6 years ago I volunteered for a day on the USS Alabama and was rewarded with a tour anywhere I wanted to go. I got to check out the machine shop, top to bottom. All those machines are still plugged in and ready to run. It's really incredible what is still on that ship, in perfect condition.
Adam, you are getting really, really good at video production! It was informative with excellent photography and commentary. Plus, the music was awesome and perfectly placed with superb volume control! One of your best technical posts to date. I'm licking my lips waiting for them oysters! Rich
Nice. HMS Belfast in London is similar, my favourite thing to see in London, you can walk through the machine shop on it, no doors caged off they even have lights switchen on.
clive ramsbotty Alabama has artifacts and many precious things we don’t want wandering off. Not to mention how dangerous it is to have people in some areas. Especially since lots of things still work throughout the ship.
Thanks for this video. You did a great job of it. 26 year Retired navy guy here, and I still love the old ships. Most of the ones I served on were built in the 40s. Those shops could repair or manufacture anything the ship needed to stay in service. After WWII, the ones that were mothballed were stripped of tools and equipment and it was sold to the public for 5 cents a pound. My father was a 35 year navy Sr. Chief Machinist Mate and bought as much as he could afford. That was the stuff I grew up with. Regards, Solomon
That park was one of the last places I got to spend time with my Grandfather. It was the first time he opened up about life in the Navy during WWII. It's nice to see the causeway hasn't changed much since I moved away 30 years ago. Nice video Abom!
This is a look into something that most of us will never get to see, and done in a way that is 10 times better than some documentary. Thanks Adam, you hit another one out of the ball park!
Just went by the USS Alabama about 4:30 PM today heading to Gulf Shores. Years ago we went through the submarine and had enough time to tour half of the ship. Thanks.
Adam, A fabulous video production! I can just imagine what it must have been like when the ship was involved in a battle. They had to have some super high pressure steam and large turbines to turn those props! That's a hell of a lot of ship to move through the water! I think that big plane when you first came in was a B52 jet bomber. The plane with the tail wheel was a C-47, the military version of the Douglas DC-3 that was used for passenger service. Yes, I'm also an aviation nut along with machining and diesel-electric train locomotives. Thanks a million for the video! Have a good one! Dave
That's great! I've never been much into aviation untill I see things up close. I knew some of my viewers would know what all the planes are. More to come in the next vid.
Thanks Adam! I was there a couple years ago and didn't have a camera with. Now my family can share in my memories, in no small part, due to your videography! Thanks again!!
Adam, thank you for sharing the video and walking us through the ship. Your video productions and style of discovery while describing what we are seeing make the tour shows fun to watch. Keep up the good work.
Sweet Video! We used to camp on-board the USS Alabama in the Cub Scouts, but we were too young to enter the lower decks, engine room, and shop displays! One guy snoring was enough to keep 100 people awake, everything echoed in the bunk rooms.
I pass BattleShip Park a couple times a year when working around Mobile. I've always wanted to stop but have never taken time. I will definitely be stopping on my next trip through now. Thanks for the video.
Adam and Abby, what a beautiful day for an adventure. Looking so forward to the next installment. As a Machinist mate in the Navy I worked in the engine room operating the main engines and the turbo generators you saw plus all the other machinery space equipment, distillers which turn sea water into fresh water. We had to make our own water for cooking, drinking and showers. Wait till you see how cramped that submarine interior is, no showers on a sub, pretty stinky in there after awhile. Even though my enlisted rate title was machinist mate MM I had nothing to do with running machine tools or machining metal, those guy's were rated MR, machinery repairman. Taking that tour with you brought back a flood of memories, thank you two for sharing your adventure with us.
+Michael Durling How great it is to hear from you Michael, and you sharing some of your knowledge of the ship. I had no idea I'd be chatting with someone who actually worked and serves on there! Very cool! It was a great place to see and visit and gives me much more respect for the Navy men who worked and served on those ships. Yes I went into the sub also, that was even tighter quarters, but I seen two small showers on board. Video coming soon!
I was there a couple of times in the 60's my grandparents and a uncle lived north in a little town called Canoe, AL when we would go visit they would take us to the beach and to the battleship it was quite a treat for a bunch of landlocked kids from Arkansas.
Hi Adam! This is a great idea including these day trips in your area and a great addition to your machining videos. I am one of those older retired guys who are not able to travel as much as we would like to. Thanks for being such a gracious host, sharing these neat videos. It is like being there with family for me. Thank You!
Last time I was at that park there was no gift shop, hangar, tanks or most of those aircraft. The SR-71 was there though, parked at the back of the parking lot in an area protected by a chain link fence. Good to see it again.
I'm 70, when I was about 6 my parents visited relatives in Mobile and we went to see the Alabama, it was amazing, the shells were taller than me. WW2 was still recent history, my dad had been on a carrier in WW2, saw all of the WW2 movies. War was exciting, I learned different a few years later.
