USS Texas Is No Longer A ‘Homeless Battleship’

Key Points and Summary :

– The historic battleship USS Texas (BB-35), America's last surviving dreadnought to have served in both World War I and World War II, has been saved and secured a new permanent home at Pier 15 in Galveston.

– After years of languishing in a state of disrepair, the ship is undergoing an extensive restoration to transform it into a state-of-the-art museum with interactive exhibits.

– Commissioned in 1914, the vessel provided crucial gunfire support in major WWII invasions from the beaches of Normandy to Okinawa, earning five Battle Stars and securing its place in naval history.

Battleship USS Texas Has a New Home…and a New Lease on Life

The heyday of the battleship as the primary instrument of naval power projection is long over. The battleship was superseded in importance by aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. (Some would argue that the carrier has in turn been rendered obsolescent by drones and ship-killing missiles, but that's a debate for another time and place.) Indeed, the last time battleships were used in combat was during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, AKA Operation Desert Storm.

Luckily for the sake of posterity, several of America's battleships have been preserved and restored as floating museums.

Among these are the USS Missouri (BB-63), USS Iowa (BB-61)—this reporter can personally vouch for the Iowa tour— the USS Wisconsin (BB-64), and the USS New Jersey (BB-62). (Yes, the USS Olympia [C-6], Commodore Dewey's famous flagship from the Spanish-American War, is also a museum ship, but she's technically considered a protected cruiser, not a battleship.)

Now one more American battleship is being converted to a museum ship and is thus receiving a long-overdue new home and new lease on life: the USS Texas (BB-35).

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT (BLUF)

As noted by the Battleship Texas Foundation, "We're proud to have finalized an agreement with the Galveston Wharves Board securing Pier 15 as the new home of the Battleship Texas. As restoration work continues across the channel, we look forward to relocating her next year and continuing our mission to create a world-class historic destination. The Battleship Texas — America's last surviving battleship to serve in both World War I and World War II — is a powerful symbol of our nation's history and permanently berthing her to Galveston is a true honor."

USNI News managing editor Caitlyn Burchett provides some additional background info:

"Since 2020, the foundation has operated the battleship, which is undergoing extensive restoration at a Galveston-area shipyard. A year ago, the battleship foundation told news outlets that the 'restoration project involves transforming the ship into a state-of-the-art visitor experience featuring interactive and technology-driven exhibits, augmented reality, holograms, guided tours, and integrations with cell phones. The ship will also be climate-controlled for year-round access.'"

This is welcome news for military history buffs. The Lone Star State's naval namesake had languished in a sad state of disrepair for several years, casting depressing doubt on the proud warship's long-term prospects of survival. "Don't Mess With Texas," goes one famous slogan. But for a while there, it looked like it might need a corollary: "Don't Neglect Texas".

→ Read the entire article on the National Security Journal website here:

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