Some ships have something extra. Yes, that comment is really superstition, but there is no doubt that some ships have a destiny full of success and others seem to be snakebit from the moment of christening. Ask anyone who has knowledge of any fleet or any waterfront in the world, and there will be plenty of examples offered with no hesitation. 

Ok, ships are inanimate things. Men build ships. It can safely be said however that a ship takes on the character of those men who serve in her. That is certainly not superstition, but reality. Those that move within a ship bring that ship to life.

Sailors will often talk among themselves about the ‘good ships’ and ‘bad ships’ that they have served in. 

One of those ‘good ships’ is the Battleship Texas.

The early 20th Century was a heyday for ship architects, naval planners and those who went to sea in ships. The great leap forward in warship design came as a result of a new type of warship – the HMS Dreadnought. 

Championed by British naval legend and then First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John Fisher, the Dreadnought combined several revolutions in warship design and successfully brought them together in an initial build.  

Among those changes wrought by the Dreadnought were the incorporation of fire control systems and rangefinders for targeting of the large caliber guns; transition from coal-fired to fuel oil propulsion; turbine-powered main engines; and a method of planning and construction which produced the battleship in less than one year. 

The impact of the Dreadnought resonated for the next 50 years. The success of the ship unleashed naval architects to advance the lethality of warships manyfold. It also is credited with shaping foreign policy and forced many nations to abandon building modern armadas.

President Theodore Roosevelt was not going to allow the United States fleet to be outpaced. He pushed Congress to authorize construction of Dreadnought-like battleships. Among those initial builds was the Battleship Texas. 

In one of the quirks of naval procurement, the lead ship of the class, the USS New York, was actually commissioned one year after the Texas. Hence, this specific class of battleship is at times referred to as the Texas class. 

Constructed at Newport News Shipyard of Norfolk, Va., Texas displaced 28,000 tons. She was 573 feet long, 95 feet at the beam, drafted 28.5 feet and was manned by a crew of just over 1,000 sailors.

Powered by coal-fired boilers which drove a reciprocating engine, Texas could sustain a top speed of just over 21 knots. Ten 14-inch naval guns comprised her main battery. 

A major mid-life refit (which increased her displacement to 36,000 tons and her complement to 1,400 men) transitioned her from coal to oil-burning propulsion, greatly enhanced her secondary and anti-aircraft armament and outfitted her with reconnaissance aircraft. Advanced fire control systems were installed which greatly improved the accuracy of her twinned 14-inch naval guns.

The history of Battleship Texas is a proud ledger. Before her shakedown cruise was complete she was called upon to support the landings at Veracruz, Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. 

In the First Word War, she sailed out of the British Isles in company with the English Fleet for wartime patrols in the North Sea. The crew witnessed the surrender of the German Imperial Fleet at Scapa Flow, marking the end of the Great War. 

Between the wars, Texas served as a fleet flagship and sailed as a favorite ship for representational and presidential duties. It was determined, during this time, to invest in the ship and give her a comprehensive modernization.        

Her record in the Second World War stands out among the untold number of distinguishing events in the conflict. She provided naval gunfire support for Operation TORCH (North Africa), Operation OVERLORD (Normandy) and Operation DRAGOON (southern France). 

Navigating the shallow waters off the Normandy beaches, Texas provided significant close-in bombardment support for the Allied landings on D-Day. At one point, she dispatched landing craft to the beach to carry medical supplies to U.S. Army Rangers. She returned with wounded soldiers – one of whom died after triage efforts – and prisoners of war.      

She returned to the area after expending all of her 14-inch naval shells and supported the battles around Cherbourg.

As the front line had pushed further inland, the crew ingeniously flooded the torpedo blisters on the starboard side of the ship in order to cant the deck significantly. This allowed elevation of her port-side main batteries beyond her design limits. The ship could then place long range shore bombardment on target.

It was during the actions before Cherbourg when the only casualty suffered by Texas occurred. A German shore battery shell struck the ship and exploded at the top of the foremast. The explosion wounded a dozen sailors and killed Quartermaster Third Class Christen Christensen. 

Following further action off the coast of southern France, Texas was dispatched to the Pacific. She received yet more secondary anti-aircraft armaments en route to the Pacific theater.  

Under the leadership of Captain Charles A. Baker, Texas joined the battle at Iwo Jima. Her direct fire at Japanese positions on the island from ranges as close as a 1,000 yards was devastating. 

Texas then formed up with the massive fleet supporting the invasion of Okinawa. Due to the continual threat from Japanese air attack, Captain Baker kept the ship at battle stations for 50 straight days. The crew slept and ate where they fought for 50 days.  

Soon after VJ Day, Texas embarked on one of three Operation MAGIC CARPET cruises – returning solders stateside from overseas locations. 

Despite the many improvements made to Texas, the technological advancements made during the war eclipsed the capabilities of the Texas. She was placed in reserve and in 1948 officially signed over to the State of Texas.   

The movement of the ship from the East Coast (while in reserve) to Texas was not a foregone conclusion. The state had to raise the funds to effect the transfer.

The drive to fund the Texas came from all corners of the state, including change pitched into small wicker baskets placed in schools throughout the state. 

On April 21, 1948, Captain Baker was once again named captain of the USS Texas (for the day), decommissioned the ship and effected the transfer of the ship to the State of Texas. Chief Petty Officer John Jack McKeown – a crewmember on Texas since 1937 – was then retired from active duty and became a caretaker of the ship. 

McKeown lived aboard the ship, conducted maintenance and led tours of the ship until just before his death in 1970. 

Buffalo Bayou became home for the battleship. Originally the Battleship Texas Commission managed the ship. Cognizance was eventually passed to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and today the ship is managed by the Battleship Texas Foundation.

Texas has undergone two drydockings since becoming a museum ship. The first was in 1988 in Galveston and the second a recently-completed 18-month drydocking at Gulf Copper Shipyard, also in Galveston. The ship remains in the shipyard as outfitting with refurbished equipage continues. 

Steel ships in wet berths degrade. Each of the two dockings conducted on Texas were literally to save the ship. The most recent docking has, however, given a surge of adrenalin to ongoing efforts at restoring the ship to its former glory. Significant progress has been made to date.

The formal announcement of the next berth of the Texas is expected soon. The Battleship Texas Foundation stated that a final arrangements and permitting with the City of Galveston are in progress. It is anticipated that new home of Texas will be Pier 20 in the Port of Galveston. 

The foundation anticipates that the ship will reopen for the public in late 2025.

There is much to be learned from Battleship Texas. In addition to the lessons of two cataclysmic world wars, there is a willingness to preserve the past as a learning point for the future. The good ship Texas is a one-of-a-kind signpost for all.