Adam, Thanks for making me remember the visit to that wonderful park in Mobile Alabama, I was there in the year 1990 and they are very fond memories. Congratulations for such an excellent video and comments so accurate and congruent. Mil Gracias Saludos desde Venezuela
My fiancé and I toured the USS Alabama as a side trip on our way home from Orlando a few years ago... the USS Alabama was better than Disney World!! The airplane hanger on the site there flooded during hurricane Katrina.
thanks for the tour! this battleship fired over 1,250 16 in (410 mm) shells on the enemy during supporting bombardments, shot down 22 enemy aircraft and never incurred any damage due to enemy action. I remember visiting sites like this when I was a kid. I was always near the ocean.. in fact I lost count of the memorials by the sea the ships and subs. Never been to this one. A recent video by chance of davis monthan, and there is the old kc135 planes I worked on from maine. I was a crew chief. Never get caught up in how bad it was, but how good it is going to be.
Enjoyed seeing that again. Went there about 20 years ago - from what I remember walking through the sub was a bit tight for big guys, but I managed to squeeze through!
I visited there before I had a wide and kids, I have taken my kids there many times, and now I'm planning a trip there with my grandson. My boys remember when I reached out to touch the SR71 in the big dome and the alarm went off. The oldest was in the 8th grade when we visited and he turns 34 this year.
Keep up the great work Adam :) I love exploring your neck of the woods through your eyes :) I need more food shots ;) I love looking at different cuisine :) So much different from Perth Western Australia ;)
Adam thanks for sharing your adventures with us and glad that you have Abby to share them with too she seems as sweet as your K&T mill so maybe she's a keeper too
Come visit the battleship NC in Wilmington. I'll give you a place to stay :) . There is a machine shop on it too. I think a lot of these large ships had on board shops. Really great video.
And in the NC's machine shop you're not fenced off from the equipment, so you can walk around and touch stuff. Adam, you should definitely plan a trip!
Can't tell you how many times I have crossed that causeway and looked up at that ship. I was stationed at Keesler in Biloxi MS back in the 70's. We also used to go through the tunnel with the hundreds of thousands of white bathroom tiles.
Love your comment about how the ships don't cater to big guys like you. That reminds me about 10 years ago the town an hour away from me had a B-17 bomber that flew in and my wife and son drove in to see it. We actually got to walk through it and I remember ripping my shirt trying to squeeze through the bomb bay door catwalk. I made the comment that the guys must have been smaller back then. I almost had to call in the extraction team to get me out! LOL
The USS Alabama BB60 was the last battleship built at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia which has built many historic warships such as the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (Merrimack). The Alabama was completed in the summer of 1942 and two days before she was commissioned two friends from Virginia who were machinists working on her construction quit the yard and joined the Army, their names were Darrell "Shifty" Powers and Robert "Popeye" Wynn. You may have heard of them.
Awesome place to tour Adam thanks for taking the time to show us. I love WWII history and am quite a buff. Of all the wars fought in human history I feel pretty safe in saying WWII eclipses any wars before or since in sheer scope and size. So many countries involved, such a gargantuan amount of military hardware on land, air sea and under sea. So many men mobilized and moved across the globe and the amazing ramping up of our manufacturing capabilities almost overnight to meet such a massive demand in one of the most herculean conflicts man has ever seen. Much of the manufacturing was done by women here at home as well while the men went off to war. Theres a breakdown chart somewhere online that tells all the facts and figures of how many tens of thousands of casualties, wounded and missing from all the different countries. Too bad one of the biggest most epic events in human history had to be a war, if we could preserve create and build as well as we wage war what a world it could be.
Adam, my father in law was on a repair ship about the same time as the Alabama was in service. He said that had a lathe big enough to turn the prop shafts - that is big! Also my uncle was a navy foundry man in the same time period. I am not sure if he was on a combat ship like the Alabama, but the one time we talked about it, they could cast any material at sea for repair parts. Thanks for the video I enjoyed it and am looking forward to another one!
that was awesome man , its really cool for me to be able to see this stuff from the other side of the planet ! thanks for posting it i really enjoyed the tour .
A sister ship to the Alabama is the Massachusetts ( both are South Dakota class ). There is an awesome photo on wikipedia showing the Massachusetts firing her 16 inch guns. Not only does the photo show the cone shaped shockwave - - it also clearly shows the outgoing shells on their way to the target.
Go see the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC. The machine shop is open to the public. I was able to closely examine them all and got pictures of all the tags when I went there in early June, 2021. The spiral stairs were added for the public... During service, the turrets were accessed by ladders only with small hatches to climb through.
With all of your subs, I bet you could have arranged a private tour of the metal shops. I bet they would like to pick your brain on some of the equipment they have. Chris
Great video Adam, It is a beautiful ship. The North Carolina you can walk around the machine shop. Thank You for another trip down memory lane Adam. Matt C.
