THE USS TEXAS
Commissioned in 1914 as the most powerful weapon in the world, the Battleship TEXAS is credited with the introduction and innovation of advances in gunnery, aviation, and radar. She is the last surviving Dreadnought as well as the only battleship in existence today that fought in both World War I and World War II.
- 1910
- 1912
- 1914
- 1917
- 1918
- 1927
- 1943
- 1944
- 1988
- 2014
1910
Construction
The Battleship Texas was the first of two New York-class battleships authorized on June 24 1910. Bids for Texas were accepted from September 27 to December 1 with the winning bid of $5,830,000 excluding the price of armor and armament submitted by Newport News Shipbuilding Company. The contract was signed on December 17 and the plans were delivered to the building yard seven days later.
1910
1912
Launched
The Battleship Texas was first launched on May 18 1912, sponsored by Miss Claudia Lyon, daughter of Colonel Cecil Lyon, Republican national committeeman from Texas.
1912
1914
Commissioned
The Battleship Texas was commissioned on March 12 1914 with Captain Albert W. Grant in command. Her main battery consisted of ten 14 inch/45 cal (356 mm) Mark 1 guns, which could fire 1,400 lb (640 kg) armor-piercing shells to a range of 13 mi (11 nmi; 21 km).
1914
1917
World War I Entry
The Battleship Texas catapulted the US into World War I in April 1917. She was assigned to the merchant vessel Mongolia. On April 19, the crew of Mongolia sighted a surfaced German U-boat and opened fire on the U-boat averting an attack on Mongolia and firing the first American shots of World War I.
1917
1918
WW-I SERVICE
Texas's service with the Grand Fleet consisted entirely of convoy missions and occasional forays to reinforce the British squadron on blockade duty in the North Sea whenever German heavy units threatened. The fleet alternated between bases at Scapa Flow and at the Firth of Forth in Scotland.
1918
1927
1943
D-DAY
Throughout 1943, Texas acted as a convoy escort making transatlantic voyages from New York to Casablanca, Gibraltar and various ports in the British Isles until she remained at the Clyde estuary in Scotland to begin training for the invasion of Normandy.
1943
1944
WORLD WAR II
The Battleship Texas spent most of June 1944 providing gun support for soldiers at Omaha Beach and nearby Pointe du Hoc, acting as an indispensable piece of the Allied invasion.
Omaha Beach D-day
1944
1988
DRY DOCK
In 1988, the Battleship Texas was pulled from her berth to Todd Shipyards in Galveston, Texas.
1988
2014
Centennial
In 2014 we celebrated the ships 100th birthday with a Centennial Family Festival featuring a ceremony honoring the surviving crew men of the ship and a concert headlined by Robert Earl Keen's "A Texas Uprising."
Battleship Texas: 100 Years,
narrated by Lyle Lovett
2014
VISIT THE SHIP
OVERNIGHTS ON THE SHIP
The overnight program is led by knowledgeable docents that take participants through this 1914 vintage battleship that saw service in both World Wars I & II.
HARD HAT TOURS
A behind the scenes look at the Battleship TEXAS. During this in-depth, 3 ½ hour long tour, you will explore areas of the ship that have not had any restoration.
