The USS Texas (BB-35) is a true titan of naval engineering, holding the distinction of being the only surviving dreadnought battleship to have served in both World War I and World War II. Commissioned in 1914, she was a marvel of her era, introducing groundbreaking advancements to the fleet as the first U.S. battleship to feature anti-aircraft guns, launch an aircraft, and utilize advanced radar technology. During World War I, she patrolled the North Sea alongside the British Grand Fleet, but her most legendary contributions came during World War II. The Texas served as a ferocious shore-bombardment platform, firing her massive 14-inch guns to support Allied troops wading ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day, and later providing critical fire support during the bloody Pacific invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
After becoming the first permanent battleship museum in the United States in 1948, the Texas spent decades stationed at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. However, time and the elements took a heavy toll on the centenarian warship, prompting a monumental, multi-year $75 million restoration effort that began when she was towed to dry dock in 2022. Work crews have replaced over 700 tons of corroded steel, laid a brand-new wooden deck, and painstakingly restored her anti-aircraft gun tubs. With her intensive structural facelift entering its final phases, the Battleship Texas Foundation finalized plans to permanently moor the rejuvenated icon at Pier 15 in Galveston, Texas, aiming to reopen her to the public as a world-class, interactive museum destination.
