USS Alabama To Receive New Teak Deck

MOBILE, Ala. — The USS Alabama battleship, which draws thousands of visitors annually, is being outfitted with a new teak deck, The Associated Press reports. Members of the commission that oversees the battleship and Battleship Memorial Park announced the $8.5 million project in April. Built in 1940, the ship served in World War II and was decommissioned. It was moved to the Alabama coast, and Battleship Memorial Park opened in 1965. While teak wood lasts a long time, the decking on the ship is showing wear and signs of age. The commission plans to raise money to cover the cost of replacing the roughly 23,000 ft2 of teak that covers the ship’s metal hull. The project will be completed in phases, according to officials, so that visitors continue to have “maximum access to the deck, with [the] exception of the current working area.” Work is expected to take about three years.