The heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa often served as the presidential flagship. In December 1940, President Roosevelt embarked on an inspection tour of base sites recently obtained from Britain. It was while on this cruise, relaxing and entertaining British officials—including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor—that he devised the Lend-Lease program to aid an embattled Britain that still maintained American neutrality. In August 1941, FDR met Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard the Tuscaloosa to work out the Atlantic Charter. The Tuscaloosa’s mast and one of its 5-inch guns stands at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Memorial Park.
Moment in History compiled by Betty Slowe and Guy Hubbs.