When so many of us were focused on the arrival of the famous ocean liner, the SS United States, a couple of weeks back, I started thinking about another big ship on our horizon. I decided to take a drive over and revisit the USS Alabama.

I'm really glad I did. I met a few nice folks and spent a couple of hours just looking around, taking some pictures, and learning some history. There's a lot to see there, and I happened to pick a really beautiful day for a nice drive along the Causeway and a leisurely visit to the big battleship and the pretty park beside it.

It was a bit breezy to call the weather perfect, but the sky was rich and blue with puffy white clouds. It was one of those gorgeous afternoons with mild temperatures that we'll be longing for when the full force of summer hits.

I'd been aboard the 'Bama a few other times, and the last one, 13 years earlier, had been quite memorable. I was playing bass at the time with Sugarcane Jane, and we were hired to play a nighttime wedding reception being held on the ship. It was a unique and laid-back private gig, one of those fun experiences that you'd really never imagine doing until you get an unexpected phone call telling you when to be there.

It was a calm and quiet night and the crowd was easygoing. I've played many times on the water before and since, but I remember being surprised at how good our music sounded on that wooden deck, surrounded by all that thick steel. On our short break, we had fun exploring the inner reaches of the massive ship. Because it was after-hours, with no tourists or staff, it felt like we had the run of the whole place! 

Another revelation was how easy it was to set up our gear, which is something I'd worried about on the drive over. It turns out there was a ramp in place that allowed me to drive right onto the ship! A further surprise was that our bandleader, Anthony Crawford, decided we would leave our vehicles parked right there while we played rather than moving them out of view to a parking lot. So in the photos and video from that night, you can see our tiny-looking trio with our little cars right there in the background.

I recall that when I posted about the event on Facebook back then, a musician friend or two commented on it being the coolest load-in ever. They were right, and the load-out was just as sweet. 

The first time I'd visited the ship was in either 1975 or '76, when I was a kid riding with some friends from Jackson, Miss., to Destin, Fla., for a deep-sea fishing adventure. We made a quick pit stop to see the USS Alabama and its museum counterpart, the Navy submarine called the USS Drum. I knew back then that my father had served in World War II on a similar battleship (the USS West Virginia), so I tried to imagine him as one of the slender young crew members packed inside those cramped quarters. 

I thought of him again on this recent visit, but it was still hard to imagine him being so young, so far from his home in a small town in north Mississippi, and being part of such a dangerous and intimidating mission. Born in 1925, he had just turned 20 when the war ended. He was almost 40 when I came along, which coincidentally was about the time that the "Mighty A" was towed to Mobile Bay. It was going to be scrapped, but the state of Alabama managed to acquire it and used money from donations to help restore it as a museum and memorial. Tugboats brought it here on a journey of more than 6,000 miles from Bremerton, Wash., and through the Panama Canal.

So here it sits more than 60 years later, as an iconic landmark with so much incredible history, on our waterfront. On my visit, I also learned about some historic aircraft on the grounds of the park and inside a hangar called the Aircraft Pavilion.

I was curious about the two planes that Jimmy Buffett donated before his death, and I got to see them up close. One is a Grumman Goose, which is amphibious, and it's on display right next to a Boeing Stearman bi-plane that was originally a military trainer, that he owned. (The very same plane is featured prominently in his video for "Trip Around the Sun," a duet with Martina McBride.)

Though Buffett's planes get a lot of attention, there are many others at the park that are historically significant. Just a few feet away, for instance, is Army One, a restored helicopter that was used by five U.S. presidents. Other impressive holdings include an A-12 Black Bird spy plane, a Vietnam-era B-52 Bomber, and a P-51 Mustang like the ones used by the Tuskegee Airmen.

I learned a lot just by reading the placards on the exhibits and asking a few questions, but I imagine the best way to appreciate the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park fully is to sign up for a guided tour or attend one of the lectures or special events they offer. 

For me, it was a very rewarding way to spend the better part of a sunny afternoon along Mobile Bay.