Battleship Texas is moving

[lowell holmes]

I don't know how many sailors are out there, but I served as a quartermaster and saw active duty during the Berlin crisis.

I have visited the Texas many times at the Battlegrounds site. I also owned several sailboats and made several blue water cruises.
I am glad she is moving to Galveston where many more visitors will see her. If you have a chance, there is a carrier in Corpus Christi, Texas
https://usslexington.com/steelbeach/

See this link.
https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Battleship-Texas-will-be-relocated-from-San-13904051.php

[Lee Schierer]

I visited the USS Texas a number of years ago. It like all the other battlewagons that are still out there are impressive machines. I've also visited, the USS wisconsin, Uss New Jersey, and Uss Missouri.

[lowell holmes]

Lee, I suspected you would respond. I value my time in the Navy. I am always interested in any thing about the Navy.
There is a submarine in Galveston, The USS CAVALO, at Sea Wolf Park.
There will have to be extensive work and dredging at the park if they put the USS Texas there.

[Richard Hash]

I'm not a sailor, but I did get a chance to spend the night on the Texas years and years ago with my kids Cub or Boy Scout troop (don't remember which).

It was wintertime and cold. Someone had to be awake at all times for "fire duty" and since a dozen snoring adult men + 20'ish boys in a metal room is not conducive to sleep I volunteered for all the shifts, since after 5 mins it was clear I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway. It's a fascinating window back into time, I highly recommend it.

We also got to stay on the Lexington down in Corpus, quite interesting too.

[Frederick Skelly]

Lee, I suspected you would respond. I value my time in the Navy. I am always interested in any thing about the Navy.
There is a submarine in Galveston, The USS CAVALO, at Sea Wolf Park.
There will have to be extensive work and dredging at the park if they put the USS Texas there.

I thought the name USS Cavalla rang a bell. From Wikipedia:
"USS Cavalla, a Gato-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for a salt water fish, best known for sinking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku, a veteran of the Pearl Harbor attack."

And "On her maiden patrol Cavalla, en route to her station in the eastern Philippines, made contact with a large Japanese task force on 17 June. Cavalla tracked the force for several hours, relaying information which contributed to the United States victory in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (commonly known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot") on 19–20 June 1944. On 19 June she caught the carrier Shōkaku recovering planes, and quickly fired a spread of six torpedoes, with three hits. Shōkaku sank at 11°50′N 137°57′E."

I didn't know she was in Texas.

[Arthur Fleming]

I did the same thing with our son. Cub Scouts, USS Massachusetts. There were 3 of us not sleeping, played cribbage all night. Was down at Mystic CT in April. Went to the Submarine Museum to see the USS Nautilus. Museum was shut down for it’s spring cleaning. Did get to look down and see the Nautilus, now I have an excuse to go back.




I'm not a sailor, but I did get a chance to spend the night on the Texas years and years ago with my kids Cub or Boy Scout troop (don't remember which).

It was wintertime and cold. Someone had to be awake at all times for "fire duty" and since a dozen snoring adult men + 20'ish boys in a metal room is not conducive to sleep I volunteered for all the shifts, since after 5 mins it was clear I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway. It's a fascinating window back into time, I highly recommend it.

We also got to stay on the Lexington down in Corpus, quite interesting too.

[Lee Schierer]

In November 1968 when I went to the Army/Navy game in Philly the New Jersey was in dry dock being reactivated for Viet Nam right next to where our buses parked. A few of us midshipmen sweet talked the security guard and he let us walk up on the forecastle where we could look back a the two front turrets. I later visited her with my family at the dock in New Jersey and pretty much gave a tour of the turrets and 5" mounts. If you are interested, there are opportunities to spend a night on the New Jersey.

[lowell holmes]

I went on her one time at the park. I don't know if they are still doing that.

[Scott Winners]

I toured the USS Texas I think in 2001. Super rainy day. I was scuba diving a LOT at the time, the triple expansion steam engine on the USS Texas is (was) very very intact, almost ready to work, which helped me make sense of the wrecks I was diving on.

When I was there, in the Houston area, there was also a submarine in the same park, a diesel electric boat that had been heavily modified after WWII. Two of her four diesels were removed to make room for more electronic gear, she ended up being the first american sub specifically modified to look for other subs rather than surface targets. There was a guide on the sub that day who had served on the sub in SE Asia, he told many many stories which he assured me were the absolute truth, it was just the two of us on the boat for a couple or three hours.

EDIT: It reads to me like the USS Cavallo was at Deer Park when I saw her and has moved just down river to Galveston already ahead of the USS Texas.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi Lee, I remember being on an operation WSW of DaNang in September 1968 and the New Jersey provided 16" fire support for us. They made us get on line parallel to the direction of the shell fall in case of any short rounds. Good move. The first round fell a full 1000 meters short due to an error in the maps where 2 maps joined. You could actually see the shells in the air and the sound and vibration of the air as they passed by by was incredible. The explosions were deafening.

[Jamie Buxton]

Wow. That ship is old. When it was built, the Ford model T was brand new. The model T started production in 1908. The keel of the Texas was laid in 1911.

[Brian Elfert]

I'm not a sailor, but I did get a chance to spend the night on the Texas years and years ago with my kids Cub or Boy Scout troop (don't remember which).

It was wintertime and cold. Someone had to be awake at all times for "fire duty" and since a dozen snoring adult men + 20'ish boys in a metal room is not conducive to sleep I volunteered for all the shifts, since after 5 mins it was clear I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway. It's a fascinating window back into time, I highly recommend it.


Why would they require "fire duty" on a ship that is no longer active and is moored in one place? I couldn't imagine offering overnight stays without modern fire alarms.

[Lee Schierer]

Why would they require "fire duty" on a ship that is no longer active and is moored in one place? I couldn't imagine offering overnight stays without modern fire alarms.

Mostly just so people can get a feel for life on a ship, plus the wiring is as old as the ship.

[Richard Hash]

I have no idea why it was required, I didn't notice alot of flammable things on board, but I can assure you there was nothing "modern" anywhere on that ship back then. Even the "Architectural Digest" magazines that were left out (and I spent the night reading) were from the 1970s...

[Jerry Bruette]

Why would they require "fire duty" on a ship that is no longer active and is moored in one place? I couldn't imagine offering overnight stays without modern fire alarms.

How else would they know what it's like to stand a "mid watch".

[Thomas L Carpenter]

Watched the New Jersey go through the Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal when I was there in 68. I've got a cool picture somewhere but I sure don't remember where.