Is the music in time with the joints in the highway? The tour was great; Those sailors did not have it easy. Can you imagine bumping elbows all day long in those narrow walkways? Thanks to both of you for the tour, Greg
Great video Adam I wished that I would have taken time to check out the Battleship when I was there doing the clean up after hurricane Fredrick. I was always to busy all the time I guess. Thanks for the tour!!
Hey Adam, I really like this kind of video that you started with, find it very interesting to see the environment that you live in, I've followed a few years and always look forward to the new SNS each Saturday. My brother and i are going for the third time to the United States this summer, we'll visit New York, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and finish of with a Caribbean cruise. Just want to say that I think you are doing a very good job with your videos and I think they are very entertaining, good work Adam / Peter from Linkoping, Sweden
Cool place. I may have to make my way down there one of these years. Can't wait to see the rest of the area. Bummer that you couldn't get into the shop itself.
Hi Adam. Looks like a really nice place to visit. Still can't get use to the driving shots my heart is in my mouth cos you drive on the wrong side of the road lol. Good job with the video Adam and hurry with part 2. As usual thanks for sharing.
Adam the two destroyers I rode WW2 ,had even less room then the Alabama .Iwas in the Navy from 68-to 73 ...I stand 6ft 5 in at250 lb... I had stiches in my head,from running in to valves and the overhead ,I was in engineering as a Boiler Tender Good video..
I toured the Alabama back in the late eighties. They used to have a F4U Corsair out front. Sadly it looks like it's gone now :-( Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I remember the sub being unreal cramped when I was a skinny twenty two year old. I can't imagine how it would be for me now ;-)
Thanks for the tour Adam, I wonder what it was like when the ship was at battle stations and you were down in the bowels bouncing around in rough seas. Ever chance I get I always tour the military hardware. Mobile is a neat place.
Nice! Went there a long time ago (early 80's) when I was stationed at Eglin AFB. Park wasn't nearly as developed back then. Do enjoy watching all your videos as I used to work in the machining world myself. Thanks!!
Adam, Great video.... but you were very lucky you were able to find such a friendly driver on such short notice! Good people are hard to come by these days ! Toodles ! Paddy
I dont know how many i have been to Battleship Park there I have lost count. And it NEVER gets old. I have drove down from MN just for the weekend to visit. But it looks like by the video they have tore down the Hotel since I was there last (its been a few years now) Used to love getting a "room with a view" at night I could stare at the ship for hours all lit up.
I have done that ship tour before , it is pretty amazing !!! Hard to believe that a ship as big as that was moved by Hurricane Katrina . Those ships must have been a CONSTANT fix . Here is a question , how do they cut a 16" gun barrel , Brooch ???? or a REALLY big lathe !!! LOL great Video !!!!
Hee, been there. Went there with my other half for a day out, wish I could have taken my old man with me too as he'd have been fascinated. Both him and me love boats/military stuff (both ex forces), great video
I really, REALLY enjoyed this vid Adam! I almost felt like I was a visitor there myself. I love ships and historical ones especially. Can you imagine the pressure you'd be under to make a part during battle? Thank you for the new style vids...I like them.
Adam, Thanks for the video. I've visited both the USS Alabama and USS Drum 2-3 times since I was in my "tweens" back in the early '70s -- they didn't have the large aircraft display or tanks back then -- just a few aircraft, if i remember correctly. I don't remember the inside of the Alabama being quite so dark, but they probably keep the lights dimmed a bit to preserve what's left there. I certainly understand why you didn't try to crawl into some of those tight spaces -- some were tight to me as a skinny teenager, especially inside the main gun turrets. Of course, the Alabama has 'tons" of space when compared to the Drum! I've been on the Drum and the U-boat at the Chicago Museum of History(?) and, if I remember correctly, both are about the same size -- nowhere someone with claustrophobia wants to be! As a Civilian, I got to go on both the USS Forrestal & USS Saratoga (non-nuke carriers) when they were based in Mayport, Fla., and was still surprised at how little "open space" they had below decks -- virtually every square/cubic inch of space was used! I designed and had made a ~38-inch micrometer for measuring the main pistons that control the aircraft recovery gear -- basically a 0-1-inch micrometer thimble moved to a large frame, plus a "gage bar" used to set the micrometer as a comparator. But it was fun to see the mix of old brass, hand-lettered gauges right next to the then-modern digital indicators. I'm looking forward to the follow-up videos from your visit to the Battleship Mmemorial Park. (Also, just think of what it took to get that B-52 to the park with no airfields large enough to land one anywhere nearby!) Bob
6 years ago I volunteered for a day on the USS Alabama and was rewarded with a tour anywhere I wanted to go. I got to check out the machine shop, top to bottom. All those machines are still plugged in and ready to run. It's really incredible what is still on that ship, in perfect condition.
+Jeff S That's awesome!
One has power to it. That’s all.
Bonsoir !
