Battleship Park...Mobile, Alabama

Hi everyone......

We're here in Mobile, Alabama. It's warm and humid and feels so nice. This humidity will be wonderful on my skin.......that's what I notice right off.

We're here for a couple days.......kind of a respite from the rigors of the road. And....pulling a fifth wheel across the country is rigorous. Tony is getting so good at driving now....but, he still doesn't like city corners. They're just tough when you have to swing wide to turn.

We went to Battleship Park today, in Mobile, Al. It's dedicated to honor all Alabama Veterans who have participated in all conflicts of the US Armed Services. Buying a ticket here admits you to the Battleship USS Alabama, Submarine USS DRUM, and the aircraft pavilion.

The battleship was so interesting........I'd never been on one before. The USS Alabama had a crew of 2,500 men aboard. She earned 9 Battle Stars, and shot down 22 enemy airplanes during World War II. She is so enormous, that there are 3 different color coded tours on-board, so that you can see it all.

Everything from a dental office, to a hospital, a brig, a cobbler shop, to mess kitchens, barbershops, crew quarters for the enlisted and the officers. There is a tailor shop, laundry room, a soda fountain, a butcher shop, sick bay, and even an isolation bay. It's so big that you get lost on it. And.......there is a room with every person who ever served on it, with their name listed. It's quite the sight to see.

This battleship was armed with nine, 16" guns in three turrets and 20, 5" .38 caliber guns in 10 twin mounts. Her main batteries could fire shells as heavy as a small car accurately
for a distance of more than 20 miles. Her steel side armor was a foot thick above the waterline, tapering to 1/2" at the bottom. The mighty "A" as she came to be known, safely carried her crew throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean campaigns and never suffered any casualities or significant damage due to enemy fire. Now she is docked and opened to the public as an independent agency of the state of Alabama.

The submarine, USS DRUM, a World War II veteran with 12 Battle Stars, joined the USS Alabama, on July 4, 1969. We toured the sub as well....every square inch of her was covered with equipment, gauges, beds, and torpedo hatches. Absolutely amazing. Her crew was 7 officers and 66 enlisted men. You go down the forward hatch into the FORWARD TORPEDO ROOM , walk the length of the boat, and come up the after hatch in the AFTER TORPEDO ROOM. The hatches are very small, so ducking becomes natural after a couple of head bumps!

Since we're so close to Pensacola, we hope to hitch up with our nephew Jason, who is
stationed at Eglin Air Force base tomorrow. We'll let you know how that goes....down the
road.

Love........Kathie