convoys to Britain and Russia, while operating with the British Home fleet in the "Murmansk Run"

After a 10 day period of limited overhaul and repair at Norfolk, ALABAMA got underway on 20 August 1943 enroute to the forward area in the Pacific. On the 25th, she cleared the Panama Canal, and reported for duty with the Pacific THIRD Fleet at Efate, New Hebrides, in September 1943.

Her first major Pacific engagement was in the Gilbert Islands in November and December 1943. From this assignment, the battleship proceeded to Roi and Nauru. After heavily bombarding these installations, she moved to Kwajalein and Majuro were secured, the fleet moved into anchorage, and commenced planning the forthcoming attack on the Caroline and Marianas Islands.

On 12 February 1944, ALABAMA sortied with units of Task Force 58 and launched strikes on Truk in the Carolines. Upon retiring, the force moved to the Marianas and gave enemy bases there a thorough pounding. In the course of these raids, the ships underwent severe air attacks with one raid on the night of 21-22 February lasting 13 hours. The ALABAMA downed one Japanese "Betty" on 29 March 1944. On 1 April, she was in the force making the first raids at Palau, Yap, and Woleai in the Palau Islands, retiring for a week in Majuro.

The days and nights of 21-24 April 1944 were spent in supporting the operations along the North coast of New Guinea, where General MacArthur's troops moved ashore at Hollandia, Ataipe, and Humboldt Bay. Steaming at top speed, ALABAMA arrived back in the Carolines in time to participate in the bombardment and strikes on Ponape and Truk on 29, 30 April, and 1 May 1944. The remainder of May 1944 was spent at anchor in Majuro Harbor.

The ALABAMA and other powerful units of the Fleet got underway for pre-invasion softening-up strikes in the Marianas. For seven hours on 13 June 1944, the fast battleships bombarded Saipan while mine-sweepers cleared the landing lanes for the small craft. On 15 June, the assault troops moved ashore under the protective fire of the "big boys," and the ALABAMA accounted for another enemy plane.

ALABAMA steamed with TG58.7 during the battle of the Philippine Sea, 19-20 June 1944, and her group downed nine enemy planes. The result of the action was some 476 enemy planes destroyed out of a total of 545 sighted, to only 130 American planes lost and minor damage to four ships. When the fight was broken off, the U.S. force made an attempt to catch the enemy fleet, but their high speed retirement made it impossible to make surface contact. Pursuit was abandoned and ALABAMA, in company with other units, returned to support operations ashore.

On 6 July 1944, the ship retired to Eniwetok, and upon arrival, Rear Admiral L.W.Hanso, USN, broke his flag aboard as Commander, Battleship Division NINE. After making attacks on bases in the Carolines (25-27 July) in support of the Marianas operations, ALABAMA moved into the area of Guam for pre-invasion and D-Day support, continuing until the island was secured in August 1944.

While undergoing an 18 day logistics period at Eniwetok, Captain Vincent R. Murphy, USN, relieved Captain Kirtland as commanding officer of BB-60. With Captain Murphy as skipper, ALABAMA participated in the series of attacks and raids in connection with the capture and occupation of the Southern Carolines and the Palaus. This operation was carried on throughout September 1944.

From the more advanced base of Ulithi Atoll, ALABAMA and other ships continued operations in the Western Pacific, the first assignment being in support of the Leyte operations. ALABAMA steamed in company with the carriers throughout October as the planes wrecked Japanese military installations in the Philippines, Formosa, the Pescadore and the Ryukyu Islands. Japanese air attacks on the carrier-battleship force were furious and persistent, however, ALABAMA helped drive off all attacks without damage to herself or any carriers in her group.

Moving southward, the fast ships launched strikes at various enemy installations in the Philippines, shooting down 3 enemy planes and damaging a 4th. In late October, it became apparent that the enemy was moving a strong surface force into the area to oppose U.S. landings. ALABAMA was the member of Admiral Halsey's force which fought in battle off Cape Ehgano on 25 October as a part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. This battle removed the enemy's threat to Allied landing in the Philippines, and cleared the path for further operations.

After a brief rest in Ulithi, the big ship moved into the area on the Mindoro (Philippines) operation, and, while in this vicinity, she rode out a fierce typhoon in December, which cost the U.S. Fleet three destroyers in the group. On Christmas Eve 1944, news was received that ALABAMA was to retire to the U.S. West Coast for an extended drydock period. At Pearl Harbor, Captain William B. Goggins, USN, came aboard and, upon the ship's arrival at Bremerton, Washington, he relieved Captain Murphy as commanding officer.

During the vessel's overhaul, crewmen was granted rehabilitation leave to rest up after two long years of continuous operation in the forward area. After clearing the shipyards, ALABAMA held refresher training exercises in the waters off Lower California, and proceeded then to join the Fleet at the anchorage in Ulithi, arriving in early May 1945. As a member of the THIRD and FIFTH Fleet, the battleship participated in the Okinawa Gunto supporting raids on the Japanese home islands.

