USS Texas (BB-35) , the second US Navy ship named in honor of the US state of Texas, is New York -class warship. The ship was launched on May 18, 1912 and commissioned on March 12, 1914.
Immediately after his commission, Texas saw action in Mexican waters after the "Tampico Incident" and made numerous attacks on the North Sea during World War I. When the United States officially entered World War II in 1941, Texas escorted a convoy of war across the Atlantic and then fired on Axis beaches for the North African campaign and the Normandy Landing before being transferred to the Pacific Theater in late 1944 to provide naval support during the Battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Texas was deactivated in 1948, after earning a total of five star battles for service in World War II, and is now a museum ship near Houston, Texas. In addition to his combat services, Texas also served as a technology testbed during his career, and in this capacity became the first US warship to install anti-aircraft guns, the first US ship to control shots with directors. and distance guard (the current analog computer pioneer), the first US warship to launch the aircraft, from the platform on Turret 2, and was one of the first to receive the CXAM-1 version of CXAM production radar in the US Navy,
Among the world's remaining battleships, Texas is famous for being the first US warship to be a permanent museum ship, and the first battleship declared to be the US National Historic Landmark, and is the only World War the remaining. War of the I-era warship, even though he is not the oldest surviving steel warship: Mikasa , the pre-dreadnought warship ordered in 1898 by the Imperial Japanese Navy is older than Texas . He is also worth noting for being one of only seven ships remaining and the only remaining capital vessel ever to serve in both World Wars.
Video USS Texas (BB-35)
Construction
The United States Congress passed the construction of Texas on June 24, 1910. The offer for Texas was received from 27 September to 1 December with a winning bid of $ 5,830,000 - excluding the price of armor and weaponry - was handed over by Newport News Shipbuilding. The contract was signed on December 17 and was sent to the building seven days later. Texas ' keel was set on April 17, 1911 in Newport News, Virginia. He was launched on May 18, 1912, sponsored by Miss Claudia Lyon, daughter of Colonel Cecil Lyon, Republican national committee of Texas. The ship was commissioned on 12 March 1914 with Captain Albert W. Grant as commander.
The main Texas battery ' consists of ten Mark 1 rifles that are 14 inches (356 mm)/45 caliber, which can fire 1,400 pounds (635 kg) of armor shielding. to the range of 13Ã, mi (11Ã, nmi; 21Ã, km). The secondary battery consists of twenty-one single-inch caliber rifles (127 mm/51 mm). He also installed four 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes for the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 8 torpedoes, each on the sides of the bow and stern ports as well as the right and aft bow. The torpedo room has 12 total torpedoes, plus 12 naval defense mines. Texas and his sister New York were the only warships to store and transport their 14-inch ammunition in an iron cup, with the nose down.
Maps USS Texas (BB-35)
Service History
On March 24, 1914, Texas departed from Norfolk Navy Yard and arranged a course for New York City, making an overnight stop in Tompkinsville, New York, on the night of March 26. Entering the New York Navy Yard the next day, he spent the next three weeks there undergoing fire-control installation equipment.
During his stay in New York, President Woodrow Wilson ordered a number of Atlantic Fleet vessels into Mexican waters in response to the tensions created when the details of Mexican federal forces detained an American gunman in Tampico. The problem was quickly resolved locally, but Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo sought further compensation by demanding an official denial of action by the Huerta regime and a 21-gun salute to the American flag.
President Wilson saw in the incident an opportunity to pressure the government that he thought was undemocratic. On April 20, Wilson placed this issue before the United States Congress and sent an order to Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, ordered the naval forces from the Mexican coast, instructed him to land troops in Veracruz and to seize the customs house there in retaliation for what now known as the "Tampico Incident". The action took place on 21-22 April.
Due to the intensity of the situation, Texas went to sea on May 13 and went straight to operational tasks without the benefit of the usual shakedown and post-search warfare period. After a five-day stop at the Hampton Roads from May 14-19, he joined Admiral Fletcher's troops from Veracruz on 26 May. He remained in Mexican waters for more than two months, supporting American troops on land. On August 8, he left Veracruz and arranged a course for Nipe Bay, Cuba, and from there steamed to New York, where he entered the Navy Yard on 21 August.
The warship remained until September 6, when he returned to the sea, joined the Atlantic Fleet, and settled into the normal fleet operating schedule. In October, he returned to the coast of Mexico. Later that month, Texas became a station ship in Tuxpan, a task that lasted until November 4, when he steamed for Galveston, Texas. When in Galveston on Nov. 7, Texas Governor Oscar Colquitt gave the ship silver service to Captain Grant. The Young Men Business League in Waco, Texas, collects $ 10,000 to buy silver.
Texas sailed to Tampico on November 14 and then to Veracruz, where he stayed for a month. The ship left Mexico on December 20 and set the route for New York. The warship entered the New York Navy Yard on December 28 and remained there under repair until February 16, 1915. On May 25, Texas , along with the South Carolina warship , < Louisiana, and Michigan, saving 230 passengers from the damaged Holland America Line ship Ryndam , which had been hit by Norwegian flagship vessels Joseph J Cuneo . As a thank you, Holland America Line presents Texas with the 17th century warship model, which is displayed with a silver locker room in 2014. In 1916, Texas was the first US warships to install anti-aircraft weapons with the addition of two 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber rifles on a platform above the ship's crane, and the first to control shots with directors and distance meters, the current pioneering analog computer.
