The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is located at 2703 Battleship Parkway, Mobile, AL 26602. The park is just off I-10 at Exits 27 or 30. The park is open every day except Christmas from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm October through March and 8:00 am to 6:00 pm April through September. Admission is $12.00 for ages 12 and up, $6.00 for ages 6-11 and children under six are free. Parking costs two dollars per vehicle and is $25.00 for semi trucks and includes admission for one person. There is no overnight parking available, but there is room for motor coaches, travel trailers, etc.
All of the tours are self guided and take about two hours. The main deck of the USS Alabama, Aircraft Pavilion and Gift Shop are all handicapped accessible. Senior citizens and AAA members receive a discount. Active Duty Military are free with a military ID. Visitors can pay with cash, Travelers Checks, MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover.
The USS Alabama is half as long as the Empire State Building is tall, has nine 16 inch guns in 3 turrets and twenty 5 inch .38 caliber guns in twin mounts. She has four propellers so that she can cruise at speeds of up to 28 knots, which is more than thirty two miles per hour. The USS Alabama was in 37 months of active duty during World War II where she earned nine battle stars. She fought in the Atlantic and Pacific campaigns and never suffered any casualties or great damage due to enemy fire. Once the war was over she was put into storage in Bremerton, Washington on Puget Sound in 1947. The "Mighty A'' has been open to the public since 1965. The USS DRUM, a submarine is also a veteran of World War II with 12 battle stars to her credit and has been at Memorial Park since July 4, 1969. The USS DRUM is the oldest American submarine on display in the world.
There are many aircraft on display on the USS Alabama including the OS2U Kingfisher, P-51D Mustang, B-25J Mitchell and the C-47D Sky Train from pre World War II and World War II. There are also aircraft on board from the Korean War, Vietnam War and Cold War such as the: F-86L Sabre, CH-21B Workhorse, F9F-5P Panther, A-4L Skyhawk, F-4C Phantom, F-105B-IRE Thunderchief, RF-8G Crusader, A-6 Intruder, MiG 17 A Fresco, B-52D Stratofortress, A-12Blackbird (CIA), F-16 (GF) Falcon, Arsenal Redstone ICBM, F15A Eagle, VH-1N Huey(Presidential Fleet HMX-1), F/A-18 Hornet (Snake 407), F-14 A+ Tomcat and the HS-2F Seasprite. There are also two Coast Guard aircraft, the HU-16E Albatross and the HH-52A Sea Guardian. Armored personnel carriers, amphibious tractor, several tanks, a Willy's jeep and gun boat are also part of the military equipment on board the USS Alabama.
The Battleship has overnight adventures for both Boy and Girl Scouts. Occasionally there are special evening events on the USS Alabama and the ship is available for birthday parties where it can be held on the fantail of the ship or in the Wardroom.
