Three years after being uprooted from her long-time shallow berth under the San Jacinto Monument– where she rested for nearly 75 years– USS Texas (Battleship No. 35), the country’s only Great War-era Dreadnought, has a new home.
As released yesterday by the Battleship Texas Foundation:
Big news for Battleship Texas! After years of hard work and dedication, we’re thrilled to have the support of the Wharves Board to bring TEXAS to Pier 15 in Galveston- just a short walk from Pier 21 and the historic Galveston Strand. TEXAS, the last ship of its kind, will promote tourism, educate future generations, and create a visitor experience worthy of her crew and legacy.
It’s about time this was ironed out.
For a deeper dive, The Houston Chronicle details that the spot next door to the port’s newest cruise ship terminal nails down a heartburn-filled effort and secures the historic ship’s future at least for the near term. She just completed a $40 million drydock and extensive refit, raised through a mix of state funds and private donations.
There are more steps to the process including paperwork and building shoreside infrastructure as well as getting everyone from the USCG on down to give a final stamp of approval, but it looks like she could be back on public display by the end of the year and looking better than ever.
It would have been better for her 110-year-old hull to be in fresh rather than brackish water, but as long as the Foundation gets in touch with some serious cathodic protection on the hull and splash zones, coupled with a strict internal monitoring program and aggressive maintenance, she should still be good to go for another couple of decades.