The U.S.S. Texas War Memorial Today
Photos by Ross "Radar" Radetzky - Official BBB Photographer
and Commentary by the Armchair Admiral - From a 2006 Visit
The USS Texas aglow with sunset in her permanent berth at San Jacinto State Park near Houston. The ship lies in a little basin communicating with the Houston Ship Channel, used in 1988 to evacuate her for her $7M refit at Todd Shipyards in Galveston, and return her afterwards.
The bow 14" turrets seen from the Texas's navigation bridge. The ship's prow points toward the San Jacinto Monument, on the horizon. In an ill-advised attempt at preservation, the volunteer foundation responsible for the ship's upkeep paved the weather deck in concrete. Now they are chiseling it off again, since the corrosive ingredients in the concrete are eating away the metal substrate. What a thankless task!
Ross "Radar" Radetzky (a member of the Texas "Ex-es") snaps to attention before #1 turret. You're out of uniform, sailor! Capstans and anchor chains in foreground; also multitudes of cylindrical "mushroom" vents.
Inside No. 1 turret. From left, ammo lift; loading tray; 14-inch gun breech with breech block rotated outward at right.
A 14-inch magazine. The brass, mailbox-shaped objects are flash-proof scuttles for passing charge bags to the hoist and thus up to the turret.
Two views of a 40mm Bofors quad mount abreast the bridge on the USS Texas war memorial. Texas finished WWII with a total of 40 such guns, plus 44 20mm Oerlikons. To view a similar quad mount in action, click here.
Side view of the Texas war memorial. The 5" gunhouse sponsoned out abaft the bridge was a common feature of Wyoming and New York class U.S. Navy battleships. Abaft the gunhouse (at left and one deck down) are cutouts which originally held additional 5"/50 cal guns in casemate mounts. Since these lower positions were frequently "washed out" by spray and seas, they were plated over after WWI, reducing the ship's 5" armament from 21 to 6 by 1941. The appearance of the armored gunhouse is remarkably similar to the mounts used for beam 10.6" guns on French navy battleships of the 1890s, and imitated in the Italian and Austrian navies.
Interior of the 5-inch gunhouse with the breech ends of two of the three secondary weapons housed in this structure. Three more lived in the symmetrical structure on the other side.
The forward control tower of the Texas appears much as it did at the end of WWII. The bridgeworks and fire-control station still project an air of massive solidity: though no Japanese pagoda, it is an imposing pile nonetheless. This rarely-seen angle shows the open air under the entire, cantilevered bridge structure. Behind the navigation bridge is the wheelhouse; above it, the admiral's bridge; topping all, the signal bridge with its huge spreaders for hoists of signal flags, and the main battery fire-control station -- the boxy, multi-windowed structure atop the mast. The armored battle conn is visible at right under the apex of the wheelhouse. Hard to believe this was one of the highest points on the ship when she was built!
On the navigation bridge: the ship's wheelhouse.
In a protected position deep below the bridge, the Combat Information Center, dominated by the radar set at right. There was a secondary CIC aft, below the after fire director tower.
One of the ship's six Bureau Express boilers, installed in 1926 with her conversion to oil fuel. The fuel sprayers have been removed from the top two rows to show the furnace interiors. The black units plugged into the other spots on the front of the boiler are the sprayer units; the red handles are the controls for adjusting the oil jets. Being a fireman had evolved into a technician's job -- far removed from the filthy, backbreaking life of the stokers in a coal-fired ship. And refueling by hose at sea was a far cry from the laborious ordeal of coaling ship.
Deep in the bowels of the vessel, the emergency steering station.
The ship's laundry.
The ship's barbershop.
Farewell, old wagon! Recommended for a pilgrimage by all battleship buffs. Along with the Orange Show art car parade, this historic ship provides good reason for a visit to Houston, even if you are not a petroleum-futures speculator.
