The pride of Mobile, Alabama and a part of our skyline is the U.S.S. Alabama Battleship also know as The Mighty “A”. This South Dakota – class battleship came to rest in the Mobile Bay in 1964 after a campaign in raising enough funds to bring her to her new home as a museum ship. The people of Alabama wanted possession of the ship after hearing of the Navy’s plans to scrap it. The U.S.S. Alabama had been sitting dormant for many years in a mothball fleet. This special ship has a proud history serving for three years in World War II.
The Alabama was commissioned August 16, 1942. She had an assigned crew of 127 officers and 2,205 enlisted and earned 9 Battle Stars. The ship is 680’ in length and 108’2” in width with a maximum speed of 28 knots or 32 mph. She does have a lot of fire power: Nine 16”/45 caliber guns accurate to 21 miles, twenty 5”/38 caliber guns, Forty-Eight 40mm guns, and Fifty-Two 20mm guns. Her crew shot down 22 enemy planes during service in World War II. The U.S.S. Alabama battleship was a veteran in the Pacific Ocean Theater and took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Surrender documents were signed aboard the U.S.S. Missouri on September 12, 1945 by the Japanese envoy. The U.S.S. Alabama had an honorable roll the day after these documents were signed. She led the American Fleet into Tokyo Bay. The Mighty “A” is also known as The Lucky “A” because she did not receive any damage nor lose any crew member during battle.
The USS Alabama was decommissioned in 1947 and eventually in 1962 the Navy decided she was to be scrapped. The legislation in Alabama passed a bill on Sept. 12, 1963 to create the USS Alabama Battleship commission and the fundraising began in the Spring of 1964 to buy her from the Navy and bring her to Mobile. School children alone helped raised about $100,000 to bring the ship to Mobile Bay. The children earned a free admission ticket if they contributed any amount of money to tour the battleship once it arrived. Around 300,000 tickets were issued. The Navy finally gave permission to give the ship to the State of Alabama. The State took control of the ship on June 16, 1964. $800,000 was collected to bring the ship to Mobile Bay and the newly created USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The Park opened January 9, 1965 to the public.
The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park boast a statewide economic impact of about one billion dollars to the State of Alabama with over 15 million visitors worldwide. It is dedicated to all Alabama citizens who have proudly served in all the branches of the armed forces of the United States. Also, no taxpayer money is used to support the park. It is funded by admission fees, souvenir sales and voluntary contributions for current operating expenses and expansions. In 1986 the ship was appointed a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service United States Department of the Interior. The Memorial Park also has a plethora of military artifacts including a submarine, tanks, and planes. There are also memorials on the grounds honoring our men and women who fought and died in service to our Nation. Come explore and learn about our history and military and the dedicated men and women who served that made this Country great.
For additional information on how to explore the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park go to:
Nice! Great info/history.
Awesome images to support the story!
My son and I actually spent a few nights on the ship, over the years that he was with the boy scouts.
Thank you! Very cool experience to share with your son! I hear the ship is haunted, also. Did you guys hear or seen anything?
Nicely done. Keep it up!!
Thank you, Mary!
I invested a whole 10 cents in 1963 in exchange for an admission ticket which I still have somewhere. It was a push within the school system to help in raiding the funding needed.
That is awesome that you still have the ticket.
Very interesting article! I did not know some of this information. But the pictures! Excellent!
Thank you, Robin!
Stunning images that really reflect the drama of this amazing monument to the history of WWII. The story is very interesting, too. I’ve visited the USS Alabama several times and am always deeply moved by the sense of history this grand, old, ship brings to life all these years later.