Battleship Texas workshop

[lowbucktruck]

DISCLAIMER: this is NOT my workshop. lol
I recently had the opportunity to tour the battleship Texas while in Houston. It has long been on my bucket list of must-see/must-do's.

The battleship Texas (BB35) is a surviving example of American industrialism when this country was not yet a world power. The battleship is in Houston, Texas; if you ever find yourself in Houston, the Texas is definitely worth a visit.

America was becoming a world power when the Battleship TEXAS was authorized on 24 June 1910, over 100 years ago. She is the oldest remaining dreadnought battleship. BB-35 is the only surviving USN vessel that fought in WWI and WWII. In WWII, TEXAS was the only US battleship to see combat in Europe, Africa and the Pacific. TEXAS was also a test ship for naval aviation, in 1919 and radar, in 1939. The ship's last operational mission returned 4,267 troops from the Pacific to California in time for Christmas - 1945. Texas was decommissioned in 1948, having earned a total of five battle stars for service in World War II, and is presently a museum ship near Houston, Texas.

What does it take to maintain an aging warship built in 1910? During my recent visit to Houston, I toured many spaces on this historic vessel and took photos of the workshops, maintenance areas and equipment. It is an all-volunteer effort to repair, preserve and maintain the battleship Texas. If anyone is involved in this effort, please feel free to share any stories you may have on this thread.

http://www.battleshiptexas.org/Gallery.aspx

It was an honor for me to walk the decks of the USS Texas; that vessel has some serious history. It was a bit humbling to stand next to her main battery and realize that her big guns shelled the beaches at Normandy during D-Day.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Here are some pics I was able to get of the working spaces on board BB-35.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Sometimes you just need a REALLY big wrench! I included my hat for scale.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Below deck in some of the spaces. Each deck had a deck plan to orient you as to where in the ship you were. The second deck armored control room was very interesting, it was an armored room within the bowels of the warship. Any of you Navy guys feel free to correct my terminology.

 

[shovel]

Good post lowbucktruck. The battleship Texas is a fantastic floating museum, at the historic San Jacinto battleground and monument. There is a crew of men that are trying their hardest to keep this ship afloat; and are barely able to do so. My son is in his 3rd year at an out-of-state college, and visiting this battleship was on his to-do list this summer. He is as passionate about her restoration and preservation as you are. Thanks for posting.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Thanks Shovel. I had heard about the leaks which developed and was worried that the battleship would still be closed to the public for repairs during my brief stay in Houston.

 

[frank_c]

I toured the Texas back in the early 80's. I may have been 12. I'm sure I didn't appreciate the history behind it and just thought it was cool.

 

[silentpoet]

Sometimes you just need a REALLY big wrench! I included my hat for scale.

Well it is the TEXAS. What do you expect, 1/32 wrenches.


Those must be 3 or 4 man wrenches.


A fun fiction book is the Ayes of Texas. Kind of alternate future sort of book, written back in the late 80s. The recommission and use the Texas to fight off the Russians. Good clean 80s fun.

 

[ihatelaramie]

I was on the Texas earlier this year, took my little girl. It's about 1.5 hrs away from me. I hadn't been since I was about her age. Boy, now that I have greater appreciation of these things, I tried to absorb everything I could. That first set of pics you posted looked like the one at the aft of the main deck, which I believe is still a working shop to help maintain the ship. There are some real treasures, deeper in the belly of her. Down towards the engine room, there is a good sized, self contained machine shop. It's closed off by expanded metal, but its full of vintage manual machines and tools, which have likely spent their entire lives there. And down in the engine room, which is amazing century old technology, there is a tiny shop hidden in the back, with a small drill press an lathe. It's amazing what there is to see on this old ship, including random spare parts hidden everywhere, not to mention the alleged ghosts, if you're into that. I can definitely recommend it to anyone in the area that can spare a couple hours. And while you're at it, pay the San Jacinto monument a visit.

 

[ihatelaramie]

Couple of pics of the ship.

Pic from the top of the San Jacinto monument.

 

[pepi]

Cool pictures thank you for posting, we have come a long, long way.

 

[Ben Buck]

Thanks Lowbuck for this post. I've been onboard the Jersey. Not as deep as you got to be on the Texas. These are some great ships.