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A bunch of folks spent the hurricane aboard USS Alabama (hence the private vehicles parked on the quarterdeck)... of all the places to sit out such a powerful storm, that must rate as the absolute smartest idea.

Battleship Park sees extensive damage
Everything on the Causeway is flooded,' says Spanish Fort police spokeswoman
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
By GEORGE WERNETH
Staff Reporter
Battleship Memorial Park on the Causeway sustained extensive damage Monday from the winds of Hurricane Katrina, which left the park's aircraft pavilion apparently battered into a "total loss" and its centerpiece USS Alabama listing, officials said.

The damage appears to be "between $1.5 and $2 million," said Bill Tunnell, the park's executive director, and he noted that this was just a preliminary estimate and was "conservative."

As for the rest of the Causeway, dotted with some of the area's best seafood restaurants, the news also was not good. "Everything on the Causeway is flooded," according to a spokeswoman for the Spanish Fort Police Department, which has jurisdiction over much of that strip across the northern end of Mobile Bay. The extent of the damage to these establishments was not immediately determined.

Meanwhile, Tunnell said the park could possibly be closed for weeks for repairs but said a further inspection of the damage would have to be made before he could know for sure. He said there was also about 2 feet of water in the park's gift shop.

"One of the leading tourist attractions in the state of Alabama has taken it on the chin," Tunnell said.

"From all reports, damage to the park was worse than damage (inflicted) by Frederic," Tunnell said, referring to Hurricane Frederic, a Category 3 hurricane that hammered the Alabama coast in 1979.

The park's director said about 18 members of the park staff and their families rode out Katrina's fury inside the battleship as members have done voluntarily dating back to Hurricane Camille, a Category 5 storm which made a direct hit on the Mississippi coast in 1969.

Tunnell said the 18 members on the vessel were not in any danger but said they could be stranded on the World War II battleship for several days as much of the park was under 4 feet of water Monday. He said their vehicles -- which they drove up a gangway onto the ship before Katrina struck -- also could not be removed right away.

He said the concrete gangway that was used to drive the vehicles onto the ship was badly damaged and could not be used to drive the vehicles off the vessel.

Tunnell has said in the past that the USS Alabama, which has been the centerpiece of the park since it opened during January 1965, is "the safest place in the area to be during a hurricane." He noted that the 680-foot-long battleship weighs 80 million pounds and is anchored in some 20 feet of Mobile Bay mud.

While the battleship was left listing toward the port side, Tunnell said, it is not believed to have incurred any serious damage. "The ship has shifted its position, and will have to be straightened back up." He said this also occurred during Camille.

While Tunnell reported that damage to the aircraft pavilion was severe, he said the dozen or so vintage warplanes inside apparently "are all repairable."

Bill Parsons, who has been an employee of the park since it opened more than 40 years ago, said the damage inflicted on the park by Katrina was the worse he had ever seen there in any hurricane, Tunnell said.

NOAA photo

...and it's reported the assholes in NO looted and trashed the D-Day Museum.

I love the USS Alabama.... I've been dozens of times and never get sick of it. I would have ridden out the cane there too.

What kind of shape is the tunnel under the bay in? I'm sure it's flooded but do they know if it is still sound?

We were by there last year and had planned to stop on the way back from Pensacola. It was raining at the time and we didn't stop. Wish we had now.

I just visited the Alabama in June. I hope they can get everything restored as soon as possible.

The Museum was a fitting tribute to the men that sailed on her.

Quoted: ...and it's reported the assholes in NO looted and trashed the D-Day Museum. I love the USS Alabama.... I've been dozens of times and never get sick of it. I would have ridden out the cane there too.

Damnit!   THAT was the only thing I would have really wanted to go to N.O. for!  

I volunteer to go to the air museum and clean up the trash!
But I get to take all the "trash" home..........right?!?!?

I think it would have been kick-ass to ride out the hurricane in the Alabama.

Looks like the Old Girl did pretty good

Quoted: What kind of shape is the tunnel under the bay in? I'm sure it's flooded but do they know if it is still sound? V]

I believe it is up and running, at least one lane was this weekend.  It can be easily pumped out. There is a second, secret tunnel that only locals know about; it is actually sealed up during bad weather! BTW the tunnels go under the Mobile river, not the bay

I saw some footage of inside the Air Pavilion. Enough to make a grown man cry, I tell you.

P-51, Corsair, Sabre, a bunch of great planes, all trashed...

And yes, riding the storm out on the Bama would be fucking awesome. Imagine being up in the Captain's area with all of the thick windows!

Looks like Calamity Jane didn't budge.

Looking at that arial where is the B-29?

Look how far the old Coast Guard sea plane moved!

Quoted: Quoted: ...and it's reported the assholes in NO looted and trashed the D-Day Museum. I love the USS Alabama.... I've been dozens of times and never get sick of it. I would have ridden out the cane there too. Damnit!   THAT was the only thing I would have really wanted to go to N.O. for!

