Her 14-inch guns came to life at 5:30am the morning of June 6th, 1944 just off Omaha Beach marking the start of Operation Overlord, better known as D-Day. The Battleship Texas, maintained that bombardment all day long. For any other ship, this might have been its greatest moment. For the Texas, it was just another day at work. Her greatest battle, though, was yet to come.
The Battleship Texas lives on
During her 32 years of active service, she steamed more the 725,415 miles through both World Wars I and II where The Texas earned five Battle Stars in places like North Africa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Omaha Beach. The Texas is credited with advances in gunnery, aviation and radar. Then, after the war, she spent three months ferrying home American troops before being decommissioned.
The final fight for The Texas
It was 1948 when The Battleship Texas came home to San Jacinto and became the first permanent battleship museum. Few could have known at the time that her most desperate fight would be the battle for survival.
It’s said that while the Nazis and Japanese couldn’t sink The Texas, time nearly did. At one point, we’re told about a third of her hull was flooded. But, thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and professionals, The Texas is today being lovingly preserved as you’ll see in our feature video.
Even as these restoration projects continue, thousands of visitors annually tour the biggest and baddest battleship of all time, fittingly enough known to the world as The Battleship Texas.
Learn more about The Texas
The Battleship TEXAS is owned and operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and supported by the Battleship Texas Foundation, which assists with ongoing preservation efforts and educational outreach programs.
