Battleship Texas takes a historic voyage for a multi-million dollar makeover
GALVESTON, Texas - A big day here in the Houston area as history is made with Battleship Texas took to the water once again. The more than 100-year-old vessel voyaged to Galveston to undergo a multi-million dollar makeover and arrived to quite a greeting.
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With water cannons, cadets, and the community coming out to greet her Battleship Texas made a historic arrival in Galveston on a sunny Wednesday afternoon just before 3:00 p.m.
"At the time she was built she was the number one battleship weapon in the world," says President and CEO of Battleship Texas Foundation Tony Gregory.
"There’s nothing like this on the planet. This is the last, they call it dreadnought class battleship left on the planet," adds Texas Senator Robert Nichols.
"It’s the only surviving battleship from World War I and World War II. In WWII it was at every major American amphibious landing," Gregory explains.
The 120-year-old USS Texas left LaPorte, the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic site where she’s been parked for years before sunrise and tugs helped push and pull the old girl on a nine-hour journey to Galveston. "We thought if she was going to have a problem it would have been in the first 15 minutes. She hasn’t had tugs pulling on her in 35 years," says Gregory.
For the next nine to twelve months USS Texas will undergo extensive repairs to the tune of $35 million. "Reskinning the hull so that she stops leaking so badly," Gregory explains. Once she’s all fixed up again this retired battleship will become a teacher, of sorts, to those who stop by and "will see this ship many, many years from now and know that it was shipped like this that helped America win World War I, World War II and there’s nothing else like it on the planet," says Senator Nichols.
"The battleship Texas, one of its first missions was to show the world how powerful the United States was. (Just by its very presence?) Exactly. This monster ship you know, compared to the normal ships that they’d seen showed them we indeed are strong and don’t mess with us," says Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Gary Bell.
"I kind of feel a little nod to NASA. Hey Houston, the Battleship Texas has landed," said Bruce Bramlett, CEO of Battleship Texas Foundation. "I want her to be as close as she can be from the standpoint of the stuff we can really do something about to look as pristine as she can be."
No word yet on where her permanent home will be. That decision is expected to be made as Battleship Texas is being repaired.