While carrier planes were carrying out their strikes on Kyushu, Japan, enemy planes tried in vain to break through the formation in attempt to make their suicide dives. On the morning of 4 May 1945, several of the Japanese penetrated the combat air patrol defense and, in the midst of the attack, a Kamikaze plunged through the low clouds into Admiral Mitcher's flagship, USS ENTERPRISE. Of the four other planes which attacked the surface formation, ALABAMA's gunners shot down two which crashed only about 1,000 yards away.

On 5 June, while conducting operations off Kyushu, the task force rode out a typhoon with ALABAMA experiencing slight damage, and cruiser PITTSBURGH losing nearly 100 feet of her bow. On 10 June, ALABAMA received orders to proceed southward and join other battleships in the bombardment of Minami Daito Jima. This new assignment was carried out, and the ship proceeded to the newly developed base in Leyte Gulf.

The THIRD Fleet's biggest venture was soon to be executed, and after three weeks at anchor, ALABAMA steamed in Admiral Halsey's task force enroute for the home islands of Japan. After the carrier planes had raked the islands from Nakasaki to Hokkaido, enemy targets practically disappeared, and the opposition encountered was negligible. On 14 July came the phase of the operation which was purely a battleship function. Three new "big ones" were turned loose on an industrial area on Hokkaido and, although ALABAMA was not one of them, she spurred her fleetmates on with much enthusiasm--at last, the dreadnoughts were getting a crack at the Japanese in a more direct way than protecting the carriers.

ALABAMA got her chance on 17 July 1945, with her principal target for the bombardment an engineering works on Honshu Island, about 50 miles north of Tokyo. Some 1500 tons of shells were thrown into the mills and factories under the cover of darkness, but the destruction could not be observed due to a heavy rainstorm. Nevertheless, ALABAMA later learned that she had done a very handsome job of demolishing the targets assigned her.

The end of the war found the ship still at sea, and, after 67 days of continuous steaming, she dropped anchor in Tokyo Bay, remaining for two weeks while her landing force assisted the occupation of the Yokosuka-Tokyo area. On 20 September 1945, ALABAMA stood out from Tokyo. At Okinawa, she embarked some 3700 passengers for the U.S., thus doing her bit in the task of returning the Pacific veterans. Navy Day, 27 October 1945, was spent with other units of the THIRD Fleet in the celebrations at San Francisco. On 26 November 1945, Captain E. H. Pierce, USN, relieved Captain Goggins as Commanding Officer.after being moved to Bremerton, Washington, she was decommissioned on January 9, 1947

Gov't eyes plan to take ownership stakes in banks

WASHINGTON (AP) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told international leaders on Sunday that isolationism and protectionism could worsen the spreading financial crisis. With a new trading week dawning, U.S. lawmakers urged quick action by the Bush administration on measures to make direct purchases of bank stock to help unlock lending.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, said an administration proposal to inject federal money directly into certain banks, in effect partially nationalizing the banking system, "is gaining steam."

"I am hopeful that tomorrow, the Treasury will announce that they're doing it. And they have to do it quickly ... markets are waiting," Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

The administration has not indicated when it would announce its next steps.

(AP) President Bush makes a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House after meeting with G7... Full Image

Democrats also are lining up behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plan to bring lawmakers back to Capitol Hill after the Nov. 4 election to work on a second economic relief plan. The idea is "give the middle class and the average citizen the same kind of relief that we try to give the financial sector," said Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

Top Democrats are suggesting a $150 billion measure that would extend jobless benefits, provide more money for food stamps and finance some construction projects, such as rebuilding bridges and roads. It would also include either a tax rebate or tax cut.

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the second-ranking House Republican, said he would help on a plan "that makes sense" but is not laden with huge public works projects or bailouts for states that overspent on social programs.

In another step aimed at easing the financial crisis, the Federal Reserve on Sunday approved the $12.2 billion acquisition of troubled Wachovia Corp. (WB) by Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) Wachovia is the latest in a string of major banks and financial institutions that have been felled by the financial crisis. The Fed action was expected.

As the International Monetary Fund and World Bank held their annual meetings over the weekend, Paulson warned the bank's policy-setting committee of the dangers of "inward-looking policies."

(AP) From left, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, Canadian Finance Minister, James... Full Image

"Although we in the United States are taking many extraordinary measures to ease the crisis, we are not pursuing policies that would limit the flow of goods, services or capital, as such measures would only intensify the risks of a prolonged crisis," Paulson said.

Meanwhile, the World Bank pledged to protect poor and vulnerable countries and nations with rapidly developing economies. Mexican Finance Minister Agustin Carstens, who heads the bank's policy-setting committee, said the bank and the IMF will draw on the full range of their resources to help these countries.

Bank President Robert Zoellick told reporters the financial crisis "has been a manmade catastrophe. The actions and responses to overcome it lie in our hands."

Jittery investors awaited the reopening of stock markets - the Dow Jones industrial average just completed its worst week ever, plummeting more than 18 percent - and hoped for bold, coordinated international steps to address the crisis.

At a Paris meeting of European leaders Sunday, countries that use the euro agreed to temporarily guarantee bank refinancing to ease the credit crunch. French President Nicolas Sarkozy it would apply in 15 countries through the end of 2009 and was "not a gift to banks."

