Few naval vessels in history have the sort of reputation that the USS Texas (BB-35) retains today. Over a century since she hit the water for the first time, she is still a living testament to the way sea power developed—and to the sailors whose lives unfolded on her decks. Ordered in 1914, Texas was the epitome of battleship design, with ten 14-inch guns able to fire massive shells up to 12 miles. She was not only a warship; she was a statement of America’s increasing naval power.
Her maiden mission arrived soon enough. Texas was dispatched to Mexican seas in the Tampico Affair, providing her firepower to operations off Veracruz. That first commission presaged a lifetime at the edge of world conflicts. When America entered World War I, Texas sailed across the Atlantic to battle with the British Grand Fleet. She never engaged in a grand fleet battle, but her role was equally vital—convoys escorted and witnessed the 1918 German High Seas Fleet surrender, the largest warship surrender in recorded history.
During the subsequent years, Texas served as a test bed and a catalyst for change. She made history in 1919 when Commander Edward McDonnell took off from a wooden ramp mounted atop her turret in a Sopwith Camel, the first aircraft ever launched from an American battleship.
She then assisted in testing anti-aircraft artillery, fire-control systems, and even the early radar systems. By the late 1920s, she had also become a symbol of American prestige, hosting presidents, dignitaries, and cultural icons like Charles Lindbergh.
Her most famous service came during World War II. Texas was the only Allied battleship to take part in all four of the major amphibious invasions: North Africa, Normandy, Southern France, and the Pacific campaigns of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
At Normandy, her crew even rolled the ship by filling torpedo blisters with water to add additional range inland, pounding German defenses to shield advancing soldiers. During the Battle of Cherbourg, she endured a direct hit by a German shell that, through sheer luck, never detonated—an occurrence that became part of her legend.
In the Pacific, Texas unleashed her guns at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. For 50 grueling days off Okinawa, her crew stood battle stations under Captain Charles Baker’s command, launching thousands of rounds and repelling waves of kamikaze attacks. The Texas men also witnessed the now-famous flag raising atop Mount Suribachi, forever linking their ship to one of the war’s most enduring images.
Life aboard, though, wasn’t all fighting. There were ways for sailors to relax through sports and entertainment. Boxing, wrestling, football, and rowing matches were routine events, sometimes against neighborhood teams. Movie nights, concerts, and traveling performers boosted morale, while sports attracted over half the crew. These breaks in fellowship maintained high spirits during the prolonged and demanding periods at sea.
When the war finally ended, Texas dodged the scrapyard that had taken so many of her contemporaries. Instead, she was saved. In 1948, she was transferred to the State of Texas, where she became America’s first permanent battleship memorial museum. Moored at the San Jacinto Battleground, she welcomed millions of visitors to her decks, enabling future generations to walk onto a piece of living history.
It has never been an easy job to keep a vessel of her age and size afloat. Leaks and corrosion took their toll on her over the years, but restoration efforts and loyal patrons would not let her fade away. A recent $35 million dry-dock refit gave her a new lease on life, and more restoration is on the way. She will be restored to her 1945 appearance, with modern exhibits and climate-controlled spaces to preserve her for years to come.
The USS Texas is much more than rivets and steel. She is a monument to innovation, strength, and sacrifice. Her decks bear witness to men who met war and peace with equal resolve. Through constant efforts to keep her preserved, she will stand not only as a museum, but as an ever-present testament to courage and strength to generations to come.