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The battleship USS Alabama is located at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama.  In addition to the battleship, you can view the USS Drum submarine, 22 combat airplanes, tanks, and other vehicles used in warfare such as a Vietnam River Patrol Boat.

Also housed at this beautiful well-manicured park is a gift shop, a picnic area, The Galley – selling food and drinks, and outdoor kennels in a shaded area.  If you plan to bring your pet and use the kennels, be sure to talk with the ticketing office beforehand.  An Alabama Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion are part of the grounds as well.   A Wall of Honor inside the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion honors 9,583 Alabama citizens who died in combat since World War I. It also honors 29 Alabama citizens who received the Medal of Honor, the highest award given by the United States.

Plan to spend a minimum of 2 hours touring the exhibits both inside and out.  Tours are self-guided. The main deck of the USS Alabama and the Aircraft Pavilion are handicap accessible.  The USS Drum is not, but there is a video about the sub that runs continually in the Aircraft Pavilion.

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Battleship Alabama (BB-60)

The USS Alabama is 680′ long, 108′ 2″ wide and cruises at a speed of 28 knots (around 32 mph).  It has 4 engine rooms.  The sides are 1′ thick above the waterline and taper down to 1/2″ at the bottom.  It is armed with nine 16″ guns in 3 turrets, twenty 5″ .38 caliber guns in 10 twin mounts.  The guns could fire shells as heavy as a small car and be accurate for 21 miles.

Manned by a crew of 127 officers and 2,205 enlisted men, it shot down 22 planes.  It was placed in commission August 16, 1942 and decommissioned January 9, 1947.  It was known as the “Mighty A” and the “Lucky A” because there were no casualties or major damage from enemy fire during its 37 months of active duty during World War II.  The ship earned 9 stars and the Navy Occupation Service Medal Pacific for the period of September 2-23, 1945.  After it was decommissioned, it spent its time in storage in Puget Sound.  When it was going to be scrapped, the people of Alabama raised money and brought the USS Alabama to Battleship Memorial Park in 1964.  It holds the record for the longest non-military ton/mile tow in history.  It was opened to the public on January 9, 1965.

It is a great experience to be able to go through all parts of this ship and imagine how they lived.  You can sit at the tables in the mess where the cooks prepared over 7,500 meals a day.  You can see or lie in the bunks and experience the room they had.  The barber shop, laundry, bathrooms, and officers’ quarters are other sights.  It was a floating city.

The USS Drum is 311′ long, 27′ 4″ wide, and had a cruising speed of 20 knots.  Its maximum diving depth was 400′.  Its crew was composed of 7 officers and 65 enlisted men.  Commissioned November 1, 1941, the Drum had 13 war patrols, with 9 considered “successful.”  It sank 15 ships and earned 12 stars for its service in World War II.  It was decommissioned in 1946 and began service in Washington, D.C. in 1947 to the naval reserve.  It served here until 1967.  It was stored with the inactive fleet until 1969 when it became part of the USS Alabama Battleship Commission.  It opened to the public on July 4, 1969.  It is displayed on land and is the oldest American submarine on display in the world.

It was fascinating to climb through all the areas of the USS Drum.  It is definitely smaller than the Alabama, and the quarters are much tighter.  Hopefully, everyone got along while living together on-board.

Battleship Memorial Park won Trip Advisor’s 2014 Certificate of Excellence.  It is definitely worth the stop if you are in Mobile.  You can spend a few hours or most of your day.  You might also see the hostesses of Mobile dressed in antebellum dresses at the memorial park or around town.  They can answer your questions or recommend places to visit.

Hostesses of Mobile, AL

Hostesses of Mobile, AL

Current admission is $15.00 for adults (ages 12 and up), $13.00 for seniors (ages 55 and up), and $6.00 for children ages 6-11.  Children under 6 are free.