The United States has not yet gone that far. But President Bush met at the White House with top global financial leaders on Saturday in a display of unity and said afterward that they had agreed to general principles to combat the crisis. Bush, who had spoken about the crisis for 22 of the past 27 days, went biking at a state park in Maryland on Sunday morning and then kept to a private schedule the rest of the day.

Paulson has indicated the administration will use part of the recent $700 billion bailout Bush signed Oct. 3 to have the government take ownership stakes in banks. The plan has wide support on Capitol Hill, although Democrats pressed for quicker action in spelling out specifics.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., sounded a cautionary note. "That has to be very, very carefully done," he said. "We are a capitalistic system and we don't want to move away with nationalizing the banking system. So that anything that's done has to be done on a temporary basis."

This plan and other Paulson moves were supported by three former treasury secretaries.

"This is bigger than the private sector can fix by itself," said James A. Baker III, who served under President Reagan. Robert Rubin, treasury secretary under President Clinton and now an adviser to Barack Obama, said it was important "to be highly, highly proactive."

Lawrence Summers, also a Clinton treasury secretary, said, "Any time you have a problem with trust, you've got to deal with it in a very aggressive way."

THE WORD OF GOD

I went to church this morning and we had a great service. God is good all the time. Our church service will usually run for about an hour and it consist of the following parts:

* Prelude
* Praise and Worship
*Responsive Reading
*Praises and Concerns
*Pastoral Prayer
*Hymns
*Announcements
*Blessings of Offerings
*Doxology
*Hymn
*Time for Children
*Message
*Benediction

At the church today,they also made an announcement on our upcoming wedding. It was great to hear the "CONGRATULATIONS ". Everything went great today. It was a great Sunday.

This is the word of God:

Therefore, my brothers ans sisters,whom I love and long for my joy and crown,stand firm in the Lord in this way,my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these Women, for they have sturglled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my Co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always;again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understand, will guard your heart in Christ Jessus. Finally, beloved whatever is true,whatever is honorable,whatever is just,whatever is pure,whatever ispleasing,whatever is commendable,if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you

Philippians 4:1-9

AMAZING RACE

Logo of the United States edition of The Amazing Race. Logos for the international versions of the show are adapted from this logo.

The Amazing Race, sometimes referred to as TAR, is a reality television game show in which teams of two people (with one exception), who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at "pit stops" at the end of each leg of the race to win prizes and avoid coming in last, which carries the possibility of elimination or a significant disadvantage in the following leg. Contestants travel to and within multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes, including planes, taxis, rental cars, trains, buses and boats. The clues in each leg point the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a task, either together or by a single member. These challenges are related in some manner to the country or culture where they are located. Teams are progressively eliminated until three teams are left; at that point, the team that arrives first in the final leg is awarded a large cash grand prize, usually one million U.S. dollars.

Created by Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster, the original series has aired in the United States since 2001 and has earned seven Primetime Emmy Awards, including all six "Outstanding Reality-Competition Program" awards that have been given. Emmy-award-winning New Zealand television personality Phil Keoghan has been the popular host of the show since its inception. Hollywood mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been TAR's main producer. The show has branched out to include a number of international versions following a similar format.

Survivor gabon update

Me and my family here in the states are SURVIVOR GABON fanatic. We always watch their episode here every Thursday at 9 in the evening. Their castings are great, I like some of their survivors and I hated some too but that's just it,we just have to wait and see on who will make it to the top and be the sole survivor:

Exclusive Interview: Jacquie Berg of ‘Survivor: Gabon’ - buddytv.com

October 11th, 2008

Exclusive Interview: Jacquie Berg of ‘Survivor: Gabon’

It’s too bad that one of the only reasons fans knew Jacquie Berg this season on Survivor: Gabon is because they kept confusing her with fellow player, Kelly Czarnecki. The truth is that the similarities stop at their blonde hair. The two played very different games but unfortunately Jacquie was hit by a series of unfortunate events in this week’s episode. When the tribes were switched up, Jacquie landed on Fang, where she was outnumbered. She aligned herself with Ace and Sugar, currently two big threats in the game. Fang decided to let her take the fall for that alliance and voted her out. Today, she spoke to BuddyTV in an exclusive interview.

Jacquie, the tribe has spoken...

Can you tell me if you were a fan of Survivor before joining this season?

Yes, I love Survivor, the whole idea behind it, that it tests your physical and mental capacities – I think it’s awesome.

Did you do any kind of preparation before you left for Africa?

Tons and tons of stuff. I was training for a triathlon. I did bikram yoga to get used to the heat. I went to some meditation coaching to keep myself grounded out there when things got tough. And I learned how to filet a fish – I never touched raw meat before I went on the show so I got over the fear.

What is the toughest part about playing this game, do you think, at least for you?

Yeah, just being around people that you can’t trust. All day long. It messes with your mind so that was really hard. You couldn’t have any normal conversation, you couldn’t vent to anybody.

