Battleship Memorial Park
Mobile AL
Mobile County Alabama
USS Alabama | Mobile AL | Mobile County Alabama
Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum located on the western shore of Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama. It has a collection of notable aircraft and museum ships including the South Dakota-class battleshipUSS Alabama and Gato-class submarine USS Drum. The USS Alabama and USS Drum are both National Historic Landmarks; the park as a whole was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage prior to that time, on October 28, 1977.[1]
In May 1962, the USS Alabama (BB-60) had been ordered scrapped along with her South Dakota-class sister ships,USS South Dakota, USS Indiana, and USS Massachusetts.[4] Citizens of the state of Alabama had formed the “USSAlabama Battleship Commission” to raise funds for the preservation of Alabama as a memorial to the men and women who served in World War II. Alabama’s school children raised approximately $100,000 in nickels and dimes from lunch money and allowances to help the cause.[4] The ship was awarded to the state on June 16, 1964, and was formally turned over on July 7, 1964 in ceremonies at Seattle, Washington. 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.[4] Alabamawas joined in 1969 by the submarine USS Drum which was moored behind her until 2001, when the submarine was moved onto land for preservation in a permanent display.[5]
Hurricane Katrina caused more than $7 million in damages to Battleship Memorial Park on August 29, 2005 when it came ashore.[4] It almost completely destroyed the aircraft pavilion and gave the Alabama an eight-degree list to port and shifting at her permanent anchorage.[6] This forced the park to temporarily close for repairs. It reopened on January 9, 2006.[7]
Wikipedia contributors, “Battleship Memorial Park,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battleship_Memorial_Park&oldid=595048283 (accessed September 1, 2014).
Add to favorites
