USS Texas Battleship ‘Nightmare’ Described in One Word

Homeless: The historic USS Texas (BB-35), the only surviving battleship from both World Wars, faces a pressing problem despite extensive restoration. After $60 million in repairs and 300,000 man hours spent replacing the steel and refurbishing its guns, the ship still has no permanent home.

– Initially located on the San Jacinto battlefield, bureaucratic and financial difficulties prevent his return. Proposals to move the ship to Seawolf Park or Corpus Christi were rejected due to logistical and financing issues.

-Due to local opposition in Galveston and the lack of a clear solution, USS Texas remains afloat but has no viable future location.

Battleship USS Texas Has Been Restored But Has Difficulty Finding a Home

Great efforts were made to preserve and restore the former USS Texas (BB-35) is the only surviving battleship to see service in both World Wars.

Launched in 1912, the battleship became a museum ship after the end of World War II and was named the Houston Ship Channel for decades near its home of the San Jacinto Monument. All those years on the water and exposure to the elements took their toll on the battleship, and at one point in 2017 leaks were so bad that emergency repairs were required just to keep the battleship above water.

USS in August 2022 Texas It was towed to Galveston where major restoration work was carried out. During the Gulf Copper Dry Dock & Rig Repair in Galveston, more than 700 tons of steel were replaced and the ship’s anti-aircraft guns were renewed. Since 2022, approximately 300,000 man-hours have been spent on the restoration work of the battleship. Millions of dollars were spent to preserve the battleship for at least another generation.

However, there is a very serious problem right now.

As previously reportedThe ship cannot find a home. To suggest that the issue is “complex” is a gross understatement. There’s an ongoing battle for the battleship’s home in Galveston. Instead of fighting to become the future home of the famous battleship, businesses have stepped back due to fears that its location will affect the view of the harbour. Katie’s Seafood House, a restaurant and wholesale market in Galveston, even started an online petition to prevent the battleship from docking at Pier 19-20 over the summer.

So why not move it somewhere else? It’s just a matter of economics, logistics and past agreements.

USS Texas San Jacinto, which seems like a suitable choice and has been his home since 1947 (except for past restoration efforts), cannot return to the battlefield. This is due to various factors, including the issue of ownership.

“Control of the USS Texas “It was transferred to the foundation from Texas Parks and Wildlife in 2019 after state officials mandated the ship be ‘permanently removed’ from the battlefield,” Chron.com explained. the floating museum was not generating enough revenue to fund its maintenance.

Other potential homes for the battleship face similar problems: namely, the lack of tourist traffic that would “keep Battleship Texas financially afloat.”

One of the plans laid out called for bringing BB-35 to Seawolf Park, which seemed like the ideal location. It is home to the Galveston Maritime Museum as well as the Gato-class submarine USS. cavalla (SS-244), II. Edsall-class destroyer, which had the distinction of sinking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shkaku during World War II and escorted the USS Stewart (DE-238). Additionally, Seawolf Park contains the remains of the World War I tanker SS Selma – one of twelve experimental concrete ships built. Unfortunately, it was demolished after the foundation accepted this move just too expensiveas it would require scan the channel.

State officials who still have a say the ship can goHe also canceled plans to move the ship to Corpus Christi, where it could dock near USS Lexington (CV-16), an Essex-class aircraft carrier that is also preserved as a floating museum.

It seems that the last two options need serious reconsideration. But for now with 60 million dollars already spent, USS Texas It’s just a hole in the water. There are hopes that this homeless battleship might be found a home, but the outlook is not looking good.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer based in Michigan. it exists contributed To more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites, with more than 3,200 published articles during his two-decade journalism career. He writes regularly about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics and international relations. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Customs Clearance Works. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: (email protected).

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This piece has been updated since publication.