When the tribes were switched up on last night’s episode, what was going through your mind? What were you most worried about?

Oh my gosh, I don’t know if you could tell but I was praying that Fang didn’t choose me because obviously, they were going to have the majority former Fang members and on the other mat, the majority Kota. I had pretended to like, not to even hear Crystal. Like, “Please don’t pick me, please don’t pick me,” and sure enough, she did. I mean, that was my worst fear, being in the minority.

Alabama escaped

It was a busy day for me for the last few days because we went to Alabama and helped a friend of mom and dad to pull out her things out from her storage. Things went well,we had a safe travel going back and forth and we are able to pull out all the things she need. It was tiring though but all worth it because I'm with my beloved baby. It's such a great feeling to be with the one you love most, I missed him already. Hope you guys had a great day too.. God bless

Pinaymama's Diary One Year Blogversary

Pinaymama is now celebrating her blogversary and she's hosting a contest and everyone could join.

Here are the mechanics of Pinaymama's Diary - One Year Blogversary contest...

To be qualify for the giveaway, just follow these simple steps:

1. Blog about the contest, don't forget to grab the badge and direct link to http://gardenofmoments.com. A few sentence will do. At the bottom of your post, don't forget to link all of my blogs, as well as the sponsor's blogs and their individual links.

My Blogs:

Pinaymama's Diary | A Mother's Journal | Simple Life, Simply Me | Life Expressions | Asawa's Love Book | Pinay in States

Sponsor(s) Blogs:

Beauty of Life | Praning's Shoutout| Starts at Two | The Money Maker | A mother of yesterday, today & tomorrow| San Diego w/ Love | Beauty is in the eye of the beholder | Tips & Experiences | Biz-N-Honey | Mommy Earns Money Online | Pinay Mommy Online | Micsart | Twinkletoe Writing Space | Everything Has A Reason | Life's All About
2. Subscribe to Pinaymama's Diary feeds via email. (see top left sidebar)
4. Fave this blog in Technorati (see top left sidebar)
3. Leave the direct link of your post in the comment section as well as the blogs where you posted the contest.
4. 1 point, 1 entry, the more entry you have the more chances of winning
5. All entries must be submitted before or on October 31st, 12 am (EST). I will announce the winner in November 1, 2008 EST.

Here are the prizes:

• 1 major winner of a gorgeous multi-colored scarf (sponsored by Me) Plus, a 2,000 EC credits (sponsored by Everything Has A Reason) Plus, 1 month free 125X125 ad space sponsored by Aeirin of Biz-N-Honey

Scarf Description:

A multi-colored scarf for women, one measures 81 inches long and 6 inches across, the maker is Filatess. This scarf is made of 52% Acrylic, 27% Nylon-Polyamid and 21% Mohair. This scarf was made in Italy.


Note: If you live outside the US, since I can't ship internationally, a $10.00 will be deposited direct to your Paypal account.

• 1 winner of $5.00 (sponsored by Mommy Jona of Beauty of Life) Plus, a free ad space 125X125 for a month and a 1,000 EC credits (Sponsored by Praning's Shoutout.)
  

• 1 winner of 1,000 EC credits. Plus, a Customize Layout (blogger platform) (sponsored by Ms. Twinks of Twinkletoe Writing Space.)
  

• 1 winner of 1 year domain. Plus, a 125X125 ad space in Pinaymama's Diary and 1,000 EC credits, sponsored by Pinay Mommy Online

• 2 winners of free ad space for a month plus, a 900 EC credits (sponsored by Simple Life, Simply Me and Momemo.)
  

• 1 winner of 800 EC credits (sponsored by Asawa's Love Book) Plus, a free 3-months 125X125 advert in The Money Maker blog (sponsored by Mommy Jona.)
  

• 2 winners of 600 EC credits (sponsored by Micsart and Starts at Two) Plus, a two 125X125 free ad space for 2 months in Pinay in States and A Mother's Journal.)
  

• 1 winner of 125X125 ad space for a month at Life Expressions and Everything Has A Reason)

• For 12 consolation prizes, (12 winners) of 100 free EC credits will be given away. (Sponsored by Mommy Jerla of A mother of yesterday, today & tomorrow, San Diego w/ Love, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Tips & Experiences and Life's All About.)

What are waiting for visit Pinaymama's Diary.

Thanks for the opportunity

The Debate Starts Here

The University of Mississippi community is pleased to host the first presidential debate of 2008 on September 26. Foreign policy and national security issues will be the focus of the 8:00 p.m. (CDT) debate, and several related events showcase the university’s institutes and centers that are working to find solutions to this country’s challenges.

This is Ole Miss, and the debate starts here.

