USS Texas (BB-35)

USS Texas (BB-35)
Ship name	USS Texas (BB-35)
Ship class	New York-class battleship
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
Laid down	17 May 1911
Launched	18 May 1912
Commissioned	12 March 1914
Decommissioned	21 April 1948
Fate	Museum ship (laid up 1948–present)
Displacement	27,000 long tons (standard)
Length	573 ft (174.6 m)
Beam	95 ft (29 m)
Propulsion	Burnham triple-expansion engines; coal-fired boilers; turbines (later refit)
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h)
Complement	~1,019 officers and enlisted
Armament	Original: 10 × 14 in (356 mm) guns; 21 × 5 in (127 mm) guns; later AA additions

USS Texas (BB-35)

USS Texas (BB-35) was a New York-class dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy commissioned in 1914, serving through World War I and World War II before becoming the first U.S. battleship preserved as a museum ship. She participated in North Sea patrols with the Grand Fleet, provided naval gunfire support during the Normandy landings and the Invasion of Iwo Jima, and after decommissioning was designated a National Historic Landmark and is preserved at Battleship Texas State Historic Site on the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.

Design and construction

Designed under the influence of Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske and authorized by the Naval Appropriations Act, Texas and her sister ship USS New York (BB-34) embodied early 20th-century dreadnought principles influenced by HMS Dreadnought and the naval theories of Alfred Thayer Mahan. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding under contracts overseen by Secretary of the Navy George von Lengerke Meyer and supervised by naval constructor offices, her armor scheme reflected innovations from studies at the Bureau of Construction and Repair and lessons from the Russo-Japanese War. Main battery layout placed ten 14-inch guns in five twin turrets influenced by design debates with proponents such as Bureau of Ordnance engineers and naval architects concerned with weight and metacentric stability; her propulsion used reciprocating engines while contemporaneous ships like USS California (BB-44) began using turbines. Laid down in 1911 and launched in 1912, Texas entered service in 1914 after trials attended by naval dignitaries from President Woodrow Wilson's administration and sea trials monitored by officers from the Atlantic Fleet.

Interwar service

During the interwar years Texas served with the Atlantic Fleet, participating in training exercises, fleet problems, and diplomatic visits that included port calls to Cherbourg, Plymouth, and Helsinki while collaborating with units such as the Scouting Fleet and the Battle Fleet under commanders influenced by doctrines from William S. Sims and Admiral Hugh Rodman. Modernizations in the 1920s and 1930s, overseen by the Bureau of Ships and naval architects familiar with the Washington Naval Treaty limitations, added anti-aircraft batteries, upgraded fire-control systems linked to Mark 8 Fire Control, and structural changes reflecting analysis by engineers at Naval Proving Ground and the Naval Research Laboratory. Texas served as flagship in exercises like Fleet Problem I and goodwill missions during the administrations of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge, hosting naval officers, congressional delegations from United States Congress, and foreign naval attaches that observed evolving doctrines promoted by the Naval War College.

World War II service

Recommissioned and modernized after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Texas was assigned to convoy escort and patrols with forces coordinating with the Grand Fleet and later provided pre-invasion bombardment and direct naval gunfire support in multiple amphibious operations. She supported the Operation Overlord landings at Normandy on D-Day, delivering fire missions coordinated with army units from the First United States Army and naval gunfire liaison parties trained at Fort Monroe. In the Mediterranean Theater and the Pacific Theater, Texas provided heavy gunfire during the Invasion of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa, operating with carrier task forces including elements from Task Force 58 and cruiser divisions drawn from the United States Seventh Fleet; she defended against aircraft associated with Imperial Japanese Navy strike groups using AA batteries and coordination with Fighter Command-style directives. Her wartime service earned commendations and placed her alongside contemporaries such as USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) and USS Arkansas (BB-33) in combined fleet operations directed by senior leaders like Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Admiral Ernest J. King.

Postwar decommissioning and preservation

After Japan's surrender and the conclusion of World War II, Texas was decommissioned in 1948 amid postwar demobilization overseen by the Department of the Navy and Congress, which debated preservation versus scrapping under programs influenced by the National Historic Preservation Act precedent. Campaigns led by veterans' groups, preservationists associated with the Texas Historical Commission, and advocacy from members of United States Congress and state officials from Texas resulted in her transfer for permanent display. She was designated a National Historic Landmark and moved to permanent berthing near the San Jacinto Battleground to commemorate links to the Battle of San Jacinto and to serve as a public history site reflecting 20th-century naval warfare, with oversight by state agencies coordinating conservation planning and public interpretation consistent with standards from the National Park Service.

Museum ship and restoration

As a museum ship, Texas has undergone multiple restoration campaigns supported by grants from state legislators, federal preservation programs, and nonprofit partners including veterans' organizations and maritime preservation societies. Restoration efforts have addressed hull corrosion documented by naval engineers from University of Texas at Austin collaborators, turret and gun preservation informed by ordnance specialists from the Naval History and Heritage Command, and visitor safety upgrades complying with standards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Interpretive programs link exhibits to collections from the Smithsonian Institution and oral histories archived by the Veterans History Project, while periodic drydock and conservation work coordinate with maritime contractors and conservators knowledgeable in phosphate coatings, cathodic protection, and archival conservation practices. Public events tie Texas to commemorations involving military units like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and educational outreach with institutions such as Texas A&M University.

Legacy and honors

Texas occupies a central place in U.S. naval heritage, cited in studies by the Naval War College and memorialized through designations by the National Register of Historic Places and the Department of the Interior. She is referenced in scholarship alongside battleships like Bismarck and HMS Warspite in analyses of firepower, armor, and survivability, and features in popular culture and historical documentaries produced by National Geographic and PBS. Honors include preservation awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and commemorative ceremonies attended by officials from the Governor of Texas's office, members of the United States Navy and descendants of sailors who served aboard, ensuring Texas remains a focal point for study of 20th-century naval warfare, technology, and public history.

Category:United States Navy battleships Category:National Historic Landmarks in Texas