World War I
Upon returning to active duty with the fleet, Texas continues the alternating schedule between training operations along the New England coast and off Virginia Capes and winter tactical fleet and drill cannons in the West Indies. The routine lasted for more than two years until the February-to-March crisis of unlimited submarine warfare threw the United States into World War I in April 1917. The April 6 war declaration found Texas riding anchor in The mouth of the York River with another Atlantic Fleet warship. He remained at Virginia Capes-Hampton Roads around until mid-August, doing the exercises and training the Naval Naval crew for the onboard merchant ship service. One of the gunmen trained on board the Texas was assigned to Mongolian merchant ship at the beginning of the war. On April 19, the Mongolian crew saw a rising U-Germany ship and a gun crew trained on board the ship U-boat, dodging attacks against Mongolia and fired the first American shots from World War I.
In August, he sailed to New York for repairs, arriving at Base 10 on August 19 and entering the New York Navy Yard shortly thereafter. He completed the fix on September 26 and started going on for Port Jefferson on the same day. During mid-watch on September 27, he raced hard on Block Island. Captain Victor Blue and his navigator, confused about the beach lights and more concerned about mines at the opening of Long Island Sound, making turns at the wrong time and running the ship ran aground on the island from a bow all the way behind the midships. For three days, his crew lightened the ship with no results. On September 30, the delays came to his aid, and finally he supported clearly. Hull damage dictates its return to the yard, and extensive repairs prevented its departure with Battleship Division 9 (BatDiv 9) for the British Islands in November. The secondary battery was reduced to eighteen 5-inch guns in October 1917. Captain Blue, a protégé of the Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels, was never tried in military court and retained command of Texas. The Navy Department holds its navigator fully responsible for the accident.
In December, he has completed repairs and moved south to conduct a military simulation of the York River. Mid-January 1918 finds a warship back in New York preparing for a voyage across the Atlantic, including the removal of two more 5-inch weapons, reducing the total number of planes to 16. He left New York on January 30, 1918, arrives at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland on February 11, and rejoined BatDiv 9, at the time known as the 6th British Fleet Combatron Squadron.
The Texas Service ' with the Great Fleet comprised entirely of convoy missions and occasional strikes to strengthen the British squadron in blockade work in the North Sea whenever German heavy units threaten. The fleet alternates between base at Scapa Flow and at Firth of Forth in Scotland. Texas started its mission five days after his arrival in the Scapa Flow, as he sorted with the entire fleet to strengthen the 4th Combat Squadron, then served in the North Sea. He returned to the Scapa Flow the next day and remained until 8 March, when he went to sea on a convoy escort mission from which he returned on 13 March. Texas and his farewell friends entered the Firth of Forth on April 12, but were ongoing again on the 17th to escort a convoy. American warships returned to base on April 20th. Four days later, Texas again stood overboard to support the Second Combat Squadron a day after the German High Sea Fleet had sorted from the Jade Bay to the Norwegian coast to threaten Allied convoys. The units ahead capture the Germans who retreated on April 25, but at a very extreme range, bringing the German fleet into engagement with the Great Fleet was not possible. The Germans returned to their base that day, and the Great Fleet, including Texas , did the same thing to the next one.
Texas and his allies passed a relatively inactive May at Firth of Forth. On June 9, he was going on another battleship from the 6th Combat Squadron and returned to the harbor in Scapa Flow, arriving there the next day. From 30 June to 2 July, Texas and his colleagues acted as a companion for the American shipping squad that added the North Sea mines. After two days back to the Scapa Flow, Texas went out to sea with Grand Fleet for two days of tactical and war games. At the end of the exercise on July 8, the fleet enters the Firth of Forth. For the rest of World War I, Texas and other warships from the 9th Division continued to operate with the Grand Fleet as the 6th Combat Squadron. With the German Armada increasingly tied to its bases at the mouth of the Jade and Ems, American and British vessels occupy a routine operating schedule with little-to-none combat operations guidelines. The situation continued until the Armistice ended hostilities on November 11, 1918. At 3:35 am on November 21, he was walking to accompany the Great Fleet to meet with the surrendering German Armada. Both fleets meet around 40Ã, nmi (46Ã, mi; 74Ã,Âkm) east of the Isle of May and proceed to the Firth of Forth. After that, the American contingent moved to Portland Harbor, England, arriving there on December 4th.
Inter-war period
On December 12, 1918, Texas went fishing with BatDivs 9 and 6 to meet President Woodrow Wilson start George Washington en route to the Paris Peace Conference. The meeting took place at around 7:30 the next morning and provided escort for the President to Brest, France, where the ships arrived at 12.30pm that afternoon. On the afternoon of December 14, Texas and another American warship departed from Brest to return to the United States. The warships arrived at Ambrose light station on Christmas Day, 1918, and entered New York the next day.
