While towing the RV on our way to Orange Beach, we passed the battleship memorial park in Mobile. Darin commented that he would like to see the two vessels, and my dad hasn’t visited the ship since I was a kid (long, long time ago!), so we drove up to Mobile on a very overcast day, hoping that the sky would cooperate. For the most part it remained cloudy but we finally saw a few raindrops when we exited the submarine at the end of the day.
The USS Alabama has had a remarkable career. She began her World War II adventures in the North Atlantic in 1943, then later that year, headed to the South Pacific seas. She ended up in Mobile, Alabama as a National Historic Landmark and memorial to millions. Lucky for us!
Upon entering the ship, there were three tours that you could follow. Each one winds you through doors, halls, rooms, and stairs. You better be prepared for some walking because this thing is huge! We started on the yellow route, following the arrows and numbers along the way. Then we completed the red and green routes, which eventually led us back out the door where we started.
Can you believe this was home to a crew of 2,500 courageous Americans during the height of WWII? It was also used in the film USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage starring Nicolas Cage. I can’t imagine a cameraman trying to navigate the hatches while toting big equipment.
On June 5, 1945, while conducting operations off Kyushu, the troops rode out a typhoon with Alabama experiencing slight damage, and cruiser Pittsburgh losing nearly 100 feet of her bow. Can you fathom being on that ship in a hurricane?
Many of the support shops like the cobbler, ship store, photography, and tailor featured beds mounted where the men would sleep after a long day of work. Many entire towns in America are smaller than this crew.
Way down below deck there are four engine rooms, each carrying two boilers and two turbines. With four propellers, this monster has 130,000 horsepower. The ship was nicknamed “Mighty A” and I can understand why. She earned nine battle stars during WWII.
The end of the war found the ship still at sea, and after 67 days of continuous steaming, she dropped anchor in Tokyo Bay. On September 20, 1945, the USS Alabama embarked some 3700 passengers for the U.S., thus helping with the task of returning our Pacific veterans. After being moved to Bremerton, Washington, she was decommissioned on January 9, 1947.
Dedicated to all of Alabama’s Medal of Honor recipients, the Aircraft Pavilion features a memorial wall that pays tribute to these heroes. One of the highlights of the pavillion is a super-secret spy plane, the A-12 Black Bird. With a wing span of 65 feet and 125 feet in length, this airplane flew 2,300 miles per hour and 93,700 feet high. It was used by the CIA in 1965 for spy missions.
Also on site is the oldest sub on public display, the USS Drum. Talk about a cramped space for a crew of 72! A submarine of that size simply could not fit all of the necessary provisions for a long war patrol in the appropriate spaces. To accommodate, the crew stashed boxes of food and other things anywhere they would fit — the showers, the engine room, even on the deck until there was space inside to fit it all.
Of the 263 submarines that made war patrols in World War II, 41 of them were lost to enemy action while another eleven were lost to accidents or other reasons. This was nearly one out of every five submarines, making the job of submariner one of the most dangerous of the war.
Most American warships end their useful life after wartime, but the Alabama was destined to live another day. Thanks to a forward-looking group of Mobilians and other Alabamians, the Battleship Memorial Park opened to the public on January 9, 1965.
Dedicated to all Alabama Citizens who have worn the uniform of any branch of the US Armed Forces, the Park’s numerous artifacts, exhibits, and displays all point to the fact that this is a unique military attraction. Check it out yourself if you are ever in the area.