Key Points and Summary – The USS Texas (BB-35), a century-old dreadnought battleship, served with distinction in both World Wars. A technological pioneer for the U.S. Navy, she provided critical gunfire support at D-Day on Omaha Beach, as well as during operations in North Africa, Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
-After becoming America’s first battleship museum in 1948, decades of deterioration necessitated a major rescue.
USS Texas Battleship. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The historic warship is currently undergoing a massive hull restoration in a Galveston dry dock and is expected to move to a new permanent home for public viewing in 2026.
-BONUS – We have included some new photos from our time on board battleship USS Iowa out in California back in August.
Meet the USS Texas: The Battleship That Fought in Two World Wars
The USS Texas (BB-35) is one of the oldest battleships that still floats today.
Constructed in 1910, this century-old warship served with distinction in both World War I and World War II.
After her decommissioning in 1948, the ship was converted into a museum ship for public viewing.
However, after decades of sitting in the hot and humid Texas climate, the ship was in urgent need of repairs.
She was towed to a drydock in 2022, where she remains to this day.
Repairs have been underway on Texas to improve her hull and refurbish many of her old systems.
She is expected to enter her new home in 2026.
Design and Development
Construction on the USS Texas began in 1910. Her construction was part of a broader effort to modernize the U.S. Navy and turn the United States into a world-class naval power.
Built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Virginia, she was launched on May 18, 1912, and officially commissioned into the U.S. Navy on March 12, 1914.
She was the second ship to bear the name “Texas,” following a pre-dreadnought battleship that had served during the Spanish-American War.
Her armament was formidable for its time. Texas was equipped with ten 14-inch guns mounted in five twin turrets, which formed her main battery.
She also carried twenty-one 5-inch guns as her secondary battery.
Over time, she was outfitted with various anti-aircraft weapons, including 3-inch and 40mm guns, as threats from the air became more prominent.
Her armor was equally impressive, with belt armor up to 12 inches thick and turret armor reaching 14 inches.
Notably, Texas was the first U.S. battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns and later became the first to be equipped with radar, marking her as a pioneer in naval technology.
World War I Service for USS Texas
During World War I, the USS Texas primarily served in the Atlantic Fleet, conducting patrols and escorting convoys.
In 1917, she joined the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea, helping to guard against the German High Seas Fleet.
Although she did not engage in direct combat during the war, her presence served as a strategic deterrent, contributing to the overall Allied naval strategy.
She also participated in training exercises that helped refine tactics for future conflicts.
In the interwar period, Texas underwent significant modernization. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, she received upgrades to her fire control systems, propulsion machinery, and armor. Aircraft catapults and cranes were added, and her anti-aircraft defenses were enhanced.
These improvements ensured that Texas remained a relevant and capable warship as global tensions began to rise once again.
During this time, she also served as a training vessel and participated in fleet exercises, helping to prepare the Navy for the challenges ahead.
World War II Service
World War II saw USS Texas return to active combat in some of the most critical operations of the conflict. Her first major action came during Operation Torch in 1942, when she supported the Allied invasion of North Africa by bombarding Vichy French positions near Casablanca.
This marked her first combat engagement of the war and demonstrated the continued value of battleships in shore bombardment roles.
One of her most famous contributions came during the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. Texas provided naval gunfire support for the landings at Omaha Beach, targeting German fortifications and helping to clear the way for Allied troops.
She came under fire from shore batteries and sustained damage, but continued her mission with determination.
In a remarkable display of ingenuity, her crew flooded compartments on one side of the ship to increase the elevation of her guns, allowing her to hit targets further inland.
Later in 1944, Texas participated in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. She bombarded German positions along the Riviera, aiding the advance of ground forces. Following her service in Europe, Texas was transferred to the Pacific Theater, where she played a vital role in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Her guns provided crucial support for Marines landing on heavily fortified Japanese islands, and despite the increasing threat from kamikaze attacks, she remained steadfast in her mission.
Post-War Retirement and Preservation
After the war, USS Texas was decommissioned in 1948. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she was not scrapped. Instead, she was preserved as a memorial ship, thanks to the efforts of veterans, historians, and the state of Texas.
She was transferred to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site near Houston, becoming the first battleship memorial museum in the United States. Over the decades, she has welcomed millions of visitors and served as an educational platform for naval history.
Preserving a century-old battleship is no small feat. Texas has faced numerous challenges, including corrosion, flooding, and structural deterioration.
16-Inch Guns of USS Iowa. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
Top of USS Iowa. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
Iowa-Class Missile Launchers
Iowa-Class Sideview. Image taken by National Security Journal at USS Iowa Battleship. Taken August, 2025.
Her steel hull, exposed to saltwater and humidity, has required constant maintenance. In recent years, major restoration efforts have been undertaken.
In 2022, the ship was moved to a dry dock for extensive repairs, including hull replacement, structural reinforcement, and modernization of visitor facilities. These efforts aim to ensure that Texas remains a viable museum ship for future generations.
As of writing this, USS Texas is still undergoing repairs in the drydocks at Galveston, Texas.
Once repairs are completed, the Texas will rest at hew new home at Port Galveston in Pier 13 where she will reopen as a museum ship. The battleship is expected to complete repairs sometime in 2026.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
More Military
Merkava: The Best Tank on Earth (Not Made in USA)
The U.S. Air Force’s Big B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Mistake Still Stings
The U.S. Navy’s Big Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier Mistake Still Stings
Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier Can’t Stop Pumping Out Toxic Black Smoke
India’s Big Blunder Purchase of Russia’s ‘Mothball’ Aircraft Carrier Still Stings
Jim
October 10, 2025 at 4:12 pm
This is one of the best comeback stories I’ve ever heard.
As being a kid running around the decks of the U. S. S. Texas and checking out the big guns up close… looking off the bridge, imagining the great dreadnought cutting through the waves or sending her shells roaring ashore, peppering the enemy, or the graceful maneuvers of a cat stalking its prey in a deadly duel between it and an enemy’s ship of the line.
Such are the thoughts of little boys and grown men.
Great to see it’s being restored for viewing and appreciation, part of the proud myths & annals of the United States Navy.
Built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Virginia… ah, now, there we can honor our Navy and defend our country… today.
… we gotta be able to crank up our shipbuilding capability.
Build them… it won’t be battleships of course… but we need them… we need the Newport News Shipbuilding Company and others like it humming, alive with men coming and going, taking their shifts, laying another keel, raising up another ship and seeing it gracefully slip into the waves.
For the men & women who depend on those ships… all of us…
Not teetering, as seems to be the case today.
Easier said than done… we have to decide on some things… keeping our shipbuilding up is a vital national security interest… it seems entirely appropriate and right to do so for the defense of the homeland and to project force across the Seven Seas.
There’s a reason Lady Liberty is silent, with her flame held high aloft, the battleship’s guns did the talking for her.
Yes, sometimes only your guns can do the talking.
All the way to Tokyo Bay.