After the overhaul, Texas rejoined the Atlantic Fleet early in 1919. On March 10, he became the first American warship to launch the plane when Lieutenant Commander Edward O. McDonnell flew Sopwith Camel built by the British. warship. Then in 1919 the captain of Texas , Nathan C. Twining, managed to use a naval plane to see the fall of a bullet during a major battery drill. The result is that the shotguns of aircraft guns are significantly more accurate than the ship's claimants. In testimony to the Navy's Generals Council, Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Whiting proved that the increased effectiveness of shots with air spotting would probably reach 200%. As a result of this first experiment, the Navy will add float plane to all fleet warships and new cruisers. In May 1919, Texas served as a plane guard and navigation aid for a successful venture by the Navy Curtiss NC NC-4 aircraft to become the first plane to cross the Atlantic. On July 26, 1919 Texas entered the Pacific Ocean as part of the newly formed Pacific Fleet and he will spend the next five and a half years as part of the Pacific Fleet. On July 17 of the following year, he was designated as BB-35 under the newly adopted Naval alpha-numeric system of the gastric classification symbol.
Texas left the Pacific on January 16, 1924 and returned to the east coast for improvement and to participate in a training voyage to the waters of Europe with the Naval Academy Midshipmen started. While operating in the Atlantic, on November 25, 1924, he drowned an incomplete Washington warship in accordance with the 1922 Naval Arms Control Treaty, and subsequently fell, maneuvering as a unit of the Scout Fleet. On July 31, 1925, he entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for the massive improvement of modernization. The reshuffle, which replaced the two mast cages with a tripod pole, replaced 14 Babcock & amp; The Wilcox coal boiler with 6 Jet Boiler oil-fueled, and improved fire-control equipment, was completed on November 23, 1926. Also, its AA weaponry was upgraded to eight 3-inch rifles, and torpedo tubes removed. Six of the 5-inch guns were transferred to the new main deck casemates today.
Upon completion of the examination, Texas was designated the flagship of the United States Fleet and returned to service along the east coast. He continued to perform the task until the end of 1927, when he toured a task in the Pacific from late September to early December. In 1927, Texas set up the first one by displaying a "talking" image for crew entertainment. Toward the end of the year, Texas returns to the Atlantic and resumes normal work with the Scouting Armada. In January 1928, he transported President Calvin Coolidge to Havana, Cuba, to the Pan-American Conference and then traveled through the Panama Canal and the west coast to maneuver with a fleet near Hawaii.
He returned to New York in early 1929 for his annual inspection and completed it in March when he resumed a brief assignment in the Pacific. He returned to the Atlantic in June and resumed his normal duties with the Scouting Armada. In April 1930, he took time out of his operating schedule to escort Leviathan to New York when the ship was carrying a US delegation back to the London Navy Conference. In January 1931, he left the yard in New York as the mainstay of the United States Fleet and headed through the Panama Canal to San Diego, California, and then to Los Angeles (Port San Pedro) which became his home port for the next six years and three months. There will be a temporary resettlement back to the Atlantic from April to October 1934. During this Pacific period, he served first as a flagship for the entire Armada and, later, as the flagship for BatDiv 1.
In the summer of 1937, he was once again moved to the east coast, the flagship of the US Fleet Detachment Training. Late in 1938 or early 1939, warships became the flagship of the newly organized Atlantic Squadron, built around BatDiv 5. Through both organizational assignments, his work was directed primarily to training missions, Midshipman cruises, Navy drills, and train Armada members Navy. Also in 1937, eight A1 1.1 inch (28 mm) AA rifles in two quadruple doubles were added to enhance the AA's light arsenal. In December 1938, Texas was accepted to test the first ship radar designed and manufactured by a commercial company, RCA, for the US Navy, CXZ 385MHz. In 1941, Texas was one of fourteen ships to receive the RCA CXAM-1 radar.
World War II
Initial operation
Soon after the war broke out in Europe in September 1939, Texas began operating in Neutrality Patrol, an American effort to keep the war from the western hemisphere. Later, when the United States moved toward more active support from the Allies, the warships began to converse the ship carrying Lend-Lease supplies to England. In February 1941, the US Marines 1 Division was activated aboard the Texas . On February 1, Admiral Ernest J. King picked up his flag as Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet re-established on board the Texas ship. That same year, when in Patral Neutral in the Atlantic, Texas was stalked unsuccessfully by the German submarine U-203 .
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, the warship was in Casco Bay, Maine, underwent a period of rest and relaxation after three months in charge of the Naval Station of Argentia, Newfoundland. After 10 days at Casco Bay, he returned to Argentia and remained there until late January 1942, when he was walking to escort the convoy to England. After sending his indictment, the warship was patrolling the waters near Iceland until March when he returned home. Around this time, the secondary battery was reduced to six 5-inch weapons and the AA lightweight was greatly improved, with two 0.1 inch/75 barrel rifles replaced by 6 (then 10) quad mounts of 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors and Oerlikon canons 443 mm (0.79 in), an attack on Pearl Harbor has shown the need for this. Over the next six months, he continued the convoy-escort mission to various destinations. On one occasion, he escorted the Marines of Guadalcanal to Panama; On the other hand, troops are screened service to Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the west coast of Africa. More often, he made the voyage to and from the United Kingdom escorting cargo ships and carrier vessels.