Merci Adam pour cette belle visite !!!
Georges .
Good evening!
Thank you Adam for this beautiful visit !!!
Georges.
Adam, you are getting really, really good at video production! It was informative with excellent photography and commentary. Plus, the music was awesome and perfectly placed with superb volume control! One of your best technical posts to date. I'm licking my lips waiting for them oysters!
Rich
+Rich206L Thanks Rich! Glad to hear the good reviews of the production. The oysters were great and more to come on that soon.
I second that. It was a great video and the sights in that neck of the woods are amazing. Thanks man!
I agree, it was a fun video tour and I am hoping to go one day!
Nice. HMS Belfast in London is similar, my favourite thing to see in London, you can walk through the machine shop on it, no doors caged off they even have lights switchen on.
clive ramsbotty Alabama has artifacts and many precious things we don’t want wandering off. Not to mention how dangerous it is to have people in some areas. Especially since lots of things still work throughout the ship.
Keep them coming my Friend! Love seeing your travels! A nice Monday surprise!
Thanks for this video. You did a great job of it. 26 year Retired navy guy here, and I still love the old ships. Most of the ones I served on were built in the 40s. Those shops could repair or manufacture anything the ship needed to stay in service. After WWII, the ones that were mothballed were stripped of tools and equipment and it was sold to the public for 5 cents a pound. My father was a 35 year navy Sr. Chief Machinist Mate and bought as much as he could afford. That was the stuff I grew up with. Regards, Solomon
That park was one of the last places I got to spend time with my Grandfather.
It was the first time he opened up about life in the Navy during WWII.
It's nice to see the causeway hasn't changed much since I moved away 30 years ago.
Nice video Abom!
This is a look into something that most of us will never get to see, and done in a way that is 10 times better than some documentary. Thanks Adam, you hit another one out of the ball park!
Adam,thanks,was last there in 2003.great exhibits.always enjoyed coming to the park when I lived in Mobile.78-82 while in the Coast Guard.
What and unbelievable place, the Battleship is fantastic, amazing the Work it takes to maintain it. Thanks for doing this.
Just went by the USS Alabama about 4:30 PM today heading to Gulf Shores. Years ago we went through the submarine and had enough time to tour half of the ship. Thanks.
Another excellent job by you and Miss Abby! Thank you very much.
Adam,
A fabulous video production! I can just imagine what it must have been like when the ship was involved in a battle. They had to have some super high pressure steam and large turbines to turn those props! That's a hell of a lot of ship to move through the water! I think that big plane when you first came in was a B52 jet bomber. The plane with the tail wheel was a C-47, the military version of the Douglas DC-3 that was used for passenger service. Yes, I'm also an aviation nut along with machining and diesel-electric train locomotives. Thanks a million for the video!
Have a good one!
Dave
That's great! I've never been much into aviation untill I see things up close. I knew some of my viewers would know what all the planes are. More to come in the next vid.
I visit BB-62 quite often,. Every time I'm amazed at the amount of engineering that goes into these ships. All with a pencil
Thanks Adam! I was there a couple years ago and didn't have a camera with. Now my family can share in my memories, in no small part, due to your videography! Thanks again!!
went camping in the ship with the scouts it was amazing
Bass Coast Central There were scouts there when we were inside. I hear all of them go stay overnight.
Bass Coast Central I have also stayed in this ship overnight
Me too
I actually had the opportunity to spend the night on the USS Alabama when I was in boy scouts. It's something I'll never forget.
Being a ex Navy man and retired machinist I really enjoyed your video!
Thank you !
If you love working with metal, that battleship tour is awesome. Took it a few years back. Would gladly go back.
Adam, thank you for sharing the video and walking us through the ship. Your video productions and style of discovery while describing what we are seeing make the tour shows fun to watch. Keep up the good work.
Sweet Video! We used to camp on-board the USS Alabama in the Cub Scouts, but we were too young to enter the lower decks, engine room, and shop displays! One guy snoring was enough to keep 100 people awake, everything echoed in the bunk rooms.
Adam thank you for sharing this video because I can't get out very much.
I just stayed the night on the battleship 8 days ago with my son and our cub scout pack! I swear, one of these days I'm going to run into you Adam!
That must have been the same weekend I was there.
I pass BattleShip Park a couple times a year when working around Mobile. I've always wanted to stop but have never taken time. I will definitely be stopping on my next trip through now. Thanks for the video.
Adam and Abby, what a beautiful day for an adventure. Looking so forward to the next installment. As a Machinist mate in the Navy I worked in the engine room operating the main engines and the turbo generators you saw plus all the other machinery space equipment, distillers which turn sea water into fresh water. We had to make our own water for cooking, drinking and showers. Wait till you see how cramped that submarine interior is, no showers on a sub, pretty stinky in there after awhile. Even though my enlisted rate title was machinist mate MM I had nothing to do with running machine tools or machining metal, those guy's were rated MR, machinery repairman. Taking that tour with you brought back a flood of memories, thank you two for sharing your adventure with us.
