Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “USS Alabama: Fearsome Battleship to Historical Monument” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/uss-alabama-bb-60-battleship/.
USS Alabama: Fearsome Battleship to Historical Monument
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
KillerFord1977
SAINT
Visited the monument several times with the family
Sub tour and air museum are cool as well
Sub tour and air museum are cool as well
Jester560
Professional
The same here.Visited the monument several times with the family
Sub tour and air museum are cool as well
Grayfox
Professional
Back in the mid-90s, Our Boy Scout troop made the trip to Mobile and spent the night on board the Alabama. When everybody else leaves for the night, you have time to poke around and see stuff that ain't on the regular tour. 
It was a great experience. But, I don't think they do overnights anymore.
It was a great experience. But, I don't think they do overnights anymore.
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powerboatr
Professional
us a while backVisited the monument several times with the family
Sub tour and air museum are cool as well
the sub sure was tiny compared the tour of the bama
it took us all day
I think the USS Lexington based out of Corpus Christie still does overnights for scout groups.Back in the mid-90s, Our Scout troop made the trip to Mobile and spent the night about the Alabama. When everybody else leaves for the night, you have time to poke around and see stuff that ain't on the regular tour.
It was a great experience. But, I don't think they do overnights anymore.
OldGrunt
Custom
It does. Back when my son was in Cub Scouts, we did the overnight on the Lexington. It was a blast! And it is said the ship is haunted. That kept the hair up on the boy's necks all night long! lol
I was on board the USS Oklahoma City CLG5 in 1968 . We were docked at North Island in San Diego with the Aircraft carriers so we were used to being around large ships.
The USS Jersey was reactivated and tied up behind us. I watched her come into the harbor and the first thing I saw was the 16 inch guns.
As I said earlier we were used to seeing big ships but the New Jersey was a monster that actually looked like a ship, not like the big flat top carriers.
I was an ET 3 and they put out a call requesting ETs to transfer over to the New Jersey. It seems every time they fired the 16 inches a majority of the electronics gear went down. I did not transfer over. Didn’t need the extra work.
The USS Jersey was reactivated and tied up behind us. I watched her come into the harbor and the first thing I saw was the 16 inch guns.
As I said earlier we were used to seeing big ships but the New Jersey was a monster that actually looked like a ship, not like the big flat top carriers.
I was an ET 3 and they put out a call requesting ETs to transfer over to the New Jersey. It seems every time they fired the 16 inches a majority of the electronics gear went down. I did not transfer over. Didn’t need the extra work.
Talyn
SAINT
Have visited only one South Dakota Class BB, BB-59 the USS Massachusetts when I was much younger.
Admiral Chester Nimitz and Admiral Ernest King liked the more compact top-side of the South Dakotas since they provided better firing arcs especially forward and aft for the 5"/40mm AA fire. Towards the end of WW2 they (King & Nimitz) developed potential plans to finish the two last incomplete hulls of the Iowa Class battleships USS Kentucky and USS Illinois, to a modified design with a top-side like the South Dakotas. But that never happened.
While there are no "formal" depictions of what they were thinking some have developed pictures/photoshopped of what they would have looked like.
Of course, I would have liked to have seen the lead ship of the Proposed Montana-Class built.
Proposed USS Montana BB-67
But she only lives on World of Warships, but if she had actually been built and upgraded during the Reagan resurrections of the Iowa's in the 80's, the USS Montana "might" have looked like this. But she was wider than what the "Canal" could accommodate so this depiction would have been off a bit.
Admiral Chester Nimitz and Admiral Ernest King liked the more compact top-side of the South Dakotas since they provided better firing arcs especially forward and aft for the 5"/40mm AA fire. Towards the end of WW2 they (King & Nimitz) developed potential plans to finish the two last incomplete hulls of the Iowa Class battleships USS Kentucky and USS Illinois, to a modified design with a top-side like the South Dakotas. But that never happened.
While there are no "formal" depictions of what they were thinking some have developed pictures/photoshopped of what they would have looked like.
Of course, I would have liked to have seen the lead ship of the Proposed Montana-Class built.
Proposed USS Montana BB-67
But she only lives on World of Warships, but if she had actually been built and upgraded during the Reagan resurrections of the Iowa's in the 80's, the USS Montana "might" have looked like this. But she was wider than what the "Canal" could accommodate so this depiction would have been off a bit.
So, I actually got to do an overnight sleepover on the Alabama. A friend of my wife's had a son in scouts and an ex husband who didn't want to be a part of the kid's life, so I got volunteered to go. I literally knew no one but that kid, but when he went to play games with the other kids and their dads, I got to explore pretty much every inch of that amazing ship all alone with no distractions. Definitely one of the coolest things I've had a chance to do .
Before I die my hope is that I get to Mobile to see this awesome vessel!Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “USS Alabama: Fearsome Battleship to Historical Monument” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/uss-alabama-bb-60-battleship/.
Toured the Blue Ghost (Lexington) years back in Texas, spent the afternoon running around on the Mighty Mo in '65 at Puget Sound after it was decommissioned the first time, then again after its second tour in 2020 in Hawaii. I think today you can stand in front of the table on deck where the Japanese surrendered on the Mighty Mo., as I did. Now, that's history!
Another great and storied battleship that is worth touring is the USS Missouri “Mighty MO.” She served in the Gulf War and was the last battleship to be decommissioned.
She currently stands guard over the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor. So the two battleships represent the beginning and end of WWII. The Japanese surrendered to the U.S. on the deck of the Missouri.
I thought it was interesting that Senator John McCain’s grandfather, Vice Admiral John S.McCain was present for the signing. He was in very ill health and died soon after.
She currently stands guard over the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor. So the two battleships represent the beginning and end of WWII. The Japanese surrendered to the U.S. on the deck of the Missouri.
I thought it was interesting that Senator John McCain’s grandfather, Vice Admiral John S.McCain was present for the signing. He was in very ill health and died soon after.