Operation Torch
On October 23, 1942, Texas began its first major battle operation when he sorted with Task Group 34.8 (TG 34.8), North Attack Group for Operation Torch, North African invasion. The goal set for this group is Port Lyautey in Morocco France. The warships arrived at the coastal attacks near the village of Mehedia on the morning of November 8 and began preparations for the invasion. Texas sent the "Voice of Freedom" broadcast of Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, asking France not to oppose the Allied occupation of North Africa. When troops went ashore, Texas did not act immediately to support them. At that time in warfare, the doctrine of amphibious warfare was still embryonic. Many Army officers do not recognize the value of praranding bombardments. Instead, the Army insisted on trying to land with surprise. Texas entered the battle early in the afternoon when the Army asked him to shoot a French Vichy Army ammunition dump near Port Lyautey. Another shooting mission was given on the 10th before the truce on 11 November. Thus, unlike in the subsequent operations, he only issued 273 bullets 14 inches and 6 rounds of 5 inches shells. During his short visit, some of his crew went to the beach to help rescue some of the sinking ships in the harbor. On November 16, Texas left North Africa to the East Coast of the United States in the joint task force Savannah , Sangamon , Kennebec , four transportation, and seven destroyers.
The young news reporter Walter Cronkite was on a Texas ship that began in Norfolk, Virginia, through his service off the coast of North Africa, and then returned to the United States. On the way home, Cronkite was flown Texas on one of his Kingfisher OS2U aircraft when Norfolk was in flight. He was given permission to fly the rest of the distance to Norfolk so that he could exceed a rival correspondent in Massachusetts to return to the US and to issue the first uncensored news report published about Operation Torch. Cronkite's experience aboard the Texas launches his career as a war correspondent.
Operation Overlord
Throughout 1943, Texas performed a familiar role of convoy escort. With New York as his home port, he made numerous transatlantic voyages to places like Casablanca and Gibraltar, as well as frequent visits to ports in the British Isles. The routine continued until 1944 but ended on April 22 of that year when, at the end of Europe one such mission, he remained at the Clyde estuary in Scotland and began training for the Norman invasion.
Exercise
For the next twelve days, Texas did a lot of 14-inch shooting exercises with British warships HMSÃ, Ramillies and Rodney . The shooting was carried out simultaneously with Royal Air Force aircraft as a claimant. On April 29th, Texas , Nevada , and Arkansas moved to Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland. There, final preparations were made, including the removal of the ship's catapult plane and the ship's Kingfisher OS2U observation aircraft. Three pilots flying Kingfishers during this period were temporarily transferred to a newly formed squadron, VOS-7, consisting of pilots who were flying observations and scouting aircraft from cruisers Augusta , Quincy and Tuscaloosa and warships Arkansas , Nevada , and Texas . VOS-7 received training in the tactics of defensive fighters, aerobatics, navigation, flying formation, and spotting procedures at the Spitfires Royal Air Force; they fly to find a mission in Spitfires because of the threat of German fighters. Pilot VOS-7 will fly to find missions for US warships from Omaha and Utah Beach during D-Day. Also, during this time additional radio equipment is added, including devices for detecting and jamming radio guided missiles. The last exercise was held south at Dundrum Bay and Belfast Lough. During final preparations, General Eisenhower came on May 19 to talk to the crew. On May 31, the ship was sealed and a briefing was given to the crew about the impending invasion. For the invasion, Texas was designated as Bombardment Force Flagship for Omaha Beach, in Western Taskforce. His shooting area in Omaha is western, supporting the 29th US Infantry Division and the 2nd US Ranger Battalion at Pointe du Hoc, and the 5th US Ranger Battalion, being diverted to West Omaha to support troops at Pointe du Hoc.
The strength of the Omaha Beach bombing consists of two parts with Texas and the English light cruiser HMSÃ, Glasgow responsible for the west with Arkansas and France light cruisers Georges Leygues and Montcalm are responsible for the east. Also assigned to Omaha Beach is the American destroyer of Frankford, McCook, Carmick, Doyle, Emmons , Baldwin , Harding , Satterlee , Thompson and the British destroyer HMS Tanatside , Talybont and Melbreak .
At 2:09 on 3 June, Texas and the rest of the Western Task Force sailed from Belfast Lough to Normandy. In view, the parallel course is a group of English ships, including Warsfiber warship and Ramillies. At 07:10 on June 4, the task force had to reverse the situation due to unacceptable weather in Normandy. Later that night, off Lundy Island, the task force turned and headed for and joined the invasion fleet meeting in Area Z. Fleet raid then headed south to Normandy and navigated the German minefield, where a minesweeper had cleared the canal; none of Omaha Beach's missing ships.
