There’s something unforgettable about the Battleship Texas. She’s not just steel and rivets—she’s a living piece of American history, carrying the stories of the sailors who walked her decks and the world events she helped shape. As the only surviving battleship to have fought in both World Wars, Texas isn’t just a museum ship—she’s a powerful reminder of a time when naval strength helped determine the course of history.
Ordered on March 12, 1914, at the Norfolk Navy Yard, the USS Texas was a work of wonder in her era. She was the first American battleship to be fitted with ten behemoth 14-inch guns capable of firing a 1,400-pound shell for 12 miles. Her arrival could not have been more timely—the U.S. was keeping a close eye on the turmoil that was taking place in Mexico. Even before she finished her first shakedown cruise, Texas was dispatched to Veracruz during the Tampico Affair. That assignment set the tone for a career built on being ever ready and never idle.
During World War I, Texas served on the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea. She never discharged her big guns in battle during that conflict, but her presence was sufficient. She was part of the naval force that accepted the German High Seas Fleet’s surrender in 1918, without a shot fired. That occasion wasn’t symbolic; it was the product of deterrence and diplomacy supported by unarguable power.
Between the wars, Texas pushed further ahead. In 1919, she was the first American battleship to catapult an aircraft, when a Sopwith Camel was launched from a temporary platform on her turret. Then, in a comprehensive modernization in the mid-1920s, she eliminated her cage masts, installed torpedo bulges, replaced her boilers with oil-fired units, and received an aircraft catapult. She kept up with the evolving face of naval combat. In the years, she served as the flagship of the U.S. Fleet and entertained names such as President Calvin Coolidge and Charles Lindbergh.
When the world went to war once more, Texas did not wait. She started with neutrality patrols in the Atlantic, then engaged in her first significant combat duty in Operation Torch in 1942, giving fire support for the invasion of North Africa. On board was a young journalist, Walter Cronkite, who would recall years later that this was the most thrilling experience of his career.
In June 1944, Texas joined the D-Day invasion of Normandy, shelling German strongpoints at Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach to cover the Allied invasion. Only weeks later, she participated in the Battle of Cherbourg and was hit by hostile fire, but remained on target. Following repairs, she sailed for the Mediterranean to support landings, ie, Southern France.
Her final battles were fought in the Pacific. At Iwo Jima, Texas softened up Japanese defenses with her big guns before the Marines landed. At Okinawa, she remained on station for more than 50 days, poised and ready at all times. Her crew remained vigilant through constant and unremitting kamikaze attacks, and through strict discipline and a little luck, the ship emerged unscathed. It was a tough ride, but it proved the determination and resilience of the people on board.
When the fighting ended, Texas helped bring American servicemen home as part of Operation Magic Carpet. She was decommissioned in 1946 and handed over to the State of Texas two years later, becoming the country’s first battleship memorial museum. She found a home near the San Jacinto Battleground, where generations have come to walk her decks and learn her story.
But maintaining a 110-year-old battleship in working order is no easy task. Texas has encountered its troubles—rust, leaks, and the inexorable passage of time. Restoration teams toiled to keep her in one piece and true to her original form. Replacing her deck with southern yellow pine, the same she sported in her heyday, was one recent undertaking. Her workers employed old-fashioned methods—packing seams with cotton and oakum, sealing them by hand, respecting the handiwork that constructed her in the first place.
Now, she’s getting ready for a new chapter. Her eventual move to Pier 15 in Galveston is being planned, where she will have improved shelter from the weather and a more public, accessible presence. It’s not a move, it’s a reaffirmation of her commitment to being remembered by future generations.
Battleship Texas is more than a war relic. She’s a floating time capsule. An educator. A survivor. And above all, an emblem of the resilience, sacrifice, and spirit of those who constructed her, served on her, and now battle to preserve her. Step on board, and you don’t merely observe history—you feel it under your feet.