Mobile’s 2025 Mardi Gras ship is being announced! The Mobile Council of the Navy League of the United States, the City of Mobile and the Alabama Port Authority (APA) are choosing the USS McFAUL (DDG 74) for the honor.
The Navy ship, whose motto is “Courage, Honor, Sacrifice,” should begin transiting the Mobile Ship Channel shortly after daybreak the morning of Feb. 28, according to a press release from the city.
An anticipated arrival at the Alabama Port Authority Pier 2 is expected sometime around 10:00 a.m. The public is invited to cover the ship’s arrival festivities at 11:00 a.m.
The arrival will feature representatives from the U.S. Navy, the Navy League, elected officials, local JROTC students, and iconic Mobile ambassadors like the USS Alabama Shipmates, the Azalea Trail Maids and the Excelsior Band.
“The Alabama Port Authority (APA) is proud to welcome the USS McFAUL to the Port of Mobile for Mardi Gras 2025,” APA Director and CEO John Driscoll said in a press release.
“A longtime partnership between the Port, the city, the Navy, and the Mobile Council of the Navy League, the arrival of this vessel is a great tradition for the City of Mobile’s revelers to enjoy.”
USS McFAUL (DDG 74) is an Arleigh Burke class multi-mission destroyer designed to defend against and, if required, destroy her enemies on the ocean's surface, over land, in the sky, under the waves, and even in space.
For more than 100 years, the City of Mobile has welcomed a U.S. Navy Ship to the Port of Mobile during the height of the Mardi Gras season so that the sailors aboard can experience the country’s oldest Mardi Gras celebration.
“We are grateful for our strong relationship with the U.S. Navy, and Mobilians are excited to welcome the USS McFAUL and her crew to our beautiful Port,” Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “As the home of America’s first and best Mardi Gras celebration, we like to say Mobile was Born to Celebrate. We look forward to celebrating with these sailors soon!”
The USS McFAUL will be open for public tours from March 1 to March 3, 2025. The tours will be available on those dates from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. (CST) No reservation is required for a public tour.
For more information, please contact Navy League Mardi Gras Liaison, Brian Campbell, USN (Ret.), at (251) 776-4000 or bacnavy94@gmail.com.
