October 28, 2019

ALABAMA’S FORT MORGAN

Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead” –Admiral David Farragut Stu surprised me with a trip to Alabama, a place where he lived for many years. I’d never visited Alabama and am now a big fan! The quote above is something we heard a lot growing up and in war movies, but do you know where that phrase originated? Union Admiral David Farragut was leading ships into Mobile Bay in Alabama in an effort to capture Fort Morgan during the Civil War when he yelled to his naval comrades, “Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead!” The Battle of Mobile Bay began on August 5, 1864 and lasted two-weeks. The battle ended with the Fort’s…

January 31, 2019

9 BATTLE STARS: THE BATTLESHIP USS ALABAMA

Though it was a sunny day, our minds drifted to the battleship before us having sailed through the fog of war. It is a humbling experience. We felt a certain reverence as we boarded the Battleship USS (BB-60) Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Senior Travelers will relate since we grew up with stories about WWII from our parents.   The USS Alabama was commissioned in 1942 and served in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of World War II. Decommissioned in 1947, the battleship was placed in the reserve fleet in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.  In 1964, Alabama was towed to Mobile Bay and opened as a museum the…