USS Texas underway again

USMCmech

Well-Known Member
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She made it safely from San Jacinto to Galveston for dry docking.

It will be a two year long maintenance period where her hull will be reinforced. Last dry dock was in 1988 and 32 years of saltwater has done its damage. There were serious questions about her ability to remain afloat much longer. At one point they were pumping 2000 GPM overboard.

Once she is done with her overhaul she will go to a new home (hopefully Galveston) where they can generate enough revenue to maintain her. San Jacinto battlefield was just too far off the beaten path for many tourists.

Only surviving capital ship that fought in both WW1 and WW2. Participated in operations Torch, Overlord, Dragoon, Iwo Jima, & Okinawa.

 
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20,000 gallons per minute?!?!?!!!

Oops, one too many zeros.

Fun fact, they plugged most of the leaks with cans and cans of expandable foam from the hardware store.

They had to bring in a dry dock to Galveston big enough for her. She would not have survived a tow much further. In 88, she settled 4 feet from leaks traveling the same distance. This time, it looks like she was able to maintain her waterline.
 
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So flipping cool. They have an awesome Reddit group too for those of you on that social media platform.
 
I went to see her in 1990 (i think) when she came back from her last dry dock. One of my younger memories it was cool.
 
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She made it safely from San Jacinto to Galveston for dry docking.

It will be a two year long maintenance period where her hull will be reinforced. Last dry dock was in 1988 and 32 years of saltwater has done its damage. There were serious questions about her ability to remain afloat much longer. At one point they were pumping 2000 GPM overboard.

Once she is done with her overhaul she will go to a new home (hopefully Galveston) where they can generate enough revenue to maintain her. San Jacinto battlefield was just too far off the beaten path for many tourists.

Only surviving capital ship that fought in both WW1 and WW2. Participated in operations Torch, Overlord, Dragoon, Iwo Jima, & Okinawa.

Put a fork in her, she's done. If the hull is in that bad of shape they will need to display her in dry dock.

Very cool story however.
 
Put a fork in her, she's done. If the hull is in that bad of shape they will need to display her in dry dock.

Most of the leaks was in the torpedo blisters on the side of the main hull. A few years back she had taken on a LOT of water and they started plugging leaks with expandable foam. According to reports from the tow she actually stayed remarkably dry this time.

She was in much worse shape back in 88 when she was last dry-docked. She had been basically sunk in the mud at her slip and it took 6 large tugs to pull her out. During the 9 hour tow in 88 she settled 2 full feet in the stern and only cleared the keel blocks by 6 inches.
 
She will never make enough money to pay for the up keep, especially in Galveston. She may be profitable as a fishing reef. I’d say a wreak for divers but the gulf water isn’t clear enough.

The City of Long Beach CA bought the Queen Mary for less than scrap, it was sea worthy at the time too. The visitor base is huge compared to the state of Texas. The Queen has an amazing museum, both luxury liner and war time transport, and it’s a hotel. I’ve been to weddings on The Queen even. It’s a looser but the Long Beach keeps trying to find a way to make her profitable.


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This was 5 years ago when she was in rough shape.

The State gave her to the Battleship Texas Foundation along with 35M to dry dock her and fix the leaks. They also agreed to move her from San Jacinto where she didn't get enough visitors to pay for the upkeep.

Since then they fixed the list and she did very well on her trip to Galveston this time. By the sound of it she's actually in better shape than she was in 88. Plenty of people smarter than me are dedicated to keeping her alive. She won't last forever, but if the Navy can keep the USS Constitution in commission since 1797 then I'm sure we can keep the Texas afloat.
 
She will never make enough money to pay for the up keep, especially in Galveston. She may be profitable as a fishing reef. I’d say a wreak for divers but the gulf water isn’t clear enough.

The City of Long Beach CA bought the Queen Mary for less than scrap, it was sea worthy at the time too. The visitor base is huge compared to the state of Texas. The Queen has an amazing museum, both luxury liner and war time transport, and it’s a hotel. I’ve been to weddings on The Queen even. It’s a looser but the Long Beach keeps trying to find a way to make her profitable.


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Yes and they did unspeakable things like putting an escalator in the engine bay.
 
She won't last forever, but if the Navy can keep the USS Constitution in commission since 1797 then I'm sure we can keep the Texas afloat.

I’m not saying she can’t be kept afloat, I’m saying the city can’t afford to keep her afloat. The USS Constitution is a commissioned ship in the US Navy. The Navy has the funds to maintain her.

Despite the USS Constitution’s nickname she isn’t made of iron and wood doesn’t rust.
 
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Yes and they did unspeakable things like putting an escalator in the engine bay.

the gutting of many of the spaces and engine/boiler rooms that was done on the Queen Mary in ‘68 is amazing and unfortunate. If I’m not mistaken, doesn’t she actually sit in the bottom of the harbor, versus actually float inside that rock enclosure she has around her?
 
the gutting of many of the spaces and engine/boiler rooms that was done on the Queen Mary in ‘68 is amazing and unfortunate. If I’m not mistaken, doesn’t she actually sit in the bottom of the harbor, versus actually float inside that rock enclosure she has around her?

The Texas was sitting in the mud at San Jacinto from 48-88. She had basically sunk into her berth and it took a lot of work to get her watertight enough to make it to Galveston. It took a total of 6 heavy tugs to get her out of that quicksand and the leaks started quickly. Over the time of that tow she settled by 2 feet and barely made into the drydock. The reports I've read says that the outer hull was in bad shape and virtually every through hull opening had rusted out.

Part of the restoration plan was to dredge out the berth and set the 4 mooring piles that she would be bolted to so she would remain floating and off the bottom. This kept her hull in much better shape over the past 30 years and let everyone know when she started taking on serious water a few years back. She seems to be in better shape this time and keeping her afloat was a big part of that.
 
Is Texas the bb that at D-Day flooded one side of her torpedo blisters to deliberately list the ship to increase the range of her guns?
 
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