Visit other election year debate sites:

• October 2: Washington University in St. Louis (Vice Presidential)
• October 7: Belmont University (Presidential)
• October 15: Hofstra University (Presidential)

Serena Williams is so good in tennis court

I'm a big fan of Serena Williams because of the way she play tennis and in every game she has it is always a great game. I always get updated on every game she has. Here's some information about her:

Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is a professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 2. She has won 18 Grand Slam titles: nine in singles, seven in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She also has won two Olympic gold medals in women's doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously. In 2005, Tennis magazine ranked her as the 17th-best player of the preceding forty years. She is the younger sister of a former World No. 1 professional female tennis player, Venus Williams. Serena currently resides at Ballen Isles in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Serena Jameka Williams
Williams playing World Team Tennis in 2008
Country	United States
Residence	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S. [1]
Date of birth	September 26, 1981 (1981-09-26) (age 27)
Place of birth	Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Weight	150 lb (68 kg)[1]
Turned pro	1995
Plays	Right; Two-handed backhand
Career prize money	US$21,774,846 (3nd in all-time rankings)[2]
Singles
Career record:	398–83
Career titles:	32
Highest ranking:	No. 1 (July 8, 2002) (September 8, 2008)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	W (2003, 2005, 2007)
French Open	W (2002)
Wimbledon	W (2002, 2003)
US Open	W (1999, 2002, 2008)
Major tournaments
WTA Championships	W (2001)
Olympic Games	QF (2008)
Doubles
Career record:	110–17
Career titles:	13
Highest ranking:	No. 5 (October 11, 1999)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (2001, 2003)
French Open	W (1999)
Wimbledon	W (2000, 2002, 2008)
US Open	W (1999)

Career

Early years

Serena was born in Saginaw, Michigan. When she and her four sisters were young, their parents, Richard and Oracene (also called Brandy), moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Compton. Her father dreamed of making at least one of his daughters a tennis superstar, hoping that involvement in sports would give them an opportunity for a better life. The children were homeschooled.

When Serena was four and a half, she won her first tournament, and she entered 49 tournaments by the age of 10, winning 46 of them. At one point, she replaced her sister Venus as the number one ranked tennis player aged 12 or under in California.

In 1991, Richard Williams, saying that he hoped to prevent his daughters from facing racism, stopped sending them to national junior tennis tournaments, and Serena attended a tennis school run by professional player Rick Macci in Haines City, Florida at Greneleaf Resort and Conference Center instead. Macci had already helped the careers of Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce, among others. Soon Richard, who had struck a deal on behalf of his daughters with a major clothing company, was able to move the rest of the Williams family to West Palm Beach, to be near Serena and Venus.

1995-1998

Williams became a professional in September 1995 at the age of 14. Because of her age, she had to participate in non-WTA events at first. Her first professional event was the tournament in Quebec City, where she was ousted in less than an hour of play.

Williams's biggest achievement of 1997 was her run in Chicago; ranked World No. 304, she upset both Monica Seles and Mary Pierce, recording her first career wins over top 10 players. She finished 1997 at World No. 99.

1998 was the first year that Williams finished ranked in the WTA top 20. She began the year in Sydney as a qualifier, ranked World No. 96, and defeated World No. 3 Lindsay Davenport in a quarterfinal. Williams was then expected to do well in her first Grand Slam tournament, but lost in the second round of the Australian Open to sister Venus.

Williams reached six other quarterfinals during the year. She won the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi, completing the Williams family's sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slams. Williams won her first pro title in doubles at Oklahoma City with sister Venus, becoming the third pair of sisters to win a WTA tour women's doubles title. She earned U.S. $2.6 million in prize money during the year.

1999

In 1999, Serena defeated Amélie Mauresmo in the final of the Open Gaz de France tournament in Paris, the same day that Venus won the tournament in Oklahoma City. This was the first time in professional tennis history that two sisters had won titles in the same week.^{[citation needed]}

In March, Williams won the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, becoming the second of only five unseeded Tier I champions in WTA history. Williams (ranked 21st) defeated the World No. 2 Lindsay Davenport in the second round, the World No. 8 Mary Pierce in a quarterfinal, and the World No. 7 Steffi Graf in the three-set final.

At the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, sister Venus halted Serena's 16-match winning streak in the final. This was the first all-sister singles final during the open era. Serena defeated World No. 3 Monica Seles and World No. 1 Martina Hingis en route to the final.

On April 5, 1999, Serena made her top 10 debut at World No. 9. Venus was ranked sixth the same week, marking the first time that two sisters appeared in the top ten simultaneously since April 22, 1991, when Manuela and Katerina Maleeva were in the top ten.

Williams teamed with sister Venus to win the women's doubles title at the French Open but lost in the third round in singles at that tournament. Williams missed Wimbledon because of an injury.

In the summer, Williams won the hard court tournament in Los Angeles, defeating World No. 8 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, World No. 1 Hingis, and Julie Halard-Decugis.

At the US Open, the seventh-seeded Williams defeated World No. 4 Seles, World No. 2 Davenport, and World No. 1 Hingis to become the lowest seed to win the titleand the second African-American woman (after Althea Gibson in 1958) to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.

Williams went on to take the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, defeating Venus in the final.

Williams won her singles match and doubles match during the tie between the United States and Russia in the final of the Fed Cup. The U.S. won four of the five matches and its 16th title overall. In their doubles match, Serena and Venus defeated Elena Dementieva and Elena Makarova 6–2, 6–1.

Williams finished the year at World No. 4 in just her second full year on the main tour.

