Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Ghosts of the "Big A"

Fore Deck
The 680-foot USS Alabama saw death before she ever left the shipyard. Two workers died during the battleship's construction at Norfolk. But her active duty was surprisingly quiet for a behemoth that slipped into the theaters of war in 1942. Not a single fatality from enemy fire marred her 37 month career. Friendly fire, however, killed 8 men when deck-mounted machine gun #9 fired upon #5, accidentally obliterating its occupants.


Since retiring as a floating museum in 1965, visitors to Mobile Bay have returned with ghostly tales. It seems that the sounds of phantom footsteps can be heard and that apparitions have been spotted in the galley and officers' quarters. Others talk of an ennui that settles now and then over the old ship. And, of course, the unfortunate men of gun #5 still hang out in their turret, perhaps unaware of the war's end.

In the still of night, they say, mysterious noises emanate from the bulkheads: pops, bangs, and taps. The sound of heavy steel doors slamming shut have been reported.

Officials deny these reports, claiming no one has every made such claims. Groups such as the Boy Scouts spend the night on the ship fairly regularly without incident--at least not of the ghostly kind. 

They've denied access to investigate to numerous paranormal research teams. The only ones allowed to spend the night are those affiliated with some youth group. Lucky bastards.

2 comments:

Sharon Day said...

Can I join the Boy Scouts??? I have a theory about ships and lighthouses as having metal structures and repeated activity over many years--it sorts of locks it into the environment. As a psychic who reads objects, metal is the best one to read. Is it because something bioelectric happens between humans and metals? Don't know, but a ship is an ideal place for a residual.

Julie Ferguson said...

I would love to be able to tour that ship.