I volunteered aboard the Texas in the 1970s. This video shows the Texas both in the water & out in drydock. USS Texas (BB-35) is a former U.S. Navy battleship. She was launched May 1912 and commissioned March 1914. The Texas served in Mexican waters following the “Tampico Incident” but saw no action. In 1926, Texas was the flagship of the U.S. Fleet. In World War One, it made numerous sorties into the North Sea/Atlantic without directly engaging the enemy. During World War II, the Texas escorted war convoys across the Atlantic, shelled the coastline in the North African (Operation Torch), German-held beaches in the Normandy on D-Day (Operation Overlord), and then in the Cherbourg offensive. It also engaged in a bombardment of Southern France (Operation Dragoon). Late in 1944, in the Pacific Theater, it provided naval gunfire support during the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Texas was decommissioned in 1948, and earned five battle stars for service in World War II. She is currently moored at the San Jacinto Battlegrounds near Houston, except when undergoing repairs. In 1948, the Texas was commissioned as the flagship of the Texas Navy.
Texas was also a technological testbed. It was the first US battleship to: mount anti-aircraft guns; control gunfire with directors and range-keepers; launch an aircraft; and one of the 1st US Navy warships to receive production radar; to become a permanent museum ship. It was also the 1st battleship to be a US National Historic Landmark. And, it is the only remaining World War I era dreadnought battleship. As of 2022, the Texas is also one of the eight remaining ships and the only remaining capital ship to have served in both World Wars.- Travels With Phil copyrighted by Phil Konstantin
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Stats (at various times):
Length – 573 ft (175 m) (overall), 565 ft (172 m) (waterline)
Width – 106 ft (32.31 m)
Displacement: 27,000 long tons, 33,000 (after torpedo bulges were added and a full load)
Draft: 29 ft 7 in (9.02 m) (max)
Speed: 19.72 knots
Range: 7,060 nautical miles (13,075 km; 8,125 mi) at 10 knots
Complement: 1,810 officers and men
Armament: 10 × 14 inch main guns, 6 × 5 inch guns, 10 × 3 inch guns, 10 quad 40 Bofors AA guns, 44 x 20mm cannons, 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 4 to 14 inches
Aircraft: floatplanes or Os2U Kingfishers
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Video Credits (plus my own):
1. Google Earth
2. US Navy
3. dvidshub.net
4. https://www.dvidshub.net/video/441697/battleship-texas
5. https://www.dvidshub.net/video/855968/coast-guard-enforces-safety-zone-houston-galveston-tow-battleship-uss-texas
6. Kenneth Ramey – https://youtu.be/Zbnn3TjH-tk – CC 3.0
7. Third Coast Drone – https://youtu.be/W-XglbPdg7I – used with permission
8. Johnson + Associates Architects – https://vimeo.com/326116937 – CC BY 3.0
9. James Wiehoff – https://vimeo.com/113450795 – CC BY 3.0
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Photos (plus my own):
1. Google Maps
2. Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/search/?license=4%2C5%2C9%2C10&video_content_types=0%2C1%2C2%2C3&content_types=0%2C1%2C2%2C3&sort=relevance&text=bb-35
3. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=bb-35&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image
4. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=battleship+texas&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image
5. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/search.html?q=Texas+%28BB-35%29&ts=false&start=45 – public domain
6. Joe Haupt – CC BY-SA 2.0 – Flickr
7. Gr8wizard – CC BY-SA 4.0 – Wikipedia
8. Rennett Stowe – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
9. Frank Bodden – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
10. J R Gordon – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
11. BFS Man – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
12. Aaron Headly – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
13. Al Pavangkanan – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
14. Gronowski26 – CC SA-4.0 – Wikipedia
15. Adam Cuerden – CC SA-4.0 – Wikipedia
16. Patrick Feller – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
17. Louis Vest – CC BY 2.0. – Flickr
18. Bill Wilson – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
19. Eric Friedebach – CC BY 2.0 – Flickr
20. Joe Haupt – CC BY-SA 2.0 – Flickr
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Music: CyberLink Subscription License
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Links:
1. https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/texas-bb-35.html
2. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/texas-ii.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Texas_(BB-35)
4. US Navy Interview – https://youtu.be/UsYjfTD0rVc – CC 2.0
5. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/artifacts/Navigation/maps-and-map-plates/d-day-map-firing-plan-uss-texas–bb-35-.html
6. https://www.dvidshub.net/search/?q=uss+texas&view=grid
7. https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/texas.html
9. https://youtu.be/7ohD7bkcSwg
10. https://youtu.be/rnHEBLoHU90
11. https://youtu.be/PC9g9WkDS-4
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1 Comment
Save the Texas for all time!
It deserves to be remembered!