Williams became the focus of many ad campaigns, including one with shoe and clothes maker Puma, which signed her to a U.S.$12 million agreement.

2000

Following her breakthrough season, Williams's results declined slightly in 2000. Her best Grand Slam showing was a run to the semifinals at Wimbledon, before losing to sister and eventual champion Venus. Her defense of the US Open title came to a disappointing end when she fell to Lindsay Davenport in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

Perhaps the highlight of Williams's year was picking up the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics for women's doubles, along with Venus. The Williams sisters also teamed up to take the women's doubles title at Wimbledon, while Serena picked up singles titles in Hanover, Los Angeles and Tokyo. She finished the year at number six, a slight decline on her finish the year before.

2001

Williams reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time before falling to World No. 1 Martina Hingis. Serena and her sister Venus won the women's doubles title there, becoming only the fifth women's doubles team in history to win all four Grand Slam doubles titles during their career, a "Career Grand Slam".

Williams then won the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California.

Williams reached the quarterfinals at both the French Open and Wimbledon.

During the North American summer hard court season, Williams captured her second title of the year at the Tier I Rogers Cup in Toronto, defeating World No. 3 and top-seeded Jennifer Capriati in the final. At the US Open, Williams defeated Hingis in the semifinals to reach her second Grand Slam final before losing to sister Venus.

At the year-ending WTA Tour Championships, Williams saved eight match points before defeating Capriati in the semifinals. She then won the final by default when Lindsay Davenport withdrew.

Williams finished the year at World No. 6 for the second straight year.

2002

Williams was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open due to injury but won her first event of the year in Scottsdale, defeating World No. 1 Jennifer Capriati in the final. She then won the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, again defeating Capriati in the final. She then captured her first career title on clay at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating Justine Henin in the final.

Williams was the third-seeded player at the French Open and dropped just two sets en route to the final. She then defeated sister Venus 7–5, 6–3. At Wimbledon, Williams won the title without dropping a set, defeating Venus once again in the final. This win earned Williams the World No. 1 ranking (dethroning her sister and becoming the second African-American woman to hold that ranking on the Women's Tennis Association computer). The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at this event.

Williams captured her third straight Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, once again not dropping a set en route, and defeated Venus yet again in the final in straight sets. Williams then won back-to-back titles in Leipzig and Tokyo. She reached the final at the year-ending Home Depot Championships but lost to 19-year-old Kim Clijsters 7–5, 6–3.

Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 record, eight singles titles, and the World No. 1 ranking.

2003

At the Australian Open, Williams dropped only one set while reaching the semifinals. She then defeated Kim Clijsters 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, recovering from a 5–1 deficit in the third set and saving two match points. She then faced her sister Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and won in three sets, to become the fifth woman in the open era to complete a Career Grand Slam, joining Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Steffi Graf. The Williams sisters won their sixth doubles title together at this event.

Williams then captured titles at the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida and went into the French Open trying to capture her fifth consecutive Grand Slam singles title. However, she lost to eventual champion Justine Henin in the semifinals 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 (having led by a break in the third set) in a match marred by controversy, in which Williams was booed. Two weeks later, however, Williams won her sixth Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Henin in the semifinals 6–3, 6–2 before defeating Venus in the final.

Wimbledon was Williams's last event of the year, as a knee injury forced her to withdraw from all other events (including the US Open). As a result, she lost her World No. 1 ranking to Clijsters in August, having held it for 57 weeks. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 3, despite having played only seven tournaments plus Fed Cup.

Williams's older sister, Yetunde Price, was murdered on the morning of September 14, 2003, by gunshots as she passed by in a car driven by a man in the Compton area.

2004

Williams delivering a serve in 2004.

Williams withdrew from the Australian Open to continue rehabilitating her left knee. After eight months away from the tour, Williams began her comeback at the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she defeated Elena Dementieva in the final. She then lost in the French Open quarterfinals to Jennifer Capriati 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, which was the first time she had lost before the semifinals at a Grand Slam singles tournament since Wimbledon in 2001. She reached the final of Wimbledon, but in one of the most surprising upsets in the tournament's history, the 17-year old Russian player, Maria Sharapova, defeated Williams 6–1, 6–4.

On July 30, Williams withdrew from her quarterfinal match in San Diego against Russia's Vera Zvonareva with another left knee injury. On August 1, she announced her withdrawal from the Rogers Cup due to the same injury. The injury also forced her to pull out of the Summer Olympics.

Williams's next tournament was the US Open, where she lost a quarterfinal match to Capriati. The match was plagued by disputes over calls with the umpire. Williams protested later on the Ellen show by wearing a bright orange shirt with white capital letters, stating "THE BALL WAS IN!"

At the China Open in Beijing, Williams defeated the newly crowned US Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in the final. Williams earned enough points there to reach the WTA Tour Championships, where she again lost to Sharapova in the final. Williams suffered a stomach muscle strain during the match after leading 6–4, 2–1, consequently Williams began delivering serves barely reaching the 100 mph mark and Sharapova eventually won the match, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4. Despite the loss, Williams finished the year at World No. 7.

