USS Texas is currently closed to the public while she undergoes restoration work, to find out more about her status and to donate to the ship please visit https://battleshiptexas.org/
This article was written with help from Travis Davis and Gabe Shuffield from the Battleship Texas Foundation.
With special thanks to https://museumships.us/ for organising a tour of the vessel which will be added in part 2 of this article, you can check out museum ships page for USS Texas here https://museumships.us/battleship/texas
USS Texas her beginnings
USS Texas sea trial c1913 Photo from US Navy archives
She is the last dreadnought type battleship left in the world, and one of the few ships that survive today that saw service in both world wars.
In 1906 the Royal Navy launched HMS Dreadnought the first of a new breed of battleship that would merge firepower and speed into one hull, not long after the launching of Dreadnought other navies followed suite and would design much larger and faster battleships culminating in the birth of the USS Texas.
June 24 1910 saw the ordering of two new Battleships for the United States Navy the USS Texas and New York were born.
Laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding facility on April 17 1911 she was Christened by her sponsor Miss Claudia Lyon 13 months later on may 18 1912.
Between May 18th, 1912 and March 12th, 1914 was spent largely on installing the ship’s belt armor, turrets, and guns and building her original super structure. Her trials started in October of 1913 as well, but her last armor plate wasn’t installed until March 10th, 1914 and commissioned on March 12 1914.
USS Texas pictured in 1917 photo from the US Navy
The Ship
When Texas entered service with the United States Navy she was the most powerfullest battleship in the world, she sported ten 14 inch main guns in five twin turrets arranged two forward one center and two aft, she also had a secondary armament of twenty one 5inch guns, later in her life she would be refitted to also handle Anti Aircraft guns.
Originally she was powered by coal using 14 coal fired boilers sending steam to two triple expansion engines turning two shafts and screws, later refits would see her being powered by oil and the boilers reduced to just 6 due to increased efficiency, this also increased her range substantially the funnels would also be reduced from two to just one.
The transition from coal to oil would also influence her speed, under coal power she was capable of 21 knots but under oil power she could manage just 19.75 knots.
Texas is a large ship with a length overall of 573ft a beam of 95ft and a draft of 28ft fully loaded in her original configuration she displaces 28,800 tons in her 1945 state that tonnage increased to 32,000tons fully loaded.
World War One and interwar years
The USS Texas would spend world war I mainly in Scapa Flow Scotland to relieve the pressure on the Royal Navy and bolstering their numbers against the German High seas fleet.
She would escort some convoys mainly between the UK and Norway using the convoy as bait to lure the high seas fleet into action, this never materialized.
On November 21 1918 she would be present along with the Royal Navy Grand fleet to escort the remnants of the Imperial German Navy into Scapa Flow.
After the war she would become the first American battleship to launch and aircraft, and on the 17th July 1920 the modern hull designation system was introduced, Texas was known as battleship number 35 prior to this and thus received her hull designation BB35 a designation system that still remains today.
USS Texas with Aircraft deck on her turret picture from US Navy
Post war Texas was effectively obsolete however in 1922 the Washington Naval treaty effectively saved her from retirement and scrapping, the treaty did not allow the building of new battleships for a decade, and it was this treaty that would see the Texas ultimately saved and refitted for the future.
World War Two
USS Texas underway showing her new look picture from the US Navy
September 3 1939 World War II began in Europe and the USS Texas would be a key player in the up coming conflict.
In the early days she conducted Neutrality patrols but that all changed on December 7th 1941 when the United States was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbour, the USS Texas answered the call and during the subsequent years she would take part in operations against Germany Italy and Japan.
Texas would be on hand to assist in the landings in North Africa during Operation Torch in 1942 giving gun fire support to troops landing on the African coast before going back to convoy escort duties.
On June 6 1944 during D Day her guns would once again be called into action initially supporting Rangers at Pointe du Hoc and troops landing at Omaha beach.
She moved on to support the occupation of Cherbourg during which time two German shore batteries scored hits on her, the only two hits in her entire career.
After a brief visit for landings in Southern France and port stays in Italy and Algeria where she didn’t engage the enemy she returned to the United States.
Her next deployment would see her enter the Pacific war, this time to support marines storming ashore on Iwo Jima, and later Okinawa.
On August 15 1945 the Texas was in Leyte gulf Philippines when news broke that Japan had finally surrendered.
Post War
With the war over there was now just one task to complete repatriation of troops overseas, Texas would take part in operation magic carpet, she would do two more round trips before finally heading to Norfolk Virginia to enter into the reserve fleet.
Operation Magic Carpet the repatriation of service personnel to the US
picture from battleshiptexas.info
On June 18 1946 the USS Texas was officially placed into reserve at Baltimore Maryland after 31 years of service, having served in two world wars.
In 1945 the state of Texas had requested the ship be preserved as a memorial, she was laid up pending the congress passing legislation to transfer her to the state of Texas.
Thankfully her story doesn’t end there, in 1948 congress had passed the legislation and USS Texas would become a museum ship in her namesake state and in part two I take a trip of a life time and visit this war horse as she undertakes one of the biggest renovations of her life time.
Part Two
In part two of this article I go onboard the USS Texas and see for myself the last dreadnought battleship in the world.
You can get access to the pictures of my recent visit to the USS Texas from my Flickr account here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131313936@N03/albums/72157719607757306
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