{"id":26484,"date":"2024-06-05T00:01:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T07:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=26484"},"modified":"2024-05-25T09:03:20","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T16:03:20","slug":"the-uss-alabama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/06\/05\/the-uss-alabama\/","title":{"rendered":"The USS Alabama"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Joe Berk<\/h6>\n

Good buddy Paul recently sent to me a video about the powder charges used by US Navy battleships.\u00a0 The USS New Jersey was featured in the video, and it reminded of my visit to a sister ship, the USS Alabama.\u00a0 I wrote a Destinations piece for Motorcycle Classics<\/em> magazine ten years ago, and I thought you might enjoy seeing it (along with photos that did not appear in the MC<\/em> article).<\/p>\n

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The coastal plains along Alabama\u2019s southern edge are flat and the line of sight extends to the horizon.\u00a0 Ride east on Interstate 10 out of Mobile and you can see her distinctive, bristling profile from a great distance.\u00a0 One can only imagine the fear she induced in our enemies as she emerged from the mist on the high seas.<\/p>\n

She, of course, is the USS Alabama.\u00a0 She\u2019s docked at Battleship Memorial Park, just east of Mobile on I-10 where Alabama\u2019s coast meets the Gulf of Mexico.\u00a0 To call the USS Alabama impressive would be a massive understatement.\u00a0 This magnificent old warship is a study in superlatives and in contrasts.\u00a0\u00a0 Taller than a 20-story building, longer than two football fields, and capable of firing projectiles weighing nearly as much as a Z-06 Corvette at targets more than 20 miles away, the USS Alabama projected America\u2019s power on the open oceans and inland during World War II.\u00a0 The \u201cLucky A\u201d (she lost not a single crewmember to enemy fire while earning nine Battle Stars) sailed just under a quarter of a million miles in combat conditions and saw action in both the Atlantic and the Pacific theatres.\u00a0 When she passed through the Panama Canal, the 680-foot, 44,500-ton Lucky A had just 11 inches of clearance on each side.<\/p>\n

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After World War II the USS Alabama was retired from active service.\u00a0\u00a0 In 1962 the Navy announced plans to scrap this magnificent ship due to the high costs of keeping her in mothballs, but the good citizens of Alabama would have none of that.\u00a0 Alabama kids raised nearly $100,000 in nickels, dimes, and quarters, and corporate sponsors coughed up another $1,000,000 to bring the ship from Puget Sound to Mobile.<\/p>\n

The USS Alabama is in amazing condition; indeed, it looks as if the ship could go to war today.\u00a0 Being aboard is like being in a movie (Steven Seagal used it for the 1992 movie, Under Siege<\/em>).\u00a0 \u00a0It is an amazing experience eliciting a strong combination of pride and patriotism.<\/p>\n

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The USS Alabama is a floating artillery base.\u00a0 With armor more than a foot thick above the water line it\u2019s amazing she could float at all, but the old girl could top 32 mph and she had a range of 15,000 nautical miles.\u00a0\u00a0 When she stopped at the pumps, the USS Alabama took on 7,000 tons of fuel (a cool 2 million gallons).<\/p>\n

The guns are what impressed me most.\u00a0 The ship bristles with armament.\u00a0\u00a0 The Alabama\u2019s 16-inchers dominate everything.\u00a0 Approaching the ship highlights the big guns and when you get closer, they are stunning.\u00a0\u00a0 Try to imagine nine 16-inch guns, three per turret, firing at our enemies (it must have terrifying).\u00a0 \u00a0The ship boasts twenty 5-inch guns (two in each of the ship\u2019s 10 smaller turrets).\u00a0\u00a0 There are another 12 mounts with 48 40mm cannon.\u00a0 And just to make sure, the Alabama has another 52 20mm anti-aircraft cannon.\u00a0\u00a0 If you\u2019ve been keeping track, that\u2019s 129 guns.<\/p>\n

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The USS Alabama is only part of the treasure included in Battlefield Memorial Park.\u00a0 The park includes the USS Drum (a World War II submarine), numerous armored vehicles, and an impressive aircraft collection spanning 70 years of military aviation (including a B-52 bomber, numerous fighters, the top-secret SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, and assorted other planes).\u00a0 The USS Alabama could touch 32 mph on the high seas; the SR-71 cruised at 3,000 mph.\u00a0 \u00a0The USS Alabama weighs a bit more than 720 million pounds; the SR-71 was built from lightweight titanium.\u00a0 As I stated earlier, the Park and its exhibits are a study in superlatives and contrasts.<\/p>\n

Battleship Memorial Park is just east of Mobile on Interstate 10.\u00a0 You can\u2019t miss it (the USS Alabama is visible for miles from either direction, even at night).\u00a0\u00a0 Admission is only $15 and take my word for it, it\u2019s the most bang for the buck you\u2019ll ever get.<\/p>\n

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The Skinny<\/strong><\/p>\n

What<\/strong>:\u00a0 Battleship Memorial Park, 2703 Battleship Parkway, Mobile, AL 36602.\u00a0 An outstanding collection of land, air, and sea military vehicles, with the USS Alabama being the main attraction.<\/p>\n

How to Get There<\/strong>:\u00a0 Interstate 10 from either the east or the west.\u00a0 From anywhere else, just head south until you hit Interstate 10 and point your front wheel toward Mobile.<\/p>\n

Best Kept Secret<\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0 There have been seven US Navy ships named Alabama reaching back to before the Civil War.\u00a0\u00a0 Today, a US Navy nuclear submarine sails under that same proud name.<\/p>\n

Avoid<\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0 Missing Mobile.\u00a0 It\u2019s a beautiful town, and its Gulf Coast location makes for great seafood and great hospitality.<\/p>\n

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Never miss an ExNotes blog:<\/p>\n

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