Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum on the western shore of

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...

in Mobile,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. Its notable aircraft and

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

s include the and . ''Alabama'' and ''Drum'' are

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

s; the park as a whole was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on October 28, 1977.

History

In May 1962, had been ordered scrapped along with her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...

s, , , and . Citizens of the state of

had formed the "USS ''Alabama'' Battleship Commission" to raise funds for the preservation of ''Alabama'' as a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

to the men and women who served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Alabama's school children raised about $100,000 in nickels and dimes from lunch money and allowances to help the cause. The ship was awarded to the state on June 16, 1964, and was formally turned over on July 7, 1964 in ceremonies at

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. ''Alabama'' was then towed to her permanent berth at Mobile, Alabama, arriving in Mobile Bay on September 14, 1964, and opening as a museum ship on January 9, 1965. ''Alabama'' was joined in 1969 by , a World War II , which was moored behind her until 2001, when the submarine was moved onto land for preservation in a permanent display. In 2003, a replica of a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

submarine that was built in Mobile, CSS , was moved to the park.

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

caused more than $7 million in damage to Battleship Memorial Park on August 29, 2005. It almost completely destroyed the

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

pavilion. It shifted ''Alabama'' at anchorage and gave her an eight-degree list to port. Repairs closed the park until January 9, 2006.

Features

* The

-era battleship . * The World War II era submarine . *

Bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

s and

fighter plane Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the a ...

s ranging from a

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Ai ...

from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, a

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

flown by the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of th ...

to an Lockheed A-12 spyplane. * A PBR (River Patrol Boat) used in the

. * Military equipment ranging from items such as a M51 Skysweeper anti-aircraft gun to a

M4 Sherman The M4 Sherman, officially medium tank, M4, was the medium tank most widely used by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. I ...

tank. * A Redstone MRBM (medium range ballistic missile). *

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Memorial * Vietnam War Memorial

Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion

;Up to World War II ;Korean War era ;Vietnam War era ;Cold War ;Coast Guard

Events

The 2001

USA Cross Country Championships The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as ...

were held at a cross country running course in the park. Political events have not been allowed at the venue since 2012. A living history crew drill is held six times a year. WWII reenactors dress in period uniforms and demonstrate life aboard the ship during wartime. Reeanctors share stories, conduct weapon briefings, and demonstrate drills.

Administration

The park is owned by the state of Alabama and is run by an independent government agency, the USS ''Alabama'' Battleship Commission. The commission consists of 18 members appointed by the Alabama governor. It has oversight of all operations at the park.

Gallery

References

External links

Battleship Memorial Park (Official website)USS ''Drum'' (SS-228)
{{authority control Maritime museums in Alabama Aerospace museums in Alabama Museums in Mobile, Alabama National Historic Landmarks in Alabama Military and war museums in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage Naval museums in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Mobile County, Alabama Cross country running in Alabama Battleship museums in the United States Museums established in 1965