+Michael Durling How great it is to hear from you Michael, and you sharing some of your knowledge of the ship. I had no idea I'd be chatting with someone who actually worked and serves on there! Very cool! It was a great place to see and visit and gives me much more respect for the Navy men who worked and served on those ships. Yes I went into the sub also, that was even tighter quarters, but I seen two small showers on board. Video coming soon!
I was there a couple of times in the 60's my grandparents and a uncle lived north in a little town called Canoe, AL when we would go visit they would take us to the beach and to the battleship it was quite a treat for a bunch of landlocked kids from Arkansas.
Hi Adam! This is a great idea including these day trips in your area and a great addition to your machining videos. I am one of those older retired guys who are not able to travel as much as we would like to. Thanks for being such a gracious host, sharing these neat videos. It is like being there with family for me. Thank You!
+joe polen Thanks Joe. You being retired should give you good opportunity to get out and explore the sites!
Last time I was at that park there was no gift shop, hangar, tanks or most of those aircraft. The SR-71 was there though, parked at the back of the parking lot in an area protected by a chain link fence. Good to see it again.
I'm 70, when I was about 6 my parents visited relatives in Mobile and we went to see the Alabama, it was amazing, the shells were taller than me. WW2 was still recent history, my dad had been on a carrier in WW2, saw all of the WW2 movies. War was exciting, I learned different a few years later.
Wow Adam!! That was fun. Can't wait for the next one. My wife sat with me to watch it and enjoyed it. Awesome work...
Adam, Thanks for making me remember the visit to that wonderful park in Mobile Alabama, I was there in the year 1990 and they are very fond memories. Congratulations for such an excellent video and comments so accurate and congruent. Mil Gracias Saludos desde Venezuela
thank you been 50 yrs since I've been down there
Lived in Mobile for 7 years - loved visiting the USS Alabama and USS Drum! Under Siege used the Alabama for filming.
My fiancé and I toured the USS Alabama as a side trip on our way home from Orlando a few years ago... the USS Alabama was better than Disney World!! The airplane hanger on the site there flooded during hurricane Katrina.
+GrifFungin Oh yea, Katrina did its damage even in Pensacola.
I played rugby for Battleship RFC back in the 90s. Our pitch is right there on the big lawn near the entrance. Our year-end party is on the deck.
Thanks for another fantastic video Adam. The design and engineering that must go into a machine of that size is mind blowing.
thanks for the tour! this battleship fired over 1,250 16 in (410 mm) shells on the enemy during supporting bombardments, shot down 22 enemy aircraft and never incurred any damage due to enemy action.
I remember visiting sites like this when I was a kid. I was always near the ocean.. in fact I lost count of the memorials by the sea the ships and subs. Never been to this one. A recent video by chance of davis monthan, and there is the old kc135 planes I worked on from maine. I was a crew chief. Never get caught up in how bad it was, but how good it is going to be.
Thanks for the video. Served in the Navy forty some years ago.I really enjoyed the tour.
Enjoyed seeing that again. Went there about 20 years ago - from what I remember walking through the sub was a bit tight for big guys, but I managed to squeeze through!
I visited there before I had a wide and kids, I have taken my kids there many times, and now I'm planning a trip there with my grandson. My boys remember when I reached out to touch the SR71 in the big dome and the alarm went off. The oldest was in the 8th grade when we visited and he turns 34 this year.
Keep up the great work Adam :) I love exploring your neck of the woods through your eyes :) I need more food shots ;) I love looking at different cuisine :) So much different from Perth Western Australia ;)
+Kathy Quinlan Thanks Kathy. I'll have another video showing the restaurant we had lunch at.
Adam thanks for sharing your adventures with us and glad that you have Abby to share them with too she seems as sweet as your K&T mill so maybe she's a keeper too
Come visit the battleship NC in Wilmington. I'll give you a place to stay :) . There is a machine shop on it too. I think a lot of these large ships had on board shops.
Really great video.
And in the NC's machine shop you're not fenced off from the equipment, so you can walk around and touch stuff. Adam, you should definitely plan a trip!
Unlike the NC, Alabama has run her lathe.
lots of memories man,been to Mobile many times growing up,grandparents and aunts n uncles still there,good stuff man
The wind sock you ordered for your microphone worked perfect! Thanks for the interesting video of the USS Alabama!
good job adam, so good of you to take the time to give us all such good info on every thing top job
great video Adam thanks for taking the time to share it with us , by the way you guys look great together .
Can't tell you how many times I have crossed that causeway and looked up at that ship. I was stationed at Keesler in Biloxi MS back in the 70's. We also used to go through the tunnel with the hundreds of thousands of white bathroom tiles.
I showed that tunnel in my video when I went to go pick up the K&T mill from James Kilroy in MS.