D-Day
At 3:00 pm on June 6, 1944, Texas and the British explorer Glasgow enters the Western Omaha fire support line and arrives at its initial 12,000 yd (11,000 m) shot position at offshore near Pointe du Hoc at 4:41 am, as part of a combined US-British fleet of a total of 702 ships, including seven warships and five heavy cruisers. The initial bombardment began at 5:50 pm, against a six-centimeter (6 inch) six-gun site, above Pointe du Hoc. When Texas stopped firing at Pointe at 06:24, a 255 14-inch shell was fired in 34 minutes - an average of 7.5 bullet shots per minute, which is the longest longest period of shooting Texas in World War II. While the shells from the main weapons fired at Pointe du Hoc, the 5-inch gun fired on the area leading to Exit D-1, a route to get into the interior of western Omaha. At 6:26 am, Texas moved its main battery gun to the western edge of Omaha Beach, in the vicinity of Vierville. Meanwhile, the secondary battery works on another target on the western edge of the "Omaha" beach, a gorge that is dotted with strong points to maintain its exit. Then, under the control of the air purifier, it moves its large caliber to the mainland to obstruct enemy enforcement activity and to destroy batteries and other strong points further inland.
During the day, attacks on Omaha Beach are in danger of collapsing because of the stronger German resistance than anticipated and the inability of the Allies to get the required armor and artillery units on the coast. In an effort to help infantry troops struggling to take Omaha, several destroyers providing close shooting support near the coastline, almost fired on themselves to shoot Germany. Texas is also closed to the shoreline; at 12:23, Texas closed just 3,000 ms (2,700 m) from the water's edge, firing its main weapon with a slight increase to clear the D-1 west exit, in front of Vierville.. Among other things, he fired on snipers and machine-gun nests laid on shore. At the end of the mission, warships attacked an enemy anti-aircraft battery located west of Vierville.
On June 7, the warship received word that the Ranger battalion at Pointe Du Hoc was still isolated from the rest of the invasion forces with low ammunition and increased casualties; in response, Texas obtained and filled two LCVPs with provisions and ammunition for Rangers. Upon their return, LCVP brings thirty-five injured Rangers to Texas for the treatment that one person died on the operating table. Along with Rangers, a deceased Coast Guard sailor and twenty-seven prisoners (twenty Germans, four Italians, and three French) were taken to the ship. The detainees were fed, separated, and not officially interrogated on board the Texas ship, as the ship bombarded the target or stood to bombard, before it was loaded on the LST for transfer to England. Later in the day, the main batteries peppered the towns of Formigny and TrÃÆ' Â © viÃÆ'¨res which enemies confronted to break down the concentration of German troops. That night, he bombarded a German mortar battery that had shelled the shore. Shortly after midnight, German planes attacked ships offshore, and one of them swooped low in the Texas ' area on the right of the ocean. The anti-aircraft battery was immediately open but failed to hit the intruder. On the morning of June 8, his gun fired on Isigny, then with a beach battery, and finally at TrÃÆ' Â © viÃÆ'¨res once again.
After that, he retired to Plymouth to rearm, returning to the French coast on June 11. From then until June 15, he supported the army in the interior. On June 15, troops have advanced to the edge of the weapon range Texas '; its last fire aid mission so far inland so to get the required range, the right torpedo blister is flooded with water to provide a two-degree list that gives enough power to complete the fire department's mission. With combat operations out of arm's reach on June 16, Texas left Normandy for England on 18 June.
Battle of Cherbourg
On the morning of 25 June Texas , in the company with Arkansas , Nevada , four cruisers and eleven destroyers, closing at the vital port of Cherbourg for suppressing the castle and batteries that surround the city while the US Army Corps VII attacked the city from behind. While on the way to Cherbourg, the bombing plan was changed and Group Duty 129.2 (TG 129.2), built around Arkansas and Texas, was ordered to move 6Ã, mi ( 9.7 km)) to the east of Cherbourg and using the Hamburg Battery gun, a large beach battery consisting of four 24 centimeter (9 inch) guns. At 12:08, Arkansas was the first to shoot the German position, while the German shooter waited for Arkansas and Texas to be good in range to restore the fire. At 12:33, Texas was bound by three German shells; five minutes later Texas returned fire with a continuous stream of two-gun salvo. The battleship went on firing despite geysers batting around him and finding it difficult to find targets for smoke; however, enemy shooters are equally stubborn and skilled. At 13:16, a German 24 cm shell slid at the top of its connecting tower, shaved the top of the fire periscope control off (the periscope kept falling back into the deceptive tower and wounded the cannon officer and the other three), hitting the main support column of the navigation bridge and exploding. The explosion caused the pilot's home deck above to be blown up about 4 feet (1.2 m), damaging the pilot's home interior, and wounding seven. Of the eleven total victims of the German bombing, only one person succumbed to his injuries - the assigned helm, Christen Christensen. Commander of Texas officer ', Captain Baker, escaped unscathed and quickly repaired the bridge. The warship itself continues to send its 14-inch shell in two pistols, and, regardless of damage and casualties, scores a direct attack that pierces one of the highly strengthened weapon powers to destroy the inner rifle at 13:35.