2005

Williams won the Australian Open, her seventh Grand Slam singles title. She defeated three of the tournament's top four seeds (#2 Amélie Mauresmo, #4 Maria Sharapova, and #1 Lindsay Davenport) en route to the title. Williams saved three match points against Sharapova in the semifinals. The win moved her up to World No. 2, and Williams stated she was now targeting the number one spot in the foreseeable future.

Williams did not reach the final at any of her next five tournaments. This period included a loss to sister Venus - her first since 2001 - in the quarterfinals of the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

An ankle injury forced Williams to miss the French Open. At Wimbledon, Williams was defeated in the third round by fellow American Jill Craybas (ranked World No. 85) 6–3, 7–6(4).

At the US Open, Williams lost to her sister Venus in the fourth round 7–6, 6–2. This was the earliest the sisters had met in a Grand Slam tournament since their first meeting at the 1998 Australian Open. Williams played just one more match during the remainder of the year, a loss to World No. 127 Sun Tiantian in Beijing.

Williams finished the year ranked World No. 11 and with just one singles title.

2006

Williams hitting a return at the US open in 2006.

Williams did not participate in any of the official warm-up tournaments for the Australian Open.^[6] Williams was the defending champion at the Australian Open but fell to Daniela Hantuchová 6–1, 7–6(5) in the third round, provoking media reports that Williams had lost enthusiasm for the sport, which she denied. Her world ranking then fell out of the top 50 for the first time in many years, and she withdrew from the tournaments in Antwerp, the Dubai, and the Key Biscayne, Florida.

After withdrawing from the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Williams's world ranking fell out of the top 100 for the first time in almost nine years. Shortly after, she announced that she would miss both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a chronic knee injury. She said that she would not be able to compete before "the end of the summer," on doctor's orders.

Williams, however, returned to the game earlier than expected, accepting wildcards to summer hard court tournaments in Cincinnati and Los Angeles. Ranked World No. 139 because of her inactivity, Williams upset the Cincinnati tournament's second seed and World No. 11 Anastasia Myskina 6–2, 6–2 in the first round before losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion Vera Zvonareva 6–2, 6–3.^[6] Williams's ranking rose to World No. 108 after Cincinnati. In Los Angeles, Williams defeated Hantuchová in the third round but lost in the semifinals to Jelena Janković 6–4, 6–3.^[6]

Williams was granted a wildcard into the US Open, as her ranking prevented her from gaining direct entry into the tournament. She was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 1998. However, she defeated US Open Series champion Ana Ivanović in the third round before losing to top seed Amélie Mauresmo in the fourth round 6–4, 0–6, 6–2. Williams did not play again for the rest of the year.

Williams ended the year ranked World No. 95, her worst end-of-year ranking since 1997 when she finished World No. 99.

2007

Williams finished 2007 ranked World No. 7 and won two singles titles, her best performance in both aspects since 2004. She was also the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.

Williams began the year by stating that she had no doubt she would be World No. 1 again, a comment that attracted criticism in the press from Pat Cash.

Williams competed at the tournament in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia as a warm-up for the Australian Open. However, she lost to unseeded Sybille Bammer of Austria in the quarterfinals. Williams was unseeded at the Australian Open because of her World No. 81 ranking and was widely regarded as "out of shape". In the third round, however, Williams defeated fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova, which was her first win over a top 10 player since defeating Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open final. In the quarterfinals, Williams was two points from losing to Shahar Pe'er before prevailing and then defeated tenth-seeded Nicole Vaidišová in the semifinals in straight sets. In the final, Williams defeated top-seeded Maria Sharapova in straight sets to win her third Australian Open singles title, her eighth Grand Slam singles title, and her sixteenth Grand Slam title overall. Williams dedicated the title to her deceased sister Yetunde. Her performance in the final was described by TENNIS.com as "one of the best performances of her career" and by BBC Sport as "arguably the most powerful display ever seen in women's tennis". Her ranking rose to World No. 14 as a result of the win.

Williams next played at the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. In the fourth round, Williams again defeated World No. 2 Sharapova 6–1, 6–1.^[12] She went on to reach the final, where she defeated World No. 1 Justine Henin in three sets after Williams saved two match points in the second set.

At the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina on clay courts, Williams received a first round bye and then retired from her second round match due to a groin pull. The following week, Williams won her first singles match in the first round Fed Cup tie against Belgium on hard courts but withdrew from the second singles match to rest her knee.

Williams played only one clay court tournament in Europe before the French Open. In Rome at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Williams lost to fourteenth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(5).^[12] After the tournament, however, she re-entered the top 10, moving up to World No. 9.

Williams at the French Open in 2007.

As the eighth seed at the French Open, Williams lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Henin 6–4, 6–3. Following the match, Williams said her performance was "hideous and horrendous" and worse than ever. She also said that she felt "violated."

