Battleship Texas' Long Trip Home

    The Battleship Texas was America's first answer to the dreadnought class of warships...but she was a first in many ways. The Texas was the first warship with anti-aircraft guns...the first with a range-finder firing system for the main guns...the first ship to launch aircraft...and the first of what would become the 'New York Class' of battleships.
   The Texas was built in the Newport News Naval Yard and officially commissioned in 1912. The cost of the ship was five million dollars at the time, but this was a time when hamburgers were two cents. The Texas was 575 feet long and 95 feet wide, with a displacement of 34,000 tons. Two reciprocating steam engines allowed her to cruise at 21 knots (24mph). The outside bulkheads were ten inches thick and the decks were three inches thick. Armament included eight 14-inch main guns in four turrets, six 10-inch guns mounted midships, twenty-one 5-inch anti-aircraft guns, and twenty 50-caliber machine guns. The Texas also had four torpedo tubes, two in front (bow) and two in the rear (stern). This is the way she looked in 1918.

    During World War I...the Texas was sent to bolster the Grand Fleet of Great Britian and became part of the fleet at Scapa Flow, the home base of the Royal Fleet just off the coast of Scotland. The Texas was assigned convoy duty between England and the United States, but also was part of the blockade of the North Sea to keep
German ships from getting into the open waters of the Atlantic. 
  In 1926 and 1927 the Texas was back at the Norfolk Navy Yard for updates on her equipment and to be fitted with better radio communications gear. Here is a photo of the Texas coming through the Panama Canal in 1937.

   On December 7, 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States was suddenly part of World War II.. The Battleship Texas won 5 battle stars for her actions in the conflict. In 1942 she was part of 'Operation Torch', the invasion of North Africa. A newsman by the name of Walter Cronkite made radio reports back to America from the Battleship Texas to begin his career. In 1943 and 1944 the Texas went back to escorting troop and freight ships between the U.S. and Great Britain. German U-boats took a heavy toll on ships crossing the Atlantic during this time. On June 6, 1944 the Allies committed to the invasion of Normandy, France to open a third front against the Germans. Over five thousand ships took part in the D-Day campaign, and the Texas was part of five warships  dedicated to support Omaha Beach. Firing from ten miles off-shore, the 14-inch guns blistered the German fortifications as the infantry forces headed inland. The Army Rangers were given the task of scaling the cliffs of Pointe de Hoc to eliminate some heavy artillery guns at the top. When the Texas saw the Rangers were being decimated, she closed to within three-thousand yards and cleared the Germans off the summit so the Rangers could complete their assignment. After Normandy, the Texas returned to Plymouth, England to re-arm before joining the Battleship Arkansas to engage the German forces holding out in the Port of Cherbourg, France. A five-hour bombardment by the two warships was followed by the surrender of 37-thousand German forces. During the engagement the Texas was struck by one round from the shore batteries and the pilot house of the ship was destroyed, killing one sailor and injuring eleven others. The Texas returned to New York for a month of repairs before reporting for duty in the Pacific Theater. Here is the Texas in 1944 off the Port of Cherbourg.

   That photo was taken from the Arkansas and you can see the plume from a German artillery battery trying to isolate on the two warships.
   In March 1945 the Texas joined the Pacific Fleet and was part of the bombardment of Iwo Jima before the Marines went ashore. On April 1st Army and Marine forces combined on the invasion of Okinawa, and many were aware of the big guns of the Texas firing over their heads as they headed for the island's beaches. The Texas circled the island firing salvos from almost point blank range despite the heaviest attack by Japanese Kamikaze planes in the entire war. The Texas survived and when the Japanese surrendered in August 1945 she was part of a shuttle service to return Americans home from the Pacific. The Texas made three trips from Oahu, Hawaii to San Pedro, California bringing troops back home. On June 18, 1946 the Texas was placed 'in reserve' at the shipyards in Baltimore, Maryland.
   April 30, 1948 the State of Texas paid $225,000 to tow the Texas from Baltimore to her present berth at the San Jacinto State Park, just east of Houston and the site of Sam Houston's victorious battle over Santa Anna's Mexican Army. When the Battleship Texas was officially presented to the state, she was commissioned as the Flagship of the Texas Navy. In 1983 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department took over the responsibility and upkeep of the veteran warship. This is the Texas as she rests today.

   The Battleship Texas is the first and oldest of all U.S. Battleships to become a floating museum. She remains a symbol of the Great Generation of Americans who shouldered the task of defeating America's enemies.
   As you can probably tell, this story was written by a proud Texan who has visited the Texas on more than one occasion.  I am a veteran of Vietnam, and during my time of service in the 1960's I met people who still remembered the Texas from World War II. One old vet told me his helmet was almost sucked off his head by those 14-inch guns firing over their heads as they headed for the beaches of Iwo Jima. 
  When I was in grade school I can remember donating money for the upkeep of the Texas, so in essence, she belongs to the school children of Texas. A physical property we are proud to share with all..
The final photo is my wife posing below the 14-inch guns of the Battleship Texas.