Battleship Memorial Park and the USS Alabama

Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama is full of history and learning opportunities. It's home to the

 USS Alabama, a WWII battleship and the USS Drum, a WWII submarine as well as tanks, planes and more.

We were amazed at the exhibits on display thru ought the battleship and the access that we had to 

explore just about every nook and cranny of the boat. There were very few areas that were off limits. 

Patriotic "baseball" cards that were popular during WWII.

Baseball Hall of Famer, Bob Feller, served aboard the USS Alabama.

We enjoyed using their self-guided tour service thru our cell phone. It gives you the info about what you are looking

 at and then guides you to the next numbered location. There are three different tours to choose from, or do all three. 

This very small control room had extremely thick wall that reminded me of a bank vault. 

This would allow a crew member to lock themselves in and control the boat if it was taken over. 

A map showing the routes that the destroyer traveled during its five years of service. 

This is one of the missiles that they would shoot from the battleship.

The lunch line.

We decided this is where Asher would have worked on the boat. He LOVES to wash dishes!

The sick bay. 

The Brig.

The USS Drum (WWII Submarine)

The sink folds up and latches at the top to give them more space. 

72 men lived and served together in these close quarters. 

 Ascending to the conning tower where they checked out the controls and looked thru the periscope. 

For safety reasons, submariners were required to know how to operate every piece of equipment onboard, once they did, they received their dolphin. A symbol that they would cherish and would instantly bond them with fellow submariners when recognized amongst the general public. After I explained this to the kids, they had fun finding this symbol in different places.