Despite this loss, Williams was one of the favorites for the Wimbledon title. During her fourth round match against Daniela Hantuchová, Williams collapsed from an acute muscle spasm at 5–5 in the second set. After a medical timeout and holding serve to force a tiebreak, the rain came and play was suspended for nearly two hours. When the players returned to the court, Williams won the match 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–2. Williams then lost her quarterfinal match with World No. 1 Henin 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. Williams started the match with a heavily taped calf and was forced to use a one-handed backhand slice because of an injury to her left thumb. Williams drew criticism when she claimed after the match that she would have beaten Henin had Williams been healthy. After Wimbledon, Williams moved up to World No. 7, the highest she had been since 2005.

Because of the thumb injury, Williams did not play a tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open. At the US Open itself, she beat 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli in the fourth round, setting up her third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal with Henin. Williams lost again, 7–6(3), 6–1, her third straight loss to Henin in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event.

In October, Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Stuttgart to World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–3, 6–3. Williams then reached her third final of the year at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, defeating Kuznetsova in the semifinals. In the final, however, she lost to Elena Dementieva. Nevertheless, Williams's performances at these tournaments increased her ranking to World No. 5 and qualified her for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid. Williams's participation there was short. Because of injury, she retired from her first match with Anna Chakvetadze after losing the first set and then withdrew from the tournament.

2008

Williams started the year by participating on the U.S. team that won the Hopman Cup for the fifth time in Perth, Australia.

Williams entered the 2008 Australian Open as the defending champion and seventh seed but lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 4 and third-seeded Jelena Janković 6–3, 6–4. This was her fourth straight loss in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament. In the women's doubles event, Serena and her sister Venus lost in the quarterfinals to the seventh-seeded team, Zheng Jie and Yan Zi.

Williams then withdrew from the tournaments in Paris, Antwerp, and Dubai due to an urgent need for dental surgery.

Upon her return to the tour, Williams won three consecutive singles titles. At the Tier II tournament in Bangalore, India, Serena defeated sister Venus in the semifinals 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(4) after Serena saved a match point 6–5 in the third set. This was the first time they had played each other since the fourth round of the 2005 US Open. Serena then defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the final. At the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Williams won her fifth career singles title there, tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament. Williams defeated World No. 1 Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, World No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals, and World No. 4 Janković in the final. This was Williams's 30th career singles title. At the clay court Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Williams defeated, for the fourth consecutive time, second-seeded Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals 7–5, 4–6, 6–1. In the final, Williams defeated Vera Zvonareva^[25] to capture her tenth career Tier I title and first clay court title since the 2002 French Open.

Williams's 17-match winning streak was ended by Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals of the Tier I Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin 2–6, 6–1, 7–6(5). Williams was the fifth-seeded player at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome and made it to the quarterfinals, where Alizé Cornet received a walkover over Williams because of a back injury.

Williams was the fifth-seeded player at the French Open. Although she was the only former winner of this tournament in this year's draw, she lost in the third round to 27th-seeded Katarina Srebotnik 6–4, 6–4.

Williams stretching for a ball at Wimbledon 2008.

At Wimbledon, the sixth-seeded Williams reached the semifinals for the first time in four years. She defeated former World No. 1 and 2006 Wimbledon champion Amélie Mauresmo in the third round 7–6(5), 6–1. She then defeated Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals and Zheng Jie, a Chinese wild card, in the semifinals. Williams, however, lost the final to her older sister Venus in straight sets.Serena and Venus then teamed to win the women's doubles title without dropping a set the entire tournament, defeating Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the final.

Williams then played four World Team Tennis matches for the Washington Kastles, contributing 49 points for her team.

Williams was seeded first at the tournament in Stanford, California. After defeating fifth-seeded Schnyder in the quarterfinals, Williams retired from her semifinal match against qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak while trailing 6–2, 3–1 because of a left knee injury. That injury caused Williams to withdraw from the tournament in Los Angeles the following week.

At the Beijing Olympics, Williams was the fourth-seeded player in singles but lost to fifth-seeded and eventual gold-medalist Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals 3–6, 6–4, 6–3. Serena and her sister Venus were the second-seeded team in doubles. They won the gold medal, beating the Spanish team of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-2, 6-0 in the final.

Williams was seeded fourth at the US Open and defeated her seventh-seeded sister Venus in the quarterfinals 7–6(6), 7–6(7). Serena trailed 5–3 in both sets and saved two set points in the first set and eight set points in the second set. Williams then defeated Safina in the semifinals 6–3, 6–2. She went on to win the title, defeating Janković in the final, and became the new World No. 1.

At the Tier II Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament in Stuttgart, Serena was the top seed, but lost to World no. 30 Li Na 6-0, 1-6, 4-6 in the second round.

Williams also entered the doubles draw in Stuttgart with her sister Venus, and are the fourth seeds. They beat the team of Daniela Hantuchova and Agnes Szavay in the first round, 6-4 6-1. But due to a left ankle injury to Serena, they had to withdraw from the tournament.

Williams issued a statement on 3rd October 2008 announcing her withdrawal from the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, citing a continuing left ankle injury and a desire to give her body time to recover from a packed 2008 playing schedule. In her statement, Williams recognised that her withdrawal from the Kremlin Cup significantly hindered her chances of finishing the season ranked No.1 in the world