My father spent much of the latter part of his career restoring this ship. It was old, rusty, and quite literally, sinking. Dad was the Chief Naval Architect (i.e, ship engineer) working on this project for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They had limited funding to restore this ship or it was going to be relegated to scrap iron. Here's the scoop:
Built between 1912 and 1915, the Battleship TEXAS was launched May 12, 1912. The ship itself is 573 feet in overall length and weighs over 35,000 tons. It is not only the single surviving dreadnaught-type battleship in existence but the only one to have served in both World Wars and is a world-class destination for military history enthusiasts. Over 90 years of exposure and age made it necessary to consider permanently removing the ship from the corrosive conditions of the Houston Ship Channel.
The next several posts will be a compilation of history - both personal and Texas related - concerning the ship and the man that brought her back to life. With a little arm twisting, my brother and some of my Dad's grandchildren will also be contributing.
So, lean back, pull up the anchor, and make way for some memories that are worth narrating as they are part of our Texas history and one more part of the legacy that my father created.
