Battleship Texas (BB-35) Facts

Battleship Texas Facts

The Battleship Texas, more formally USS Texas (BB-35), was the 2^nd overall ship in the history of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the great state of Texas and is a New York class battleship. The vessel was launched on May 18^th, 1912, and commissioned on March 12^th, 1914. Shortly after commissioning, the ship would see action in Mexico following the “Tampico Incident” and sortie to the North Sea during World War One. Once the United States formally entered WW2, the Battleship Texas would start conducting escort duty for convoys scheduled to cross the Atlantic. The ship would see continued naval service throughout the end of WW2 and ultimately be decommissioned in 1948 after earning five battle stars during World War Two.

The Battleship Texas is one of the few remaining dreadnought battleships still in existence today, although not the oldest. She is one of only six surviving ships that served in both of World Wars. Texas is notable for the following WW2 facts: 1 – She was the first United States Navy battleship to employ anti-aircraft guns, the first ship to use directors for controlling gunfire, the first United States battleship to launch aircraft, the first to receive the CXAM-1 version of the CXAM production radar in the United States Navy, the first USN battleship to become both a permanent museum ship and to be declared a United States National Historic Landmark.

Battleship Texas Career

• Namesake: The State of Texas
  
• Ordered: 24 June 1910
• Awarded: 17 December 1910
  
• Builder:  Newport News Shipbuilding Company
  
• Cost: $5,830,000 ($144 million in today’s dollars) (excluding armor and armament)
  
• Yard number: 31
  
• Laid down: 17 April 1911
  
• Launched: 18 May 1912
  
• Sponsored by: Miss Claudia Lyon
  
• Completed: 12 March 1914
  
• Commissioned:  12 March 1914
  
• Decommissioned: 21 April 1948
  
• Struck:  30 April 1948
  
• Honors and awards: 5 Battle Stars
  
• Current Status: Museum ship

USS Texas Characteristics

General characteristics (1914) (On Commissioning)

• Class & type: New York-class battleship
  
• Displacement: 27,000 long tons (27,000 t)
  
• Length: 573 ft (175 m)
  
• Beam:   95 ft 3 in (29.03 m)
  
• Draft:    27 ft 10.5 in (8.496 m) (normal); 29 ft 3.25 in (8.9218 m)(full)
• Propulsion: 2 × dual-acting triple expansion reciprocating steam engines
  
• Speed: 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h)
  
• Complement: 1,048 +/- 5 officers and men

Armament:       

• 10 × 14 in (360 mm)/45 cal guns (5 × 2)
• 21 × 5 in (130 mm)/51 cal guns
• 4 × 3-pounder (1.4 kg) guns
• 4 × 21 in (530 mm) submerged torpedo tubes

Ship Armor:      

• Belt:
  • 10 to 12 in (250 to 300 mm) (amidships)
  • 6 in (150 mm) (aft)
    
• Barbettes:
  • 5 to 12 in (130 to 300 mm)
    
• Bulkheads:
  • 10 in (250 mm) and 11 in (280 mm)
  • 9 in (230 mm) (lower belt aft)
    
• Decks:
  • 1.5 to 3 in (38 to 76 mm)
    
• Turrets:
  • 14 in (360 mm) (face)
  • 4 in (100 mm) (top)
  • 8 in (200 mm) – 9 in (230 mm) (sides)
  • 8 in (200 mm) (rear)

General characteristics (1945) (End of WW2)

• Displacement:  32,000 long tons (33,000 t) (full load)
  
• Length: 573 ft (175 m)
  
• Beam:   106 ft 0 in (32.31 m)
  
• Draft:    31 ft 6 in (9.60 m)
  
• Propulsion: 2 × dual-acting triple expansion reciprocating steam engines
  
• Speed: 19.72 knots (22.69 mph; 36.52 km/h)[10]
  
• Endurance: 15,400 nmi (17,722 mi; 28,521 km) at 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h)
  
• Complement: 1810 officers and men[11]

Sensors and processing systems: 

• 2 × SG surface search radars
• 1 × SK air search radar
• 2 × Mk 3 fire control radar
• 2 × Mk 10 fire control radar

Ship Armament: 

• 10 × 14 in (360 mm)/45 cal guns (5 × 2)
• 6 × 5 in (130 mm)/51 cal guns
• 10 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal guns
• 10 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) mounts
• 44 × 20 mm (0.79 in) guns

Ship Armor: Same as 1914 characteristics except for the following:

