USS Drum – USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

Sitting in her cradle beside Mobile Bay is the National Historic Landmark WWII submarine USS DRUM (SS-228). The DRUM is the oldest American submarine on public display, and we invite you to come and learn about her 72 member crew and her missions during the war. Be sure to ask about Stateside, the crew’s pet dog who served aboard the submarine.

USS DRUM was donated to the USS ALABAMA Battleship Commission on April 14, 1969 and was brought to Mobile to join the USS ALABAMA at Battleship Memorial Park as a war memorial and museum. She was opened to the public for tours on July 4, 1969.

Explore the History of the USS DRUM

Download Full HIstory on USS Drum

USS DRUM STATS


Class:	Gato-Class
Length:	311 feet, 9 inches
Beam:	27 feet, 3 inches
Engines:	4 Fairbanks-Morse 9 Cylinder opposed piston diesel engines model 38 D8-⅛
Motors:	4x Elliott electric motors with reduction gears
Batteries:	2x 4-bladed propellers
Max Speed surfaced:	20 ¼ knots (± 23 MPH)
Max Speed submerged:	8 ¾ (± 10 MPH)
Range Speed:	11,000 nautical miles at 10 knots
Patrol Endurance:	75 days max
Test Depth:	300 feet
Crew:	Up to 8 officers & 75 enlisted men
Torpedoes:	10×21 inch torpedo tubes (6x forward, 4x aft) 24 torpedoes
Forward deck gun:	5”/ 25- Caliber
Forward AA gun:	40 mm Bofors
Aft AA gun:	Twin 20 mm Oerlikon

FUN FACTS

USS DRUM EARNED 12 BATTLESTARS
SANK 15 SHIPS
SANK 80,580 TONS OF ENEMY SHIPPING
USS ALABAMA and USS DRUM were both at the island of Majuro in the South Pacific in June 1944 being refitted for continued combat. It is the only known time that the BB-60 and SS-228 were in proximity during WWII.

Wonder where USS DRUM got her name?

It was common for the US submarines to be named after fish. The DRUM refers to any of the various fish capable of making a drumming noise. The best known is the large sea bass off the North Atlantic Coast.