At 14:47, an unexploded 24-cm shell was reported. The shell crashed through the port arc directly under the Wardroom and entered the cabin of Warrant Officer M.A. Clark, but failed to explode. The unexploded shell was later disarmed by a Navy bomb disposal officer in Portsmouth and is currently displayed aboard. Throughout the three-hour duel, Germany straddled and almost missed Texas more than sixty-five times, but he continued his mission of firing 206 shells 14 in the Battery Hamburg until ordered to retire at 15:01..
Dragoon Operation
After Texas had an improvement in Plymouth from the damage suffered in Cherbourg, he drilled in preparation for the invasion of southern France. On July 16, he left Belfast Lough and went to the Mediterranean. After stopping at Gibraltar and Oran, Algeria, the warship arrived in Taranto, Italy on 27 July. Departing from Taranto on August 11, Texas met with three French destroyers in Bizerte, Tunisia, and arranged courses for the French Riviera. He arrived in Saint-Tropez on the night of August 14 and joined the following morning with the battleship of Nevada and Philadelphia cruiser At 4:44 pm on August 15, he moved into a position for bombing pre-landing and, at 0651, opened on its first target, a battery with five 15cm guns. The beaches have been fortified and heavy resistance is expected. Due to the very poor visibility that morning, Texas depended on SG radar equipment to determine its position and track for the purpose of navigation and cannon. There is no landmark seen during the shootings and for most of the morning.
The expected big opposition never materialized, so the landing troops moved inland quickly. Since fire support from the Texas span guns' is no longer necessary, he left the south coast of France on the morning of 17 August. After stopping in Palermo, Sicily, he left the Mediterranean and headed for New York where he arrived on 14 September 1944.
Operation and Ice Detachment
In New York, Texas underwent a 36-day repair period in which the barrel on the main battery was replaced. After a brief refreshment voyage, he departs from Maine in November and sets the path, through the Panama Canal, to the Pacific. He stopped in Long Beach, California, and then proceeded to Oahu. He spent Christmas at Pearl Harbor and then maneuvered on the Hawaiian Islands for about a month at the end of which he steamed into Ulithi Atoll. He departed Ulithi on February 10, 1945, stopping at the Mariana Islands for two days of invasion drills, and then he arranged a course for Iwo Jima. He arrived at Iwo Jima on February 16, three days before the amphibious landing began. He spent just three days pounding the Japanese defense at Iwo Jima in preparation for the landing of three Marine Corps Divisions. After the Marines invaded the coast on Feb. 19, Texas switched to providing naval support for them. "On-call fire" in response to requests from the Marine unit continues until February 21st.
Although the island of Iwo Jima was not declared to be captured until March 16, Texas departed from the Volcano Islands on March 7, and returned to Ulithi Atoll to prepare for the invasion of Okinawa (Operation Ice Mountain). He departed from Ulithi with Task Force 54, a shooting support unit, on March 21, and arrived in the Ryukyu Islands on the 26th. Texas moved close to Okinawa and started his bombing prelam on the same day. Over the next six days, he fired several salvo from his main weapon to prepare the way for some troops and divisions of the Marines to perform their amphibious landing on April 1st.
Every night, Texas retires from his bombardment position near to Okinawa, but returns the next day to continue his bombing. The enemy's edge, preparing for a deep-defense strategy like in Iwo Jima, does not make an answer. Only the air unit responded, as some of the kamikaze attacks were sent to harass the bombardment group. Texas escaped damage during the attack. On April 1, after six days of air and sea raids, ground troops landed on land, and for nearly two months, Texas remained in Okinawa waters providing gun support for troops and fending off enemy air strikes.. In performing his last mission, he claimed one kamikaze killed himself and claimed three assists. On May 14 he departed from Okinawa to the Philippines.
End of war
On May 17th, Texas arrived at Leyte in the Philippines and remained there until after the capitulation of Japan on August 15th. He returns to Okinawa towards the end of August and lives in the Ryukyu Islands until 23 September. On that day, he arranged a course for the United States with troops tied back home as part of Operation Magic Carpet. The warship drove its passengers to San Pedro, California on October 15, and celebrated the Navy Day there on October 27 before continuing its mission to bring home American troops. He made two round trips between California and Oahu in November and the third at the end of December. On January 21, 1946, Texas left San Pedro and steamed through the Panama Canal to Norfolk where he arrived on 13 February, and immediately began preparations for inactivity. On June 18, he was placed officially as a reserve in Baltimore, Maryland.
Ship museum
On April 17, 1947, the Battleship Commission Texas was established by the Texas Legislature to take care of the ship. The $ 225,000 to be paid to withdraw from Baltimore to San Jacinto was the Commission's first assignment. On March 17, 1948, Texas began its journey to a new harbor along the busy Houston Ship Channel near the San Jacinto Monument, at San Jacinto State Park, arriving on April 20, where he was submitted to the State Texas the following day serves as a permanent warning. April 21 is important because of the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto which determined the end of the Texas War of Independence and led to the creation of the Texas Republic, which joined the United States as a state in 1845. The name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on April 30, 1948. Texas is the first permanent war ship memorial museum in the US. USSÃ, Oregon, was displayed as a floating museum in Portland, Oregon from 1925 to 1941 but was canceled in 1956. When the warship was presented to the State of Texas, he was commissioned as the flagship of the Force Texas Sea.
