http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1125393377153
930.xml&coll=3
Battleship Park sees extensive damage
Everything on the Causeway is flooded,' says Spanish Fort police
spokeswoman
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
By GEORGE WERNETH
Staff Reporter
Battleship Memorial Park on the Causeway sustained extensive damage
Monday from the winds of Hurricane Katrina, which left the park's
aircraft pavilion apparently battered into a "total loss" and its
centerpiece USS Alabama listing, officials said.
The damage appears to be "between $1.5 and $2 million," said Bill
Tunnell, the park's executive director, and he noted that this was just
a preliminary estimate and was "conservative."
As for the rest of the Causeway, dotted with some of the area's best
seafood restaurants, the news also was not good. "Everything on the
Causeway is flooded," according to a spokeswoman for the Spanish Fort
Police Department, which has jurisdiction over much of that strip across
the northern end of Mobile Bay. The extent of the damage to these
establishments was not immediately determined.
Meanwhile, Tunnell said the park could possibly be closed for weeks for
repairs but said a further inspection of the damage would have to be
made before he could know for sure. He said there was also about 2 feet
of water in the park's gift shop.
"One of the leading tourist attractions in the state of Alabama has
taken it on the chin," Tunnell said.
"From all reports, damage to the park was worse than damage (inflicted)
by Frederic," Tunnell said, referring to Hurricane Frederic, a Category
3 hurricane that hammered the Alabama coast in 1979.
The park's director said about 18 members of the park staff and their
families rode out Katrina's fury inside the battleship as members have
done voluntarily dating back to Hurricane Camille, a Category 5 storm
which made a direct hit on the Mississippi coast in 1969.
Tunnell said the 18 members on the vessel were not in any danger but
said they could be stranded on the World War II battleship for several
days as much of the park was under 4 feet of water Monday. He said their
vehicles -- which they drove up a gangway onto the ship before Katrina
struck -- also could not be removed right away.
He said the concrete gangway that was used to drive the vehicles onto
the ship was badly damaged and could not be used to drive the vehicles
off the vessel.
Tunnell has said in the past that the USS Alabama, which has been the
centerpiece of the park since it opened during January 1965, is "the
safest place in the area to be during a hurricane." He noted that the
680-foot-long battleship weighs 80 million pounds and is anchored in
some 20 feet of Mobile Bay mud.
While the battleship was left listing toward the port side, Tunnell
said, it is not believed to have incurred any serious damage. "The ship
has shifted its position, and will have to be straightened back up." He
said this also occurred during Camille.
While Tunnell reported that damage to the aircraft pavilion was severe,
he said the dozen or so vintage warplanes inside apparently "are all
repairable."
Bill Parsons, who has been an employee of the park since it opened more
than 40 years ago, said the damage inflicted on the park by Katrina was
the worse he had ever seen there in any hurricane, Tunnell said.
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Shannon Lindridge
Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 1:32 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Katrina-related museum news update 8/31/05
This morning I saw a brief report with pics on the USS Alabama. The pics
show it is listing (sp?) to one side and the report stated the ship has
taken on water.
--Shannon
from generation to generation
The History Center in Tompkins County
Shannon Lindridge, Collections Manager
401 East State Street, Suite 100, Ithaca, NY 14850
607.273.8284 ext.7 (FAX) 607.273.6107
www.TheHistoryCenter.net <http://www.thehistorycenter.net/>
Please note my new email address: [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Amy K. Marshall
Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 1:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Katrina-related museum news update 8/31/05
Hello, all--
I'm thinking of the picture of the oil platform wedged under the bridge
in
Mobile. Has anyone heard if the USS Alabama is okay?
Thanks,
Amy.
Amy K. Marshall, M.A.
Curator
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
106.8 Richardson Hwy
Copper Center, AK 99573
907.822.7416
907.822.7216 (fax)
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