U.S.S. TEXAS - BB35

1948 - 1988

Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.

 

	After the war, Texas was taken to Norfolk and deactivated.  During this time, the 40mm cannon and all other useful equipment was removed.  A new coat of gray paint and stripped decks greatly altered the ship's appearance and gave her a denuded look.  Texas was later moved to Baltimore while her fate was to be decided.  Heavy lobbying and grass roots efforts, such as penny drives by the school children of Texas, resulted in her salvation and status as the last surviving Dreadnaught.  A slip was dredged at San Jacinto, the site of the final battle for Texas independence, and the ship was towed there.
	Once it was handed over by the Navy, the ship was opened to the public with little preparation or understanding of what it took to preserve a ship of this magnitude.  As the first all steel battleship to ever achieve museum status, many mistakes were made.  Things started poorly with the addition of a hot dog stand on her main deck in 1948-49.  This was a great insult to the ship and the crews that had served her.  Fortunately, the last photo in this group was shown on the back cover of Life magazine and the negative publicity resulted in the stand's removal.  Over the years, concrete decks replaced wood and tanks flooded, settling the ship's bottom into the mud.  Deck leaks and failed seals lead to significant water penetration and rampant corrosion of the hull and ship's structure.  Compartments and artifacts on lower deck levels were also heavily damaged as the result of the flooding.  Added to this devastation was wide spread vandalism by uncaring visitors, and original inventories and condition reports indicate that there was significant loss and destruction to not only the ship but collections as well.  By the mid 1980's the ship was close to irretrievable and bore little resemblance to the fighting ship that it once was.  Total control was given to the state, resulting in a call for support for funds, volunteer efforts and a plan that ultimately saved the ship.
	In 1988, the ship was patched and pumped out as much as possible to refloat Texas.  It then took more than eight hours for tugs to free the ship from the suction existing between bottom mud and the hull.  The relatively short tow through the Houston Ship Channel to dry-dock at Todd Shipyard in Galveston was a close thing.  Water quickly found its way into the ship while it was under way and pumps were overworked to control it.  The right hand photo shows that Texas was flooded enough during tow to put her slightly down at the bow.  Professionals involved with the tow stated that if it had lasted much longer, or required taking her into the rougher waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the ship would probably have been lost.  Over the next four years, the hull was repaired and a vast amount of work put Texas back into watertight condition and gave her a correct appearance.