At Little Sand Island, Mobile AL

13 jul 2008

Displacement: 4,490 tons
Length: 457 ft 9 in (140 m)
Beam: 72 in 2 in (22.0 m)
Draft: 18 ft 0 in (5.5 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 15.4 knots (29 km/h)
Complement: 326
Armament:h 1 × 5 in (127 mm) gun
10 × 40 mm guns (2 × 4, 1 × 2)

Laid down: 17 January 1944
Launched: 24 May 1944
Commissioned: 24 July 1944
Decommissioned: 10 July 1947
Recommissioned: 20 September 1950
Decommissioned: 9 March 1970
Struck: 1 November 1976
Fate: U.S Naval Reserve firefighting training ship

there is a placard saying "NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Shadwell