Abom79 Yes, I saw that one. Brought back memories of how fascinated my kids were when we went through it.
What an excellent video! Nothing more to be said. Thanks Adam!
Adam,
Thanks for the tour it was fascinating. Good to see things outside of the shop once in awhile good idea.
Love your comment about how the ships don't cater to big guys like you. That reminds me about 10 years ago the town an hour away from me had a B-17 bomber that flew in and my wife and son drove in to see it. We actually got to walk through it and I remember ripping my shirt trying to squeeze through the bomb bay door catwalk. I made the comment that the guys must have been smaller back then. I almost had to call in the extraction team to get me out! LOL
Hi Adam & Abbey!
Thanks for sharing your adventures, it's like going on holiday but much cheaper!
Been wanting to visit for a long, long time. Both ships. Planning for immediately after Christmas this year.
The USS Alabama BB60 was the last battleship built at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia which has built many historic warships such as the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (Merrimack). The Alabama was completed in the summer of 1942 and two days before she was commissioned two friends from Virginia who were machinists working on her construction quit the yard and joined the Army, their names were Darrell "Shifty" Powers and Robert "Popeye" Wynn. You may have heard of them.
Awesome place to tour Adam thanks for taking the time to show us. I love WWII history and am quite a buff. Of all the wars fought in human history I feel pretty safe in saying WWII eclipses any wars before or since in sheer scope and size. So many countries involved, such a gargantuan amount of military hardware on land, air sea and under sea. So many men mobilized and moved across the globe and the amazing ramping up of our manufacturing capabilities almost overnight to meet such a massive demand in one of the most herculean conflicts man has ever seen. Much of the manufacturing was done by women here at home as well while the men went off to war. Theres a breakdown chart somewhere online that tells all the facts and figures of how many tens of thousands of casualties, wounded and missing from all the different countries. Too bad one of the biggest most epic events in human history had to be a war, if we could preserve create and build as well as we wage war what a world it could be.
Adam, my father in law was on a repair ship about the same time as the Alabama was in service. He said that had a lathe big enough to turn the prop shafts - that is big!
Also my uncle was a navy foundry man in the same time period. I am not sure if he was on a combat ship like the Alabama, but the one time we talked about it, they could cast any material at sea for repair parts.
Thanks for the video I enjoyed it and am looking forward to another one!
that was awesome man , its really cool for me to be able to see this stuff from the other side of the planet ! thanks for posting it i really enjoyed the tour .
Great video! I'm sure its not long before you'd get a chance to get an inside-tour to various machine shops everywhere! Cant wait for more. Thanks
Cool video, Adam! Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
thanks for the awesome tour Adam :)
Enjoyed the video !Been there once,but only the Battleship and submarine and just a few exhibits were there! Thanks for Sharing!
Adam. I like the intro music. Keep up this video project. It's fascinating to see where other people live and the cool stuff near them
Love these kinds of videos Adam! It's nice to change the format every so often.
A sister ship to the Alabama is the Massachusetts ( both are South Dakota class ). There is an awesome photo on wikipedia showing the Massachusetts firing her 16 inch guns. Not only does the photo show the cone shaped shockwave - - it also clearly shows the outgoing shells on their way to the target.
Thanks for the tour Adam and Abby.
what a great tour Adam , This is one place I sure wanted to see . Thanks for taking me man ..!!
Great job Adam thanks for sharing. You do good work!
My son and I spent the night on the ship when he was a cub scout. Didnt know about the onboard machine shop. Awesome video!
Very good cinematography and framing. Nice sharp images, and steady without shaking.
+afn29129 David Thanks David
Hi Adam
I really enjoyed that!
I'm looking forward to the next lot of videos of your visit there.
