The Battleship USS ALABAMA (BB-60) was built at Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Va., and commissioned on August 16, 1942. During World War II she fought in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Since 1965, the ship has been proudly anchored in Mobile Bay’s Battleship Park as a tourist attraction and live history lesson. Thousands of tourists, school and Scout groups tour her each year. But her strength is fading. Time and nature have taken their toll on her mighty hull.

Three major hurricanes – Camille in August 1969, Fredric in September 1979, and Georges in 1998 – have pounded the battleship and the park’s nearby submarine, the USS DRUM.

Without intervention, the ship and submarine will continue to deteriorate, and both may have to be scrapped unless enough money is raised to preserve them.

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But first, a little history

What is being done to help preserve her?

How can I help?

But first, a little history.

Displacing more than 44,500 tons, the USS ALABAMA measures 680 feet from stem to stern, half as long as the Empire State Building is tall. Armed with nine, 16-inch guns in three turrets and 20, 5-inch, .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 one half inch at the bottom. Her four propellers, each weighing more than 18 tons, could drive her through the seas at up to 28 knots, more than 32 miles per hour. Loaded with 7,000 tons of fuel oil, her range was about 15,000 nautical miles. The USS ALABAMA was built to fight.

By early 1942 the USS ALABAMA was desperately needed. The Allies had their hands full against the Axis powers in the Atlantic. In the Pacific, the United States was embroiled in a bloody slugfest with Japan, and was still reeling from the Dec. 7, 1941 disaster at Pearl Harbor.

The USS ALABAMA saw 37 months of active duty during World War II, earning nine Battle Stars. The “Mighty A” as she came to be known, safely carried her crew throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean campaigns, and never suffered any casualties or significant damage due to enemy fire. After the war, she was mothballed on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Wash., in 1947.

With the war over, and the military’s transition to a “Peacetime Navy,” the cost of maintaining the wartime fleet became too much of a burden. In May 1962, the Navy announced that the USS ALABAMA and many other war ships would soon be scrapped.

In 1964, a campaign was launched to bring the “Mighty A” home to ALABAMA as a memorial to the state’s sons and daughters who had served in the armed forces. Alabama school children raised almost $100,000 in mostly nickels, dimes, and quarters to help bring her home to her final resting place.

A corporate fundraising campaign raised the balance of the $1 million needed for the Navy to donate the ship. The money raised financed the cost of what is still the longest non-military ton-mile tow in history.

On Jan. 9, 1965, the “Mighty A” was opened to the public as an independent agency of the state of Alabama. Since then, more than 11 million visitors have trod her decks and stood in awe of her majestic presence. The submarine USS DRUM, a World War II veteran with 12 Battle Stars, joined the USS ALABAMA on July 4, 1969.

Now time and nature challenge the warship’s existence. Serious leaks have occurred for several years, and continued corrosive deterioration of the hull must be stopped before internal structural damage becomes an incurable problem. Also, during the last 30 years, the USS DRUM has suffered repeated damage, including destruction of her moorings and gangways, each time a hurricane swept through the Mobile area.

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What's being done to preserve her? How can I help?

With these challenges in mind, the USS ALABAMA Battleship Commission has researched and developed an economically sound plan for preserving the battleship and enhancing USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park, ensuring that both will be here for generations to come.

Steel Hull Replating
Steel plates will be welded to the existing hull along the battleship’s waterline at a cost of $2.3 million. This “double plating” restoration can be done on site once the cofferdam is completed, and is far less expensive than taking the ship to dry-dock, which would cost more than $20 million.

Submarine USS DRUM
Moving the USS DRUM to a concrete cradle on land allowed permanent hull restoration, lessened the possibility of future hurricane damage, and showcased her as one of the few submarines displayed on land in the United States. This part of the project cost approximately $1.4 million. Ordinary people filled with patriotism made the difference in 1964, and raised enough money to secure the USS ALABAMA’s future. After 36 years, she needs our help again, and once more, we can make the difference. The vision is clear. The need is evident. Answer the challenge. Help save the Battleship USS ALABAMA.

Send your tax-deductible contribution to the address below to help preserve the USS ALABAMA Battleship and protect her heritage for future generations.

USS ALABAMA Foundation
P.O. Box 65
Mobile, AL 36601

No gift is too small. Your gift to the USS ALABAMA Battleship Foundation, a 501(c) tax exempt charitable organization, is tax deductible.

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