USS Texas Battleship Texas Refloating in Drydock (Drone Footage)
Historic USS Texas Battleship Set to Sail Again After Monumental Restoration
The USS Texas, a historic World War Two
battleship, has undergone extensive renovations to preserve its legacy
as a floating museum. Commissioned in 1914, the USS Texas served
valiantly through both World Wars, participating in critical battles
across multiple theaters.
Summary:The USS Texas, a historic World War
Two battleship, has undergone extensive renovations to preserve its
legacy as a floating museum. Commissioned in 1914, the USS Texas served
valiantly through both World Wars, participating in critical battles
across multiple theaters. With a displacement of 28,000 long
tons and armed with an array of weaponry including 14-inch main guns and
anti-aircraft defenses, the USS Texas exemplified naval power. After
years of repairs to address structural issues, the battleship is nearing
readiness to sail again, ensuring future generations can witness a
tangible piece of military history.
World War Two is the greatest conflict in human history. Almost 80
years have passed since the war ended in 1945, but countries around the
world still work to preserve the memory of those who fought and died.
There are dedicated museums in every country that participated in the war.
Perhaps some of the most interesting museums are ships – actual
vessels that fought in the war before being turned into living
memorials. The USS Texas battleship is one of those museums, and it recently got an overhaul.
In 1983, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department took control of the
warship and raised more than $2 million for much-needed repairs. Leaks
continued to plague the battleship, however, and in 2007, the floating
museum was renovated.
By 2017, the proud warship was in a bad state again. A 15-foot hole below the waterline was causing the Texas to list six degrees, threatening battleship with
serious damage. The state of Texas and the Battleship Texas Foundation
came to the rescue, spending over $35 million to move the warship to a
dry dock and repair it.
The battleship is almost ready, and it should sail again in the next few months.
A New York-class battleship, the USS Texas
was commissioned just as World War One was breaking out in Europe in
1914. Its service life extended beyond the end of World War Two.
With a weight of approximately 28,000 long tons with a full load, the USS Texas wasn’t the biggest of battleships. But the warship saw intense action across all theaters of the war.
Indeed, the USS Texas was part of some of the most important battles of World War Two. The battleship escorted convoys during the Battle of the Atlantic, protecting slow cargo vessels from German submarines. The USS Texas
also provided gun support to ground forces during landings in Operation
Torch in North Africa and Operation Overlord in Normandy. Following its
service in the European theater, the USS Texas sailed to the
Indo-Pacific and fought in the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Iwo
Jima. In total, the ship earned five battle stars for its actions during
the war.
The USS Texas could
reach speeds of 21 nautical knots and had a maximum range of around
8,100 miles. (The overall range would depend on the speed: the lower the
speed, the longer the range.) The battleship had a complement of more
than 1,800 officers and enlisted men.
When it came to weapons, the USS Texas packed ten 14-inch (356mm) main
guns, six 5-inch (127mm) secondary guns, 40 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft
guns, 44 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, and four 21-inch (533mm)
torpedo tubes. This loadout represents the final version of the USS Texas as it fought in the Pacific, where U.S. Navy ships needed robust air defenses to counter the Japanese Kamikaze threat.
