Applications Open Jan. 23 for 2023-24 USS Alabama Crewmate Program

Young women across the Gulf Coast can soon apply to serve as ambassadors for one of Mobile’s most storied landmarks: applications for the 2023-24 USS ALABAMA Crewmate program open Monday, January 23. The program, founded in 1967, has given more than 250 young women the chance to represent Battleship Memorial Park at events and public appearances across the state while earning scholarship money for college. Each year’s crew becomes part of a tradition that stretches back more than five decades, to a period when Mobile was still settling into its role as caretaker of the historic battleship.

Six crewmates are selected each year, sharing $13,500 in scholarship awards. The awards are distributed among the members of each incoming crew, giving the participants financial support for their higher education in addition to the public-speaking experience and civic connections that come with a year of service. For many past crewmates, the program has served as a springboard into careers in broadcasting, business, education, and public service across Alabama and the wider Gulf Coast region.

Who Can Apply

Applicants must be between 19 and 21 years old — their 19th birthday must fall by March 27, 2023, and they must not have turned 21 by that date. Candidates must live in Mobile County or Baldwin County, a requirement that keeps the program rooted in the two-county region the park serves most directly. Selection is based on poise, appearance, strength of application, references and an interview, with judges looking for candidates who can speak comfortably about the park’s history and its place in the community.

Applications are available for download from the USS ALABAMA website or in person at the Battleship Memorial Park Ticket Office at 2703 Battleship Parkway, open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The deadline to submit is Friday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. Park staff encourage interested applicants not to wait until the final week, since references and supporting materials take time to gather and incomplete applications cannot be considered after the deadline.

A Tradition Born With the Battleship Itself

The Crewmate program took shape in 1967, just two years after the battleship USS ALABAMA arrived at its permanent berth on Mobile Bay. The ship, a South Dakota-class battleship that earned nine battle stars for service in the Pacific during World War II, had been saved from the scrapyard by a statewide campaign led by schoolchildren and veterans, and it opened as the centerpiece of what is now Battleship Memorial Park in January 1965. Establishing a group of young ambassadors in the years that followed gave the park a human face at ribbon cuttings, parades, veteran reunions, and civic club meetings across the region.

Selected crewmates represent both the park and the State of Alabama at a variety of events throughout the year. Their calendar typically includes appearances at the park’s own commemorations, festival and tourism events around Mobile and Baldwin counties, and community functions where a representative of the battleship helps keep its story in front of new generations. The role carries genuine responsibility: crewmates are often the first face visitors associate with the park, and their appearances help support the tourism that funds the preservation of the ship and the park grounds.

The Park Behind the Program

Battleship Memorial Park sits on the Mobile Bay waterfront along Battleship Parkway, the causeway that connects the city of Mobile to the Eastern Shore. Beyond the battleship herself, the park preserves the submarine USS Drum, a collection of historic military aircraft, tanks, artillery, and memorials honoring Alabamians who served in every branch of the armed forces. The park operates as a self-sustaining attraction, drawing visitors from across the country and hosting school groups, reunions, and special events throughout the year — which is why its ambassador program matters to the park’s long-term health.

What the Selection Process Looks Like

The selection process weighs poise, appearance, strength of application, references and an interview, and it unfolds over the weeks after the February deadline. Candidates who advance are typically asked to discuss why they want to represent the park and how they would talk about its history with strangers — from schoolchildren touring the ship to visiting veterans who served aboard vessels like her. Interviewers place real weight on references, since crewmates appear on behalf of the park at public events and are expected to conduct themselves accordingly at all times.

Young women considering the program often come to it after years of connection to the park itself. Many applicants grew up visiting the battleship on school field trips from Mobile and Baldwin County classrooms, attended summer programs on the grounds, or have family members who served in the military and are buried at or memorialized by the park’s tribute areas. That personal history with the ship is a common thread among past crews, and park staff say it shows in how comfortably the crewmates speak about the site’s meaning to the community.

Why the Program Endures

More than 250 young women have now passed through the program since its founding in 1967, a roster that spans generations of Gulf Coast families. Former crewmates frequently remain connected to the park long after their year of service ends, returning for anniversaries and reunions and sometimes steering their own children toward the program. That continuity has helped the Crewmate tradition survive while other civic pageants and ambassador programs around Alabama have faded, and it explains why each new crew is introduced with such attention from local media and civic organizations.

The scholarship component has also made the program a meaningful financial stepping stone. College costs have risen steadily across the decades the program has operated, and for students attending the University of South Alabama, the University of Mobile, Spring Hill College, Coastal Alabama Community College, or institutions across the state line, the awards provide tangible help toward tuition and fees. Park officials have framed the program as an investment in both the park’s future and the region’s young people, and each year’s application cycle is an opportunity for a new group of candidates to make that case for themselves.

How to Apply and What Happens Next

Prospective applicants can download the application from the USS ALABAMA website or pick one up at the Battleship Memorial Park Ticket Office at 2703 Battleship Parkway, which is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Completed applications are due by Friday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. Candidates should review the age and residency requirements carefully before applying: applicants must have their 19th birthday by March 27, 2023, must not turn 21 by that date, and must live in Mobile County or Baldwin County.

After the deadline, park staff review the submissions and schedule interviews with the strongest candidates. The six members of the new crew are then selected and introduced ahead of their year of service, during which they share $13,500 in scholarship awards and begin their calendar of appearances representing the park and the State of Alabama. More information is available from the park’s program coordinator, and candidates with questions about eligibility or materials are encouraged to reach out before the deadline rather than after.

For the park, the January 23 opening of applications marks the start of another cycle in a tradition now well into its sixth decade. For the young women of the Gulf Coast who apply, it is a chance to join a lineage that began when the battleship was still new to Mobile Bay — and to spend a year telling the story of one of Alabama’s most visited historic landmarks while earning support for the education that comes next.

Scholarships and Service on the Bay

The scholarship awards distributed to each crew come from the park’s own fundraising and support organizations, which have backed the program since its earliest years. The $13,500 shared among the six crewmates is supplemented by the less measurable benefits of the role: a network of civic contacts across Mobile and Baldwin counties, practice in public speaking and event etiquette, and a recognized credential of community service that former crewmates often cite in college and job applications. Participants serve during a formative stretch of their lives, typically while attending college locally or commuting from home, and the schedule is built around appearances rather than daily shifts at the park.

Service as a crewmate also places young ambassadors in rooms they might otherwise not enter for years. Crewmates have stood alongside state and local officials at commemorations, greeted military and veteran organizations at the park, and taken part in the annual remembrances that mark battles and shipyard milestones. The experience builds a familiarity with Alabama’s military heritage that past participants describe as lasting well beyond their year of service, and many go on to volunteer with veteran causes and historic preservation efforts around the Gulf Coast.

Planning Around the Deadline

Park staff recommend that interested candidates begin assembling materials as soon as applications open on January 23 rather than waiting for the final stretch before February 17. Strong references take time to request, and candidates benefit from preparing for the interview component by learning the basic history of the battleship, the submarine USS Drum, and the park’s role in the region’s tourism economy. The park’s website carries program details alongside the downloadable application, and the ticket office staff can answer eligibility questions during regular daily hours.

The timing of the application window also matters for the program’s calendar. Selecting and introducing a new crew in the weeks after the February deadline allows the incoming members to prepare for a spring and summer season dense with appearances, from Memorial Day and July 4 commemorations at the park to festivals and civic events across the two counties. By the time the school year resumes, each crew is established in its role and carrying the program forward for another year.