Battleship Texas Commission
Funds generated by the Battleship Commission Texas are not up to the task of maintaining the vessel. Consequently, the years of negligence produce gaps and crevices in coated surfaces, water intrusion, and steel damage. The paint in the interior space begins to crack, then peel, showing the metal surface underneath, which begins to rust. At the same time, the pipes that open to the sea eventually fail, flooding various cavities and bunkers. In 1968, the main ship's deck was so weathered that rain water leaked through the deck to the inside of the ship and fused into the various compartments. The Commission found that replacing broken logs would be very expensive. The solution at the time was to remove the wooden deck and replace it with concrete. The concrete eventually cracked, and once again, the rainwater began to leak through the main deck into the rooms below. In 1971, three local charities, the Brown Foundation, the Moody Foundation and the Houston Endowment, jointly donated $ 50,000 to the ship to allow the Commission to sandblast and paint the hull. At this time, newspaper articles reported that Texas was "under attack" from inadequate abandonment and funding. However, Texas was designated as the Landmark of Historic National Mechanical Engineering by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1975, and the National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1976.
Transfer to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
In 1983, concerns with the leadership of the Texas War Commission resulted in a decision by the State Legislature to hand control of the ship to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The legislature abolished the effective commission of 31 August 1983, and the TPWD took operational control the following day. One of the first actions of TPWD was to hire a naval architects company to survey ships to assess damage and make recommendations on what actions to take to conserve the vessel. The survey revealed that the watertight integrity of the ship was badly damaged, the hull open to the sea in many places, and many compartments filled with rainwater. The architects determined that the ship needed to go to the dry dock for major repairs to the stomach and to keep the rain water from entering through the porous concrete deck. As part of this plan, serious consideration is given to protect sensitive fabrics and restore the ship's interior. After a five-year fundraising campaign, $ 15 million was collected to dry the vessel and complete the necessary repairs.
dry dock period 1988-1990
On December 13, 1988, Texas was pulled from his bed with difficulty for six hours by six large tugboats to begin a 56 mi (49 nmi; 90 km) trip from where he was to Todd Shipyards in Galveston, Texas. After being in the back on the Houston Ship Channel, he started taking water, with serious violations just ahead of the engine room. The crew has three 4-inch (100 mm) pumps and two 2-inch (51 mm) pumps in sustainable services to combat flooding. During the nine-hour transit plus, the draft ship increased 18 to 20 in (460 to 510 mm) at the stern.
Texas enters a drydock floating around the yard at about 10:30 pm on December 13, when the tide is only 6 inches (150 mm) between its keel and the block it will occupy. He underwent a 14-month reparation that attempted to return the vessel to a 1945 condition. While under repair, the worker painted a sand-blasted page of not only the hull but also the superstructure and replaced many tons of rusty metal from the hull. Inside the ship, welders and fabricators replace weak structural beams and many rusted deck plates. Topside, workers move the concrete from the main deck and make improvements. (A new pine wooden deck will be installed in Green's Bayou.) In total, over 375,000 pounds (170,000 kg) of steel (about 15% of the hull of the ship) was replaced and more than 40,000 sealed welded rivets. in the underwater hull.
On February 24, 1990, tugs moved Texas from a dry pier to a repair facility at Green's Bayou for further improvement. This is where a wooden deck is installed and four out of ten 40 mm quad gun mounts are installed. On July 26, the ship was returned to its place in San Jacinto where the last six mountains of 40 mm guns were installed. Repairs completed, the ship officially reopened to the public on September 8, 1990. Since returning to slip in San Jacinto, staff members and volunteer ships have been working to restore interior space.
Dry docking project
After years of evaluating alternative plans to address ship issues (as well as other issues in San Jacinto), the TPWD, working with many stakeholders at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, adopted the so-called Master Plan to place Texas > to a permanent dry place. After the Master Plan was officially adopted by TPWD in 2004, the Texas Legislature was approached to secure appropriate funding. The legislature allowed Texas voters to express their opinion and on November 6, 2007 Texas voters approved $ 25 million in funds to dry the vessel to prevent further damage from the corrosive waters of the ship's channel.
One of the provisions of the bond legislation is the Battleship TEXAS Foundation (BTF), a nonprofit support organization, collecting $ 4 million in private funds to raise $ 25 million in bond funds. This will give a total of $ 29 million to achieve the goal.
With a vote of confidence in this place, BTF is contracted with an independent maritime engineering firm to create a ship survey to determine its condition. If the ship is not structurally strong enough to sustain itself when permanently rests on the keeled beam, then the question of dry congestion will be disputed. The survey shows that, although the stomach is leaking, its keel and its main supporting structures are strong enough to support the weight of the vessel in a dry place.