Son of a bitch, say it ain't so!  Anybody got a link?

World War II Era and Pre-W.W.II:
USX   USN   OS2U Kingfisher  
USA North American P-51D Mustang
USA American B-25J Mitchell
USA Douglas C-47D Sky Train
USN Boeing F4B-4 Biplane Replica
USN Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless

Korean War Era:
USAF North American F-86L Sabre
USA Piasecki CH-21B Workhorse
USMC Chance Vought F4U-7 Corsair
USN Grumman F9F-5P Panther
USA Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw

Vietnam War Era:
USMC McDonnell Douglas A-4L Skyhawk
USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom
USAF Republic F-105B-IRE Thunderchief
USA Bell UH-IB Huey
USN Chance-Vought RF-8G Crusader

Cold War Era:
USAF Boeing B-52D Stratofortress
USAF Lockheed A-12 Blackbird
USAF Lockheed F-16A(GF) Falcon
USA Redstone Arsenal Redstone ICBM
USN/USMC Northrop YF-17(F/A18) Prototype

Coast Guard:
USCG Grumman HU-16E Albatross
USCG Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guardian

It seems that every military museum or monument that I wanted to go to in the hurricane area is either damaged or looted.
When I get back to America, I must go on tour of all the places that I wanted to go to before something happens to them.

That sucks. I went there for the first time last year and that place is full of good ole American history.

Quoted: Looks like Calamity Jane didn't budge.

Is it actually afloat, or resting on the bottom in it's enclosure? (edit: read closer, and this appears to be the case) The surge could have washed some of the mud it rests on out from underneath her hull, or the high winds heaved her over a little, causing the slight list. AFAIK, the USS NC rests on the bottom in the small cove she sits in.

Quoted: Quoted: Looks like Calamity Jane didn't budge. Is it actually afloat, or resting on the bottom in it's enclosure? (edit: read closer, and this appears to be the case) The surge could have washed some of the mud it rests on out from underneath her hull, or the high winds heaved her over a little, causing the slight list. AFAIK, the USS NC rests on the bottom in the small cove she sits in.

Sorry about that. I should have been more specific. Calamity Jane is the name of the B-52D on display there.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Looks like Calamity Jane didn't budge. Is it actually afloat, or resting on the bottom in it's enclosure? (edit: read closer, and this appears to be the case) The surge could have washed some of the mud it rests on out from underneath her hull, or the high winds heaved her over a little, causing the slight list. AFAIK, the USS NC rests on the bottom in the small cove she sits in. Sorry about that. I should have been more specific. Calamity Jane is the name of the B-52D on display there.

LOL, no biggie. I was kinda wondering how she got a nickname like "Calamity Jane".

I think you're right about the mud though. I'd bet the bottom underneath her on her port side was washed away causing the list.

Wow. They sure don't build 'em like that anymore.....

Hopefully the aircraft and such can be repaired. What worries me about the D-Day museum is what the enlightened-and-far-better-than-any-white undocumented shoppers of the oppressed city of NO may have done to the contents.

Savages.

the USS NC rests on the bottom in the small cove she sits in.


Hope they can get her out and drydocked so thay can place a concrete pad under her. The state of Texas almost lost the battleship Texas because of that. The hull had almost rusted away because it was sitting in the mud. I had read they had to use explosives to move her out of the muck to do an overhaul.  These old ships need to be preserved as much as possible IMHO.

Quoted: I think you're right about the mud though. I'd bet the bottom underneath her on her port side was washed away causing the list.

Exactly. They are gonna pump from the other side and she will level out.

The Air Pavilon is the major loss...

Found these from a 1999 trip there.

I apologize profusely for the horrid quality of the images.  This *was* 1999 and the camera was an original Sony Mavica that shot 640x480 JPEG's onto 1.44 floppies.    Hey, it was cutting edge back then.  

I also just tossed up everything I had as well with no editing.

Dialup == Toast (hey, but I've got the bandwidth if you've got the time

flymeaway.net/images/USS%20Alabama/index.html

I've been there twice when I was stationed in P-cola.  Damn shame.

Glad that all the planes are repairable.

My High School held a dance in the hanger and they gave us near run of Alabama as well. I helped DJ. The three of us with the sound gear told them we needed 2 hours to set up. It took us 15 minutes and then we wandered around. Just the three of us and the whole park.

If it gets better than dancing with a cute brunette next to a F-105, I'd like to hear about it.

The employees at the USS Lexington down at Corpus Christie have a standing invitation to drive their vehicles and family on board in the event of a hurricane.

I went out of my way on several trips to visit the Bama and the Air Pavillion. The A-12 was being moved outside one time the guys there remove several access panels for me so I could look at a wiring harnesses and early composite construction. I loved that place. Looks like the old Vigilante and the Helos outside are total losses as well.


 

Updated pictures
www.ussalabama.com/html/photos/index.php