Regards
All military vehicles/weapons and their exact model:
4:11 - 4:18
USS Alabama [BB-60]
4:19 - 4:22
USS Alabama [BB-60]
4:23 - 4:41
F-4D Phantom II
2x 5in/38 caliber guns
B-52D Stratofortress
USS Alabama [BB-60]
HU-16 Albatross
4:42 - 5:17
M48 Patton III
UH-1C Iroquois "Huey"
USS Drum [SS-228]
B-52D Stratofortress
USS Alabama [BB-60]
F-105B Thunderchief
HH-52A Seaguard
F-86K Saber
Piasecki H-21A
41-foot Utility Boat, Large
Unidentifiable Ballistic Missile
US Navy Patrol Boat Mk. III
F9F Panther
5:18 - 5:33
USS Drum [SS-228]
USS Alabama [BB-60]
F-105B Thunderchief
HH-52A Seaguard
F-86K Saber
Piasecki H-21A
41-foot Utility Boat, Large
Unidentifiable Ballistic Missile
US Navy Patrol Boat Mk. III
F9F Panther
B-25J Mitchell
VC-47D Skytrain
5:34 - 6:05
QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss
B-25J Mitchell
USS Alabama [BB-60]
M1897 Field Gun
6:06 - 6:20
USS Alabama [BB-60]
6:21 - 6:32
3x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
3x 16in Mk. II cannon
6:33 - 6:44
2x twin 40mm Bofors cannon
6:45 - 6:50
8x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
3x 16in Mk. II cannon
6:51 - 6:57
2x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
6:58 - 7:01
twin 5in/38 caliber gun
18:03 - 18:51
2x twin 5in/38 caliber gun
2x twin 40mm Bofors cannon
QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss
B-25J Mitchell
M1897 Field Gun
HU-16 Albatross
Piasecki H-21A
41-foot Utility Boat, Large
Unidentifiable Ballistic Missile
Piasecki H-21A
VC-47D Skytrain
F-4D Phantom II
M60A2 Patton IV
M4A2 Sherman
M26 Pershing
155 mm gun M1 "Long Tom"
M75
5in/38 caliber gun
Type 59
LVTP-5
M42 Duster
Unidentifiable cannon
18:52 - 19:22
3x twin 5in/38 caliber gun
2x twin 40mm Bofors cannon
11x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
6x 16in Mk. II cannon
19:23 - 19:31
4x twin 40mm Bofors cannon
3x twin 5in/38 caliber gun
20:23 - 21:19
B-25J Mitchell
M1897 Field Gun
HU-16 Albatross
Piasecki H-21A
41-foot Utility Boat, Large
Unidentifiable Ballistic Missile
Piasecki H-21A
VC-47D Skytrain
F-4D Phantom II
M60A2 Patton IV
USS Drum [SS-228]
M4A2 Sherman
M26 Pershing
155 mm gun M1 "Long Tom"
M75
5in/38 caliber gun
Type 59
LVTP-5
M42 Duster
Unidentifiable cannon
UH-1C Iroquois "Huey"
3x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
16in Mk. II cannon
twin 5in/38 caliber gun
21:20 - 21:32
3x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
2x twin 5in/38 caliber gun
twin 40mm Bofors cannon
21:33 - 21:55
B-25J Mitchell
M1897 Field Gun
HU-16 Albatross
Piasecki H-21A
41-foot Utility Boat, Large
Unidentifiable Ballistic Missile
Piasecki H-21A
VC-47D Skytrain
F-4D Phantom II
M60A2 Patton IV
USS Drum [SS-228]
M4A2 Sherman
M26 Pershing
155 mm gun M1 "Long Tom"
M75
5in/38 caliber gun
Type 59
LVTP-5
M42 Duster
Unidentifiable cannon
UH-1C Iroquois "Huey"
F-105B Thunderchief
F-86K Saber
5x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
2x 16in Mk. II cannon
21:56 - 22:40
5x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
3x 16in Mk. II cannon
10x twin 40mm Bofors cannon
twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
3x twin 5in/38 caliber gun
22:41 - 22:54
USS Alabama [BB-60]
M4A2 Sherman
VC-47D Skytrain
Unidentifiable cannon
23:00 - 23:10
4x twin 40mm Bofors cannon
2x Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
twin 5in/38 caliber gun
23:55 - 23:59
2x twin 40mm Bofors cannon
3x 16in Mk. II cannon
24:00 - 24:05
USS Alabama [BB-60]
24:05 - 24:15
USS Alabama [BB-60]
24:16 - 24:25
USS Alabama [BB-60]
[This took about an hour to complete lmao]
Go see the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC.
The machine shop is open to the public. I was able to closely examine them all and got pictures of all the tags when I went there in early June, 2021.
The spiral stairs were added for the public...
During service, the turrets were accessed by ladders only with small hatches to climb through.
With all of your subs, I bet you could have arranged a private tour of the metal shops. I bet they would like to pick your brain on some of the equipment they have. Chris
+shadowdog500 I'd love to talk to them about that.
That would be amazing!
Awesome video really like what your doing with the field trips and great eating places !!!!
Great video Adam, It is a beautiful ship. The North Carolina you can walk around the machine shop. Thank You for another trip down memory lane Adam. Matt C.
Is the music in time with the joints in the highway? The tour was great; Those sailors did not have it easy. Can you imagine bumping elbows all day long in those narrow walkways? Thanks to both of you for the tour, Greg
Great video Adam I wished that I would have taken time to check out the Battleship when I was there doing the clean up after hurricane Fredrick. I was always to busy all the time I guess. Thanks for the tour!!