Once it is determined that a dry jam physically makes it possible to ship, it is necessary to make a preliminary evaluation of a viable technique the way in which dried stalks can actually be achieved. Again, an independent maritime engineering firm contracted to study alternatives to dry berths and to present their report of findings to BTF and TPWD.
TPWD, acting on ship condition reports, and on alternative engineering reports of safe haven sites, and on their internal studies and reports, prepared a progress report they presented to the Legislative Council (LBB) at the end of July 2008.
In March 2009, LBB released funds for a dry berthing project to start. After a long selection process and negotiation of costs, TPWD signed a contract with AECOM, on October 26, 2010, to design and develop a plan for Texas ' s-anchored dry. The contract called for AECOM to have the initial design completed by the spring of 2011. After a federal mandated environmental assessment for which it is expected to take about two years, the bidding process for dry and moored dock construction while Texas is expected to begin in mid 2014 with construction to be completed by summer 2017. Leakage
In June 2010, a leak on the right side of the ship caused Texas to sink two to three feet at its moor. The leak was deposited by a burning pump, allowing the ship to take more water than usual. As a result, the separation of stitches drawn below the water surface creates a second leak. After a leak is found, the damaged pump is replaced. 105,000 US gal (400,000 Ã, Â °, 87.000Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã , Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã , Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã,? Water must be pumped from the ship Once the leak is above the water line again, a lap is filled in it as a temporary improvement On June 9, 2012 (almost two years to the following day), about 30 a new leak, between holes 1 in (25 mm) and 2 sq ft (0.19 m 2 ) gaps, was found, ultimately requiring a three-week closure of the vessel to visitors, removal of water and leak repair was complicated by the presence of oil residue in the fuel bunker Texas ' In less than a month, the leak was repaired.On June 12, 2017, 6-by-8-inch holes (15 x 20 cm) about 15 feet (4.6 m) below the water level causes the ship to tilt six degrees to the right side of the ship.After an emergency repair, the crew pumps about 2,000 gallons (7,600 liters) per minute from the ship for more than 15 hours.
Warning
Texas is the first and oldest of eight US warships to become permanent floating museums; Other warships honored in this way are Massachusetts , Alabama , North Carolina , New Jersey , Missouri , Wisconsin , and Iowa . Texas is also one of the oldest surviving naval vessels, 100 years old on March 12, 2014.
Radio warnings are held at Texas each year over the weekend of Museum Ship and Pearl Harbor Day. An amateur Radio operator from Amateur Radio Station Battleship Texas (BTARS website between 8 and 3 years expires) operates on two occasions under the Federal Communications Commission under the nickname of NA5DV, similar to the original NADV callign.
Awards
Texas was awarded for its services in the Tampico Incident, World War I and World War II. For his service in World War II Texas earned five star battles, one for every major campaign he participated in, among other awards.
Media
Texas has appeared in several movies before and since his retirement. His film debut, though brief, was in the final scene of the 1937 movie Boy Of The Streets starring Jackie Cooper and Maureen O'Conner. Steve McQueen 1966 Movie The Sand Pebbles . In the 2001 film Pearl Harbor Texas stood for the various warships that were attacked on 7 December 1941. Some of the ship's interior was also used to describe the interior of the Hornet carrier later in the movie. Texas also appeared as herself in the 2006 film Flag of Our Father and Letter from Iwo Jima ; in both films the ship was depicted firing at Iwo Jima in preparation for a Marine amphibious attack.
Texas is the central plot element in 1985's "The Ayes Of Texas" science fiction book by Daniel da Cruz, who served in Texas in World War II.
A ship called "USS Texas" is featured as a multiplayer map in Call of Duty 2017: World War II, although the "USS Texas" map hardly resembles a real ship, possibly because gameplay takes precedence over accuracy.
See also
- US. Naval Museum (and other war museums)
Footnote
References
External links
- Battleship Texas Foundation, created to assist conservation and continuing education aboard this historic ship.
- 1944 General Plan for US. Texas (BB-35), New York Class, organized by the National Ocean Shipping Association of History (HNSA)
- Photo gallery Marinequest USS Texas BB-35
- The Texas Navy organized by Portal to the History of Texas.
- USS Texas Hard Hat Tour: Photos and information from a tour of the ship's covered areas to the public.
- USS Texas (Battleship Number 35, later BB-35), 1914-1948
- NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive
- Photo gallery USS Texas at NavSource Naval History 1911-1915, 1916-1919, 1920-1926, 1927-1941, 1942-1949, 1950-Present
- "Battleship Texas (BB-35), Special Feature, July 6, 2002". NavSource Naval History . Ã, Contains high resolution images taken on the 90th anniversary launch Texas .
- USS Texas (BB-35) at the Historical Naval Ship Association
- ASME National Engineering Historic Landmark Page
- BB35 World War II report All 6 BB35 World War II reports on combat activity
- BB35 BB35's extensive information center based on the variety and quantity of BB35's primary source, which is included with the site
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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