Hey guys,
The last time I tried to build a model ship was a complete disaster (it’s still tucked away in a cabinet), but that didn’t keep me from taking some pics of the USS Texas when I was visiting Houston on business. The ship has a great history.
I have more pictures, which may be useful as references for someone at:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v491/ridleusmc/USS%20Texas%20BB-35/?start=0
Semper Fi,
Chris
Thanks, Chris. She’s a gorgeous 'ol girl isn’t she? Good photos.
-60
yes, yes she is. I don’t think there are many kits available for this subject, but I wish there were. Her service record is interesting and inspiring. I’m glad you liked the photos.
Semper Fi,
Chris
there are kits available but i’m doing a conversion of an arizona hull to texas. complete rebuild.
She’s a beauty.
Where she’s been, what she’s done, what she represents. Awesome.
Great pics.
Thanks for sharing.
ddp59, I hope these pics help you out with that project. We look forward to seeing it.
MikePowers, Her history is increadible. I can’t think of another surviving ship that served in both world wars. The museum has pictures set up showing what she looked like in her 3 different configurations from 2 seperate rebuilds. Her apperance in WWI is a far departure from her appearance in WWII. There’s a plaque on her fantail that marks the birthplace of the 1st Marine Division. Taking the time to go see her when I was in Houston was a great idea. Seeing a grand ship is a great way to spend a saturday afternoon.
Semper Fi,
Chris
And I have lived here all my life and have yet to see the battleship Texas. But I was only in Houston once, as a child. Darn it.
I did however get to go see the Lexington in Corpus Christi a few years back. That was pretty awesome. My wife wants to go back, but I need to ask her about the Texas. I think she will want to go see both. And my son? Of course!
Maybe when I can afford a small vacation. Hey, income tax time!
-60
There’s a short piece about the Texas in the current issue of Sea History magazine, which I happened to pick up today. It seems she’s having some serious problems. In the past few years her caretakers have spent quite a bit of money and time making repairs to leaks in the hull. Some parts of the plating, however, have deteriorated so severely that the surveyors are afraid she might sink before they had time to fix them all - and the cost of the repairs would stretch into the tens of millions of dollars.
Fortunately, the state of Texas seems to appreciate the ship’s value as a tourist attraction. Current plans are to build a permanent drydock for her, where her hull can be repaired at leisure. Building the drydock and moving her into it apparently will be cheaper than making the repairs while she’s afloat. The millions of dollars necessary for the project seem to have been lined up; the state will foot most of the bill, and the ship’s independent support group seems to be confident that it can raise the rest.
It’s a well-known truism among historic ship restorers that floating an old ship in water is, in terms of conservation, just about the worst thing that can be done to her. (Admittedly the drawbacks of keeping the ship afloat are much less severe in the case of a steel ship; a battleship’s hull plating rusts, but her keel isn’t likely to hog, like that of a wood ship.) There’s something inherently nice, though, about seeing such a grand old vessel in her proper element. Those who want to see the Texas afloat would be well advised to do so as soon as possible.
Update - a few minutes later: Here’s a link to the ship’s official website, as administered by the state of Texas: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/battleship_texas/new.phtml
As of this evening (Saturday, October 28), the section on the ship’s future doesn’t specifically mention any plans to put her permanently in drydock. Maybe the plans haven’t been finalized yet, or maybe either the magazine or the website is a bit out of date. We’d best wait and see. Like lots of other enthusiasts, I’d like to see her exhibited afloat - IF that can be done without jeopardizing her structural integrity. But the bottom line needs to be what’s best for the ship - and for her prospects of being around for future generations to appreciate.
I believe she was dry docked for repair not long ago. There was a jarring picture of her in dry dock, showing, amounst other things, that her she no longer had her screws, shaft brackets, or external portions of her propeller shaft. The shaft gland is plated over.
She was indeed drydocked fairly recently; that’s covered in the website, and the Sea History article. Apparently the repairmen were able to patch her up well enough that there’s no imminent danger that she’ll suddenly sink with a crowd of visitors on board. But getting a good look at her underwater hull from outside made them aware of how serious the problems are. According to Sea History, the current plan is for a permanent drydock arrangement. The ship’s website doesn’t mention that specifically, but does say the state government has appropriated $12,000,000+ for the restoration of the ship.
I’ve made this point before on other threads: people often suggest, or even get into, ship preservation projects without having any idea of the staggering expenses involved - expenses that never stop. (That same issue of Sea History mentions an anonymous gift of a million dollars to Mystic Seaport, for repairs to and restoration of the Charles W. Morgan. She’s had her hull planking replaced at least twice during my lifetime.) Fortunately it looks like the Texas is in the hands of people who understand how to handle such problems - and who are able to raise the necessary money.
Let us hope so. Hopefully she is in good hands.
God Bless Texas.
-60
I make it a point to visit every time I go home to visit family, averageing about once a year. An amazing sight every time.
I heard there was talk of “land locking” her to completey remedy the hull corrosion issues, which will never cease as long as shes in the water. There are plenty of ways to make it look natural this way, although it looses a lot of authenticy, but you have to draw a line a pay a price for prolonged preservation.
I visited the Mikasa on one of my trips to Japan, a battleship that participated in the Russo-Japanese War. She is “land locked”, but this in no way detracts from the history that emanates from her decks. Still impressive for a boat that served in 1904.
According to that article in Sea History, part of the problem is that the Texas shipyard that drydocked her last time has gone out of business. In order to get into an existing drydock now, she’d have to be towed across the Gulf of Mexico to Alabama.
The folks in charge of that ship have a real mess on their hands. Fortunately, they seem to have rare access to the vast sums of money necessary to solve the problem - at least in the short term. I’m sure this project will serve as an excellent example for others in the future. The Texas is mighty old; they’re hoping to have her in her permanent drydock in time to celebrate her 100th birthday, in 2012. I imagine it won’t be so long before a fair number of other preserved WWII-vintage ships, built in the thirties and forties, start having similar problems - and requiring equally expensive solutions.
My hat is off to the good people who do a responsible job of preserving old ships. And I’m mighty glad I’m not one of them. The job must be a literally endless source of frustration.
I too am wanting a kit. There are Resin kits available froma couple of vendors but I’m hoping for a detailed styrene kit in 1/350 scale. I’m not sure if I’d want one of her in the WWI or the WWII configuration but I"ll take either. It is one of the oldest, most decorated ships in the fleet which (as mentioned) served in both World Wars in the Pacific and the Atlantic. I wish the model companies would take note. Her history is much richer than some of the ship models they’ve turned out.
I still remember going on board her as if it were… 40 years ago. My dad was stationed in Galveston. We not only visited the “Texas”, but also San Jacinto and the Alamo.
At the time, once you finished the tour, you could actually get a plastic representation of the ship for .25 cents. There was a machine that you would place your quarter in and presto, a nice hot piece of plastic. Looked like a ship to me. Of course, the replica was lost many years ago.
Andy