Sunday, January 30, 2011

History: USS Battleship Park



If you want to take a step back in time, then look no further than Battleship Memorial Park. Since 1965, the battleship has welcomed over 13 million visitors.

The Battleship USS Alabama won nine battle stars and never suffered casualties or significant damage during its time in combat. The battleship was brought to Alabama after a two year campaign to raise money to bring the USS Alabama home. According to Bill Tunnell, the Executive Director of Battleship Memorial Park, the campaign began after an article in the Mobile paper that said the South Dakota class of battleships was going to be scraped.

This class of battleships included the battleships:

  • South Dakota
  • Indiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Alabama
“It took two years to raise the money and get the best air commission from the Navy and in 1964 the ship was given to the state and actually given to the battleship commission that operates Battleship Park as a state agency,” said Tunnell.

Tunnell said the park is a Mobile treasure because there are only seven battleships on display in the United States. “It’s a great draw but has been very good for the Alabama public and we have generated over 500 million dollars in economic impact for the state just in our admissions prices alone,” said Tunnell. Tunnell said the battleship also serves as a landmark for the people of the Mobile and Baldwin Counties. “Battleship is the most recognized symbol of the state of Alabama. You got 22 million people that drive back and forth on I-10 every year, so we’ve been here 46 years now,” said Tunnell.

Visitors of the battleship get the feel of being a World War II soldier, by seeing how the soldiers lived while on the battleship. However, Battleship Memorial Park also contains the Airplane Pavilion and USS Drum. Battleship Memorial Park’s Airplane Pavilion is home to many war planes and vehicles, including a Jeep, which was used during the Korean War. According to Tunnell, the USS Drum is even more celebrated in honors than the USS Alabama. Drum has won 12 battle stars during its time in combat. “USS Drum is actually the oldest existing American submarine,” said Tunnell.

Battleship Memorial Park hosts tour groups, field trips and military reunions to give people an opportunity to see our piece of history on the Gulf Coast.

Battleship Memorial Park
2703 Battleship Parkway
Mobile, Ala. 36602

Open everyday except Christmas Day
Open: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. October-March
(until 6 p.m. April-September)




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