America was once the king of battleships. Eighty years later, none serve in her US Navy (despite the forty-seventh president trying to build an entire class). Some are now museum ships, serving as perennial reminders of how the mighty battleship once dominated the High Seas in the previous century. One project of interest to battleship enthusiasts has been the ongoing restoration of the USS Texas (BB-35).
The History of US Navy Battleship USS Texas
This leviathan was commissioned in 1914 — the year that the First World War began — and is the last surviving dreadnought and the only surviving American battleship to have fought in both world wars.
She fought in Operation Torch, at Normandy, and around Southern France; she covered the Marine landings at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, all before finally being decommissioned in 1948.
Four years ago, the historic battlewagon left its berth near the San Jacinto Battleground for major repairs in Galveston, Texas.
The Battleship Texas Foundation has stated that the largest planned steel-repair campaign for the Texas is complete.
Wooden decking is spreading across the ship, and interior spaces are being rebuilt. Once that work is done, the Foundation has prepared the USS Texas to move to its permanent home at Pier 15.
The End Goal
The Battleship Texas Foundation wants to have a public reopening by next year, likely in the second quarter. That depends on whether Pier 15 is finished.
Whether the Foundation hits its Q2 2027 reopening target or it comes later, it has overcome the biggest hurdles in restoring this legendary battleship.
Permitting and construction of a new Pier 15 are all that stand in the way of reopening soon.
Battleship USS Texas. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
That’s a major turnaround for a ship that only a few years ago looked as though it might not survive.
In August 2022, the USS Texas was moved to Gulf Copper in Galveston. For around $75 million, restoration of the dreadnought began in earnest.
The key to getting through the early phases of the $75 million restoration project was maintaining the aging battleship’s structural integrity.
Workers feverishly repaired deteriorated portions of the hull, blisters, decks, and superstructure.
Planned steel repairs for the current project finished as of this month.
Now, repairs to deferred maintenance, which in some cases have been neglected for up to 40 years, are underway. But the restoration project has already achieved remarkable success.
The hull has been made watertight. Last year, the Texas finally stopped leaking and was in her best physical condition in 90 years.
Of that $75 million restoration budget, $3 million went to repairing the mighty ship’s superstructure.
The restoration aimed not only to keep the Texas alive, but also to make the dreadnought look as she did at the height of her service life.
One of the largest projects was replacing approximately 36,000 square feet of East Texas yellow pine decking.
USS Texas battleship. Image: Creative Commons.
Image: Creative Commons.
This was a custom build, making it expensive. Engineers had to specifically fit sections of the East Texas yellow pine around turrets, gun tubs, fittings, and other equipment.
They then drilled and fastened it to the steel deck. Crews used modern synthetic caulking to seal the joints. Oakum was used as well.
The Restoration Project in Full Swing
Volunteer crews worked throughout the interior of the mighty Texas.
They reinsulated officers’ staterooms, repainted compartments, and restored electrical equipment.
One stateroom is already the first compartment with new insulation fully installed, sealed, and painted.
Work is now progressing through the navigator’s stateroom, executive officer’s spaces, the wardroom, and other compartments.
In the captain’s cabin, volunteer electricians restored historically appropriate lighting and rewired fixtures through their original circuits.
Original 1914 electrical junction boxes have been cleaned and rebuilt. Even the captain’s blackout system — which automatically extinguished the lights when a hatch opened to prevent light from escaping the ship at night — has been restored to operation.
A massive reworking of the galley is underway, too.
The large 1944 oil-burning stoves were repaired after extensive asbestos abatement occurred.
Workers primed, painted, and restored things to the way they were during the height of Texas’ service to the country last century.
One stove in the galley weighed 2,074 pounds before workers removed firebrick, asbestos, and other components during its restoration.
The Foundation is going beyond merely restoring the ship, though. Workers are working to make the ship accessible to museum visitors who want to see it in all its glory.
The Final Push
The Foundation has a final $15 million “Bring Her Home” campaign that calls for around 60 restored spaces with interactive exhibits, augmented-reality elements — including holograms — guided tours, and even smartphone integration to be made available.
The plan includes climate control and additional restrooms. Restorers are also working to bring the old 1MC public-address system back to life.
Speakers are being returned to historical locations so the museum can reproduce announcements and General Quarters calls, giving visitors more of the soundscape of an operating World War II-era battleship (the likes of which have mostly gone from this world).
Now, the Foundation needs to get the 27,000-ton battleship to its new home at the aforementioned Pier 15.
Before the move, though, engineers must complete the mooring design, secure permits for dredging the berth, and construct the moorings (and supporting shoreside infrastructure) to support this magnificent vessel.
But the USS Texas is nearing — possibly within the next 18 months or less — both full restoration and reopening in its new home at Pier 15.
Then Americans of all generations can experience this warship in all its former glory.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is the Senior National Security Editor at 19FortyFive.com. He also manages The Weichert Brief on Substack. Weichert also hosts “National Security Talk” on Rumble. He is the author of four bestselling national security books, most recently A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine (Encounter Books). Follow him via Twitter/X @WeTheBrandon.