We stopped in Mobile Alabama to see the Battleship Alabama. This WWII ship has been on display for decades. We last visited the ship thirty some years ago and decided it was time for another visit.
It was nice to see the ship again after learning so much more about Navy ships in the last 30 years. Many additional areas of the ship were open for display which helped with my understanding of how these ships were used and where the crews lived and worked.
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| Each portion of the ship was color coded so your self guided tour map made sense. |
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| Nice displays of enemy aircraft helped explain need for significant numbers of anti aircraft guns |
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| They had a nice display showing identification models of various ship types. This was to reduce the chance of "friendly fire" |
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| A very nice model of the ship was found as you first entered. These are helpful to orient yourself as you start your tour. |
The battleship gives the visitor a very good chance to become familiar with artillery of all sizes and the ability to explore the guns, gun directors and magazines of the various weapons.
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| The various types of guns were open for display and allowed the visitor to enter the weapons and look around |
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| The guns were aimed by these gun directors. the target was tracked and computers determined the needed 'lead' to assure the shell and the target arrived at the same point in space |
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| They have made all portions of this gun accessible including the barbette and magazine area. This was fascinating to see and understand |
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| The space underneath the large guns is now open for display. This shows how the powder and shells were brought from the storage magazine and loaded onto elevators to be taken to the gun for loading. This area rotated as the gun moved. |
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| There are many levels to the ship all connected by ships ladders. You get pretty good at climbing ladders to get around |
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| Battleships had ice cream freezers. Smaller ships often got a gallon or two from them when possible. |
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| I imagine fellow sailors who snored were not well regarded. |
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| Barber shop - just two of many chairs are shown in this image |
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| Ship laundry |
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| Butcher shop |
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| Lots of passage ways and watertight doors |
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| Command Center |
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| Operating room |
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| Nice day for a tour |
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| Inside the housing for one of the forward gun mounts |
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| View from the bow |
So I could of sworn it was the Alabama that we saw sunk at Pearl Harbor but after a minute of research turns out it was the Arizona. I'm guessing they are similar ships? That's pretty cool that it's supported by only admission and gift shop sales.
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