MOBILE, Alabama – Aboard the battleship USS Alabama, a crew of volunteers spent a December weekend re-creating the sights and sounds of a World War II-era gun drill, marking the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor with a living-history demonstration at Battleship Memorial Park.
About 15 volunteers, dressed in blue dungarees, 1940s-style Navy caps and period boots, spent the day painting, cleaning and standing watch as if they were part of the ship’s original crew before staging a simulated fire drill on the fantail. The event marked the first time the group had organized a demonstration tied specifically to the December 7 anniversary since forming in April 2013.
The volunteers belong to the USS Alabama Living History Crew, an organization that meets aboard the battleship every other month and draws members from across Alabama and neighboring states. The group’s commanding officer said the crew has room for roughly 2,500 volunteers, matching the number of sailors who once served aboard the vessel, and continues to recruit new members regardless of military background. Participants have ranged in age from teenagers to volunteers in their late 80s.
One volunteer serving as boatswain’s mate for the day, a middle school geography and civics teacher and Army veteran who served in Iraq, said he purchased his own boatswain’s pipe and smoking pipe to complete the role. He described the appeal of historical reenactment as a chance to understand firsthand what sailors of the era wore and experienced, calling it “a labor of love.”
Other volunteers said they try to choose roles that connect to their real-world skills or interests. An HVAC technician from Florence noted that some trades, like air conditioning repair, simply did not apply to a 1940s-era warship.
The demonstration was originally supposed to include a flyover by two vintage aircraft departing from an airport in Bay Minette, but low cloud cover forced organizers to cancel the flight. The ship’s crew carried on regardless, running through a simulated call to battle stations complete with commands relayed over the ship’s public address system and megaphone, followed by the sound of blank cannon fire from the fantail gun mounts while visitors looked on from the deck.
Battleship Memorial Park, home to the USS Alabama and the submarine USS Drum, has long served as one of Mobile’s most visited attractions and a hub for military history education in the region. Volunteer reenactment groups like the Living History Crew supplement the park’s static displays with hands-on demonstrations meant to give visitors a closer sense of daily shipboard life during the ship’s active service.
Organizers said they plan to continue holding demonstrations throughout the year, with future events likely to focus on other milestones in the battleship’s service history.