Milsurp After Hours

The Battleship park is a a catchall for any US military involvement in the last century plus. There are WWI relics down to a tank captured in Iraq on either the Bush senior or Bush junior's watch and from every conflict in between. There are lots of things outside a big exhibition building. I took a few snaps of what's inside the building. There are some new entries since last I was at the park. One is seemingly out of place as it is a Gruman Goose Royal Canadian sea plane...complete with manikin dressed like a Canadian officer. Then there is the Huey that was used to take President Reagan to Camp David from the White House. There is also a plane flown by one of the Tuskegee Airman. There is a black bird spy plane parked outside but didn't get a good shot of it this time with the digital camera. There is also one of those super sized bombers that bombed the crap out of North Vietnam. I think they are still in the US inventory even though they are older than the crews that fly them.

Wow, some great stuff in that park. The Chinese Commie jet fighter is a MiG-17 and a F4 Phantom way back there.
The big bomber is a Boeing B-52, some of the grandsons of original pilots now fly them. It entered service in 1955
and the last one was built in 1962 and they are expected to be used until 2050, seems they can't find anything
affordable to replace it. ....

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I've got lots of photos from that park over the years. The spy plane and a couple other snaps of the B52 I'll include. The B52 actually had a place for a rear gunner. This B52 actually dropped bombs in North Vietnam.

The former Alabama rear deck catapult sea plane is now in the house.

That seaplane is a Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher. Some great planes there.

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Just learned that the Grumman Goose and Boeing Stearman were recently donated to Battleship Park by Jimmy Buffett. He donated them anonymously but today, after Buffett's death they acknowledged his contribution.

Have been to Battleship Park several times, first time in 93, last time in 2014 with my Dad and it has been nice to see the upgrading of the displays over the years to protect them from the elements.

My Great Uncle, Andrew Miller served on the Alabama from its commissioning in 42 til its decommissioning in 1947. His name is enshrined in a room on the starboard rear of the ship along with all other Alabama crew members.