Join the beans as they stand up and salute BATW Ambassador BJ Mezek for taking them to check out yet another famous example of U.S. military history!

Attention, landlocked sailors and those who appreciate big gray ships, and welcome to Mobile, Alabama! Today the beans drop in to visit yet another naval vessel; this time the U.S.S. Alabama. Now retired to here in Battleship Memorial Park, the U.S.S. Alabama was first commissioned in 1942. She's a big girl, that's for sure: 680 feet in length, 194 feet tall, and a "just right for her size" weight of 42,500 tons when fully loaded. The Alabama also has room for a crew of 127 officers and 2,205 enlisted men, because someone has to man all those guns. The Alabama was decommissioned back in the mid 60's, but she found a permanent home here in Mobile Bay in 1964. Since then, over 12 million people have come by the park to visit the ship, making it one of the Alabama's most popular tourist attractions. (Second only to a certain can of frijoles, I'm sure.) Anyway, the beans had a super time visiting the Alabama, and thank all the dedicated men who fought on those decks for frijole freedom. (And for those of their human counterparts, too. The beans may be self-centered at times, but even they realize that they'd be useless in a battle, except as a lunch selection.)