Hey Adam, I really like this kind of video that you started with, find it very interesting to see the environment that you live in, I've followed a few years and always look forward to the new SNS each Saturday. My brother and i are going for the third time to the United States this summer, we'll visit New York, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and finish of with a Caribbean cruise. Just want to say that I think you are doing a very good job with your videos and I think they are very entertaining, good work Adam / Peter from Linkoping, Sweden
Cool place. I may have to make my way down there one of these years. Can't wait to see the rest of the area. Bummer that you couldn't get into the shop itself.
very cool video Thanks Adam
Hi Adam very interesting video thanks for showing me something I am never likely to see nice to see Abby again
I have been there. I do not forget the brave service men and women of this country. EVER>
Drove past last Friday, you can't get a grasp of the size until you're 2 miles away and still see it in your rearview
Hi Adam. Looks like a really nice place to visit. Still can't get use to the driving shots my heart is in my mouth cos you drive on the wrong side of the road lol. Good job with the video Adam and hurry with part 2. As usual thanks for sharing.
Adam the two destroyers I rode WW2 ,had even less room then the Alabama .Iwas in the Navy from 68-to 73 ...I stand 6ft 5 in at250 lb... I had stiches in my head,from running in to valves and the overhead ,I was in engineering as a Boiler Tender Good video..
Fantastic video!!! Awesome content!!! Looking foreword to the next episode my friend!!!
Kevin
I toured the Alabama back in the late eighties. They used to have a F4U Corsair out front. Sadly it looks like it's gone now :-( Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I remember the sub being unreal cramped when I was a skinny twenty two year old. I can't imagine how it would be for me now ;-)
Paul Watts damaged in Katrina. She resides on the west coast now, I believe. She was restored.
I knew I was there before. I think it was in the late 90's
Thanks for the tour Adam, I wonder what it was like when the ship was at battle stations and you were down in the bowels bouncing around in rough seas. Ever chance I get I always tour the military hardware. Mobile is a neat place.
+Gary Roberts so have to think it had to be scary for many of those men.
She was extremely stable, there wouldn’t have been too much bouncing around.
Great video, guns might be ABOM sized but the inside isn't. I enjoy these videos as much as your regular shop videos, keep up the good work.
Nice! Went there a long time ago (early 80's) when I was stationed at Eglin AFB. Park wasn't nearly as developed back then. Do enjoy watching all your videos as I used to work in the machining world myself. Thanks!!
This is one of the two South Dakota class battleships that have been preserved, I have been on the other one in Fall River MA.
Thanks for showing me something I am never likely to see .
Adam,
Great video.... but you were very lucky you were able to find such a friendly driver on such short notice!
Good people are hard to come by these days !
Toodles !
Paddy
I dont know how many i have been to Battleship Park there I have lost count. And it NEVER gets old. I have drove down from MN just for the weekend to visit. But it looks like by the video they have tore down the Hotel since I was there last (its been a few years now) Used to love getting a "room with a view" at night I could stare at the ship for hours all lit up.
+Jared MnTrucker I don't even recall the hotel, but yea it's not there. The whole place is well kept an just beautiful.
It is a great site of history to see... Was a sad affair after Katrina went through though.
I have done that ship tour before , it is pretty amazing !!! Hard to believe that a ship as big as that was moved by Hurricane Katrina . Those ships must have been a CONSTANT fix . Here is a question , how do they cut a 16" gun barrel , Brooch ???? or a REALLY big lathe !!! LOL great Video !!!!
Hee, been there. Went there with my other half for a day out, wish I could have taken my old man with me too as he'd have been fascinated. Both him and me love boats/military stuff (both ex forces), great video
I really, REALLY enjoyed this vid Adam! I almost felt like I was a visitor there myself. I love ships and historical ones especially. Can you imagine the pressure you'd be under to make a part during battle? Thank you for the new style vids...I like them.
Adam,
Thanks for the video. I've visited both the USS Alabama and USS Drum 2-3 times since I was in my "tweens" back in the early '70s -- they didn't have the large aircraft display or tanks back then -- just a few aircraft, if i remember correctly. I don't remember the inside of the Alabama being quite so dark, but they probably keep the lights dimmed a bit to preserve what's left there. I certainly understand why you didn't try to crawl into some of those tight spaces -- some were tight to me as a skinny teenager, especially inside the main gun turrets. Of course, the Alabama has 'tons" of space when compared to the Drum! I've been on the Drum and the U-boat at the Chicago Museum of History(?) and, if I remember correctly, both are about the same size -- nowhere someone with claustrophobia wants to be!
As a Civilian, I got to go on both the USS Forrestal & USS Saratoga (non-nuke carriers) when they were based in Mayport, Fla., and was still surprised at how little "open space" they had below decks -- virtually every square/cubic inch of space was used! I designed and had made a ~38-inch micrometer for measuring the main pistons that control the aircraft recovery gear -- basically a 0-1-inch micrometer thimble moved to a large frame, plus a "gage bar" used to set the micrometer as a comparator. But it was fun to see the mix of old brass, hand-lettered gauges right next to the then-modern digital indicators.
I'm looking forward to the follow-up videos from your visit to the Battleship Mmemorial Park. (Also, just think of what it took to get that B-52 to the park with no airfields large enough to land one anywhere nearby!)
Bob
Great video Adam. Keep 'em comin'!