Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum on the western shore of Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama. Its notable aircraft and museum ships include the South Dakota-class battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) and Gato-class submarine USS Drum (SS-228). Alabama and Drum are National Historic Landmarks; the park as a whole was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on October 28, 1977.

History

In May 1962, USS Alabama (BB-60) had been ordered scrapped along with her South Dakota-class battleship (1939) sister ships, USS South Dakota (BB-57), USS Indiana (BB-58), and USS Massachusetts (BB-59). Citizens of the state of Alabama had formed the "USS Alabama 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 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, 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. Alabama was joined in 1969 by USS Drum (SS-228), a World War II Gato-class submarine, 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 submarine that was built in Mobile, CSS H. L. Hunley, was moved to the park. Hurricane Katrina caused more than $7 million in damage to Battleship Memorial Park on August 29, 2005. It almost completely destroyed the aircraft pavilion. It shifted Alabama at anchorage and gave her an eight-degree list to port. Repairs closed the park until January 9, 2006.

Features

Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion

• Boeing-Stearman Model 75 • Douglas C-47D Skytrain 4076326 • Grumman Goose II • North American B-25J Mitchell 20NC44310004 • North American P-51D Mustang 4474216 • Vought OS2U Kingfisher BU0951 • Douglas AD-4N Skyraider • Grumman F9F-5P Panther 126275 • North America F-86L Sabre 512993 • Piasecki CH-21 515859 • Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 147787 • Grumman A-6 Intruder 151626 • McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II 637487 • Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17A Red87 • Republic F-105B-IRE Thunderchief 540102 • Vought RF-8A Crusader 145645 • Bell VH-1N Huey 158551 • Boeing B-52D Stratofortress 55071 • General Dynamics F-16A (GF) Fighting Falcon • Grumman F-14A+ Tomcat • Kaman SH-2F Seasprite • Lockheed A-12 606938 • McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle 75045 • Northrop YF-17 1002 201570 • McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet 162417 • PGM-11 Redstone SRBM • Grumman HU-16E Albatross 2129 • Sikorsky HO-4S • Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard 1378

Events

The 2001 USA Cross Country Championships were held at a cross country running course in the park. Political events have not been allowed at the venue since 2012.

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