• Turrets: 1.75 in (44 mm) added to turret tops
  
• Aircraft carried to the ship:  2 × OS2U Kingfisher

Saving the Battleship Texas Video

USS Texas Construction

The Texas was the first of the two New York Class Battleships authorized by the United States on June 24^th, 1910. The winning bid to build the battleship was $5,830,000, excluding the price of the armament and armor awarded to the Newport News Shipbuilding Company. The keel for the USS Texas would be laid on April 17^th, 1911, and the ship was launched on May 18^th, 1912. The ship’s sponsor was Miss Claudia Lyon, the daughter of a Republican National Committeeman, Colonel Cecil Lyon. The ship’s commissioning commanding officer was Captain Albert W. Grant, who helped put the ship in commission on March 12^th, 1914.

At commissioning, the primary battery of the Texas was 10 x 14 inch, 45 caliber Mark 1 guns. They were capable of firing a 1,400 lb armor-piercing shell at a range of 11 nautical miles. The secondary battery consisted of 21, five-inch, 51-caliber guns. There were also four x 21 inch torpedo tubes with torpedo rooms capable of storing 12 x torpedoes each. The USS Texas and the USS New York, were the only United States battleships designed to store and hoist the 14-inch gun ammunition in cast-iron cups with the rounds stored nose-down.

Battleship Texas Museum

3523 Independence Parkway South, LaPorte, TX 77571

The USS Texas was the first United States Battleship to become a floating museum. At this time, eight U.S. Navy battleships have been converted into museums, including the Alabama, North Carolina, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Massachusetts. The Texas hosts two radio commemorations a year onboard the ship during Museum Ship Weekend and the Pearl Harbor Commemoration.

The Battleship Texas Museum is located at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department-run San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. The site stretches over 1,200 acres and includes the ship, the San Jacinto Battleground, and monument. The entire facility is a short distance from Galveston Island and downtown Houston. The Texas is permanently anchored on the Buffalo Bayou in the Houston Ship Channel. If traveling to the park via car, the address is:

Latitude: 29.755968, Longitude: -95.08974

Battleship Texas Historic Site Official Video

Battleship Texas Tours

You can tour the ship in various ways when visiting the San Jacinto Battleground State Park. These include:

Battleship TEXAS Self-Guided Tour

This self-guided battleship tour lets consumers range the ship to see the bridge, engine room, guns, medical, anchors, and sleeping quarters. Regular admission is charged for the self-guided tour.

San Jacinto Battleground Self-Guided Tour

For those who want to tour the San Jacinto Battleground, this tour lets history fans, students, or just the curious walk to designated locations on the battleground to include the Mexican camps, Texan camps, and the site of advance by the Texan forces along with other strategic locations of the battle. Many of the battleground markers can be viewed from a car.

Confined Space Rescue Training

The Texas is used for a training environment for emergency rescue in confined spaces. Not generally provided to the general public.

Battleship TEXAS Foundation Programs

Hard Hat Guided Tour
This tour is coordinated through the Battleship Texas Foundation by calling: (713) 827-9620. Visitors are able to tour parts of the ship normally closed to the public.

Battleship Texas Sleep Over
The Battleship Texas Youth Overnight program targets youth between 7 and 18. Kids can sleep in crews quarters, participate in various guided tours of the ship normally closed to the public, and get a taste of life of a WW2 sailor. Additional program details are available by calling:  (281) 542-0684.

Fast Facts Battleship Texas

• Commissioned: 12 March 1914
• Length: 573 feet (175 meters)
• Displacement: 32,000 tons
• Armament: 10 × 14-inch guns, 21 × 5-inch guns, 4 × 21-inch torpedo tubes
• Crew: Up to 1,400 officers and enlisted personnel
• Saw action in both World War I and World War II
• Served as a flagship during the D-Day landings in Normandy
• Located in the Houston Ship Channel as a museum ship since 1948
• Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976
• Featured in several films, including Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Hunt for Red October
• Undergoing a restoration project to address leaks and structural issues caused by age and exposure to the elements.

Battleship Texas References

• Battleship Texas Foundation, created to assist in ongoing preservation and educational efforts aboard this historic ship. Last accessed 5 May 2013
• 1944 General Plan for the U.S.S. Texas (BB-35), New York Class, hosted by the Historical Naval Ships Association (HNSA) Digital Collections. Last accessed 5 May 2013.
• HNSA Ship Page: USS Texas, last accessed 5 May 2013.
• BB35 WWII Action Reports All 6 BB35 World War II reports concerning combat activity. Last accessed 5 May 2013.