Hey everyone, This is a cool piece about the work they are doing to save the USS Texas. I thought some of you might like it and be interested. p.s. The game World of Warships is a free to play computer game covering World War 1 and World War 2 era ships. Highly recommended!
Good time to be there catching flounder, but if you’re talking about the USS Texas, she isn’t at seawolf Park
Not to my recollection. I visit the USS Texas every year as my grandfather served on it. I then go straight to the monument. I'm a history dork so I love it.
There's some destroyer escort at Seawolf Park--looks kinda like a battleship, but smaller. And lots of flounders this time of year
My cousin and I used to root around in the bowels of the Texas, going everywhere the signs told you not to go. It used to be easy back in the late 1950's and the '60's. My cousin has been dead for years, but the Texas lives on. I hope they manage to keep her together. There's a great model of the Texas in one of the state office buildings around the state capitol. It was made to show her when she was in full WWI regalia and is quite large. The towers that were used to spot enemy ships during the pre-radar days were something and are on the model. Many of the BB's at Pearl Harbor had them. The ones that survived were eventually outfitted with radar and the towers were history. My father installed radar on capital ships during WWII in the Pacific, among other things. Two things had a huge impact on the fight against Japan. Breaking their signals codes, and our huge lead in radar, in my opinion. Sorry for going a little bit off topic. I love this stuff, and I love the Texas, a living part of history we are lucking to have, the only remaining WWI era battleship.
I was more a fan of Armand bayou back in the 70's. I did enjoy the battleship though. The monument? Not so much, other than noticing all of the Battle of San Jacinto uniforms look like they were worn by midgets. (we've obviously grown in the past 200 years.) But the Battleship is still great to traipse around. Brought my son there a couple years ago to see it like I did when I was his age.
There is a website dedicated to saving the ship...the only Dreadnought left and the only ship that served in WWI and WWII. I never knew the Texas was involved in so many historic operations. WWI -It fired the first American shots in WWI when it shot at a German U Boat attempting to attack a merchant vessel. -Spent the entire war in convoy escort. -Was part of the "Grand Fleet" that met with the German Fleet to accept its surrender after the armistice was signed WW II -Involved in convoy escort to England prior to American entrance to the war. -Operation Torch in WWII invasion of North Africa (Walter Cronkite was aboard and later flown off to the US to report) -Operation Overlord (Bombarding Pointe du Hoc and Vierville...closing to only 3000 yards from waters edge! They also loaded LCVP's used to resupply Rangers on Pointe Du Hoc and evacuated 35 wounded Rangers) -Battle of Cherbourg (Took casualties from German shore return fire. Received straddled and near misses from German guns 65 times. Shot 206 14 inch gun shells scoring several direct hits on German gun emplacements) -Operation Dragoon (the invasion of Southern France--after repairs from action at Cherbourg, involved in bombardment action) -Operation Detachment (the invasion of Iwo Jima...shore bombardment action and close fire missions called in my marines after the invasion) -Operation Iceberg (the invasion of Okinawa...shore bombardment action and also fought off Kamikaze attacks) -Operation Magic Carpet (the post war return of the over 8 million overseas personnel to the United States)
Thanks for this thread. I have become so interested in naval history and was just at the Naval Museum for Undersea Warfare in Washington St, just for fun. LOL. The Nimitz museum in Fredericksburg is one of the best history museums in the country, by the way. I was definitely one of those little kids playing on the Texas, and then at Seawolf park, and trying to go wherever you weren't really allowed to go. Fascinating book for some of y'all. My dad (even older than me, y'all) remembers merchant vessels burning in the coastal waters of Louisiana after getting hit by u-boats.
sea wolf park is nice for fishing. The pier is small doe. I got drunk and formed a football team on that small grassfield with a bunch of random little kids. On the way back from the pier I carried my fishing rod on my shoulder and almost hooked every person I passed
Always wanted to see the USS Texas. Just like most things close to home I have not found the time to do it. A friend took the hard hat tour said it was really cool. I felt the same way seeing Davy Crockett's jacket at the Alamo. Could not help but think how could such a larger than life person been so small.
Here's hoping everything good in and around Houston prospers !!! Might make a donation and/or visit this ship soon.
