Today's road trip took Ginny and me to Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama, where we explored the "Mighty A" and the USS Drum. Afterward, we drove to Dauphin Island and explored Fort Gaines.
The USS Alabama, also called the "Might A," is a retired 680' battleship that served during WWII. The ship was armed with a main battery of nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in three triple-gun turrets on the centerline, two of which were placed in a superfiring pair forward, with the third aft. The secondary battery consisted of twenty 5-inch /38 caliber dual-purpose guns mounted in twin turrets clustered amidships, five turrets on either side. She was also equipped with a battery of six quadruple 40mm Bofors guns and thirty-five 20mm Oerlikon autocannons in single mounts.
The USS Drum is a Gato-class WWII 312' submarine commissioned on 1 November 1941 and decommissioned on 16 February 1946. After decommissioning, she began service at Washington, D.C., to members of the Naval Reserve in the Potomac River Naval Command, which continued through 1967. The USS Drum was moored in the waters behind the USS Alabama until she was substantially damaged by the storm surge of Hurricane Georges in 1998. As a result, she is now on display on shore. The USS Alabama and USS Drum also sustained damage when Hurricane Katrina came ashore on 29 August 2005.
The USS Alabama, also called the "Might A," is a retired 680' battleship that served during WWII. The ship was armed with a main battery of nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in three triple-gun turrets on the centerline, two of which were placed in a superfiring pair forward, with the third aft. The secondary battery consisted of twenty 5-inch /38 caliber dual-purpose guns mounted in twin turrets clustered amidships, five turrets on either side. She was also equipped with a battery of six quadruple 40mm Bofors guns and thirty-five 20mm Oerlikon autocannons in single mounts.
The USS Drum is a Gato-class WWII 312' submarine commissioned on 1 November 1941 and decommissioned on 16 February 1946. After decommissioning, she began service at Washington, D.C., to members of the Naval Reserve in the Potomac River Naval Command, which continued through 1967. The USS Drum was moored in the waters behind the USS Alabama until she was substantially damaged by the storm surge of Hurricane Georges in 1998. As a result, she is now on display on shore. The USS Alabama and USS Drum also sustained damage when Hurricane Katrina came ashore on 29 August 2005.
Fort Gaines is located on Dauphin Island along Mobile Bay and was a crucial site for the south during the civil war. The well-preserved ramparts of Fort Gaines have guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay for more than 150 years. Now a historic site, the Fort stands at the eastern tip of Dauphin Island, where it commands panoramic views of the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Due to ongoing shoreline erosion, the Fort was recently designated as one of the Eleven Most Endangered Historic Sites in America.
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