The warship, which saw action in both world wars before becoming a museum ship, will now undergo further restoration before re-opening up to the public late next year. The USS Texas, once one of the most powerful and intimidating warships to sail upon the seas, is now the last of its kind, revered for its history. When it was first launched in 1912, it was one of a dozen dreadnoughts, featuring hefty defenses and devastating deck guns, which could be used to deal damage on land and at sea. During World War I, the Texas spent most of its time patrolling the North Sea, and in December 1918, it escorted President Woodrow Wilson to France for peace negotiations. The battleship is more famous for its service in World War II, when it bombarded German defenses during the D-Day invasion and hammered the Japanese forces during the Battle of Iwo Jima and the invasion of Okinawa. The Texas was one of the first ships equipped with anti-aircraft weapons. Upon its retirement, the USS Texas became a museum before undergoing a first round of repairs in 1988. In recent years, the need for further repairs, especially in the aged hull, became quite clear. Now the process is underway to restore the big ship to its former glory.
Recently spent a weekend on the USS Massachusetts with my son and his scout group. Gave me great perspective to the war time effort my grandfather and his generation put forth. He is probably rolling in his grave looking down on what he sacrificed for. That man could do anything and do it with pride. What he and many others fought for has become because of greed is a sad state. We all need to channel the will of those men to take our country back.
Quick thinking led to success on D-Day After briefly returning to England, Texas transited back to Normandy on June 15, 1945. By then, the Allied forces had advanced inland, making the battleship's large guns ineffective, due to their inability to elevate sufficiently for desired targets. Despite continued requests for fire support, the crew devised an innovative solution: unable to raise the port side guns any higher, they lowered the starboard side. To achieve this, the crew intentionally flooded the torpedo blister, causing Texas to tilt an additional two degrees into the water. This adjustment provided the battleship with the optimal angle to accurately fire her guns and achieve mission objectives. While most vessels would avoid deliberately introducing water into their hull, this bold decision epitomized the unyielding spirit of the Allied forces at Normandy, contributing significantly to the operation's ultimate success.
A group of sailors aboard the first Battleship Texas, 1900. The dirtiest sailor, barefoot in the middle, was probably the "powder monkey." His job was to hand-carry silk bags of powder from the magazine to the gun mount. Why silk? It burns away completely when fired, and it's strong and relatively light. Why barefoot? Fear of sparks from even shoe nails sparking on a steel step. Each shot from each of the turret's two guns required up to 6 powder bags to propel the shell on its miles-long trajectory, so this man was a busy who got plenty of exercise.
