Key Points and Summary – The historic battleship USS Texas (BB-35), America’s last surviving dreadnought to have served in both World War I and World War II, has been saved and secured a new permanent home at Pier 15 in Galveston.
-After years of languishing in a state of disrepair, the ship is undergoing an extensive restoration to transform it into a state-of-the-art museum with interactive exhibits.
-Commissioned in 1914, the vessel provided crucial gunfire support in major WWII invasions from the beaches of Normandy to Okinawa, earning five Battle Stars and securing its place in naval history.
Battleship USS Texas Has a New Home…and a New Lease on Life
The heyday of the battleship as the primary instrument of naval power projection is long over. The battleship was superseded in importance by aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. (Some would argue that the carrier has in turn been rendered obsolescent by drones and ship-killing missiles, but that’s a debate for another time and place.) Indeed, the last time battleships were used in combat was during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, AKA Operation Desert Storm.
Luckily for the sake of posterity, several of America’s battleships have been preserved and restored as floating museums.
Among these are the USS Missouri (BB-63), USS Iowa (BB-61)—this reporter can personally vouch for the Iowa tour— the USS Wisconsin (BB-64), and the USS New Jersey (BB-62). (Yes, the USS Olympia [C-6], Commodore Dewey’s famous flagship from the Spanish-American War, is also a museum ship, but she’s technically considered a protected cruiser, not a battleship.)
Now one more American battleship is being converted to a museum ship and is thus receiving a long-overdue new home and new lease on life: the USS Texas (BB-35).
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT (BLUF)
As noted by the Battleship Texas Foundation, “We’re proud to have finalized an agreement with the Galveston Wharves Board securing Pier 15 as the new home of the Battleship Texas. As restoration work continues across the channel, we look forward to relocating her next year and continuing our mission to create a world-class historic destination. The Battleship Texas — America’s last surviving battleship to serve in both World War I and World War II — is a powerful symbol of our nation’s history and permanently berthing her to Galveston is a true honor.”
USNI News managing editor Caitlyn Burchett provides some additional background info:
“Since 2020, the foundation has operated the battleship, which is undergoing extensive restoration at a Galveston-area shipyard. A year ago, the battleship foundation told news outlets that the ‘restoration project involves transforming the ship into a state-of-the-art visitor experience featuring interactive and technology-driven exhibits, augmented reality, holograms, guided tours, and integrations with cell phones. The ship will also be climate-controlled for year-round access.’”
This is welcome news for military history buffs. The Lone Star State’s naval namesake had languished in a sad state of disrepair for several years, casting depressing doubt on the proud warship’s long-term prospects of survival. “Don’t Mess With Texas,” goes one famous slogan. But for a while there, it looked like it might need a corollary: “Don’t Neglect Texas”.
The relocation and restoration project is expected to be finished before the end of the year. Pier 15 is situated between cruise ship terminals and is a 10-minute walk from Galveston’s historic Strand District.
USS TEXAS TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND VITAL STATS
–Displacement: 28,822 tons fully laden
-Hull Length: 573 feet
-Beam Width: 95 feet 2.5 inches
-Draught: 29 feet 7 inches
-Maximum Speed: 21 knots
-Crew Complement: 1,810 commissioned officers and enlisted seamen
-Armament:
10 × 14-inch/45 caliber guns
21 × 5-inch/51 caliber guns
4 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.85-inch)/40 caliber saluting guns
2 × 1-pounder 37 mm (1.46-inch) guns
4 × 21-inch torpedo tubes
OPERATIONAL HISTORY IN BRIEF
The USS Texas was laid down in 1912 at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned on March 12, 1914. Barely two months later, the vessel was deployed to Veracruz, Mexico, to support the occupation there – her first visit to foreign waters and her first action, although by that time the fighting was over.
In January 1918, nine months after the United States officially entered World War I, the Texas crossed the Atlantic to join the Grand Fleet. She patrolled the North Sea and remained there for the duration of the war, but there were no significant engagements during that time.
The Texas would make up for that lack of action during World War II. According to Naval History and Heritage Command, “A change in mission took place in October and November 1942, when she provided heavy gunfire support during the invasion of North Africa.
“In April 1944 she began preparations for the Normandy landings, which began on 6 June 1944, with Texas’ 14-inch and 5-inch guns firing on German positions ashore for several days. On 25 June, she participated in a bombardment of Cherbourg, France, during which she was hit twice by enemy coastal artillery fire. Her heavy guns were again active in August, this time in the Mediterranean Sea in support of landings in Southern France.
“After an overhaul, Texas went to the Pacific, arriving in the war zone in time to take part in the February 1945 Iwo Jima invasion. From late March to late May, she operated off Okinawa, firing her guns against Japanese positions and helping to fight off suicide plane attacks.”
In spite of all that heavy action, the ship lost only one crew member to enemy action. The Texas earned five Battle Stars for her WWII service. She was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Register in April 1948, and shortly thereafter was donated to the State of Texas to serve as a museum and memorial.
One of her crewmen, Chief Petty Officer John Jack McKeown (who had served aboard the ship since 1937), was discharged from the Navy so that he could become her caretaker, fulfilling that role until his passing in 1970.
In the words of her last skipper, Captain Charles A. Baker, “Her wars are over, she has won the right to rest peacefully in Texas waters.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU).
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