12/9/24 – Battleship Texas Update
Posted by Battleship Texas Foundation on December 11, 2024
Editor’s note: This update was originally posted on our social media on 12/9/24 and was republished to our website on 12/11/24.
The Battleship Texas took another big step today with the temporary removal of the foretop for repairs.
The foretop, which housed the primary directors for the 14” and 5” gun batteries, was removed from the ship for thorough repairs and painting (inside and out). Gulf Copper’s excellent welders, fitters, and painters will have the foretop ready to go back on the ship by the end of January.
Incidentally, though this is the farthest the foretop has been away from the ship it is not the first time it has been removed -it was removed in 1989 for critical stabilization which got it to now.
Our analysis, like that of our predecessors in 1989, showed that temporarily removing the structure was a far safer and cost effective means of repair than repairing in place.
We want to thank Kevin Teichman and T&T Salvage for the generous in-kind donation of their heavy lift crane barge, tugs, and crews to make this lift. We could not have got this lift off the ground with out Mr. Teichman’s support.
