USS Texas Battleship 'Nightmare' Explained In 1 Word

Homeless: The historic USS Texas (BB-35), the only surviving battleship from both World Wars, faces a pressing issue despite extensive restoration. After $60 million in repairs and over 300,000 man-hours to replace steel and refurbish its guns, the ship still lacks a permanent home.

-Originally housed at the San Jacinto battleground, bureaucratic and financial challenges prevent its return. Proposals to move the ship to Seawolf Park or Corpus Christi have been scuttled over logistical and funding issues.

-With local opposition in Galveston and no clear solution, the USS Texas remains afloat but without a viable future location.

USS Texas Battleship Restored But Struggles to Find a Home

Great effort has gone into preserving and restoring the former USS Texas (BB-35), the only surviving battleship to see service in both World Wars.

Launched in 1912, the warship became a museum ship after the end of the Second World War and for decades called the Houston Ship Channel near the San Jacinto Monument home. All the years in the water and exposure to the elements took a toll on the battle wagon, and leaks were so bad at one point in 2017 that emergency repairs were required just to keep the warship afloat.

In August 2022, USS Texas was towed to Galveston where it has been undergoing a massive restoration effort. While at Gulf Copper Dry Dock & Rig Repair in Galveston, more than 700 tons of steel was replaced and the ship's anti-aircraft guns were refurbished. Since 2022, nearly 300,000 man-hours have already gone into the battleship's restoration efforts. Millions have also been spent to preserve the warship for at least another generation.

But there is now a very serious problem.

As previously reported, the ship can't find a home. To suggest the matter is "complicated" is a vast understatement. There has been an ongoing battle over the home for the battleship in Galveston. Instead of a fight to be the future home for the famed warship, there has been pushback from businesses due to fears that its location would impact views of the harbor. Over the summer Katie's Seafood House, a Galveston restaurant and wholesale market, even started an online petition to keep the battleship from being moored along Pier 19-20.

So why not move it elsewhere? That is simply a matter of economics, logistics, and past agreements.

USS Texas can't return to the site of the San Jacinto battleground – which would seem a fitting choice, and which had been its home since 1947 (apart from a past restoration effort). This is due to several factors, including a matter of ownership.

"Control of the USS Texas was transferred to the foundation from Texas Parks and Wildlife in 2019 after state officials mandated the ship be 'permanently removed' from the battleground," Chron.com explained. Though it would be conceivable that the warship could be returned to the state, as a floating museum, she wasn't raising enough revenue to fund her upkeep.

Other potential homes for the battleship face similar issues – namely a lack of tourist traffic to "keep the Battleship Texas financially afloat."

One plan that was put forth had called for bringing BB-35 to Seawolf Park, which would seem the ideal location. It is home to the Galveston Naval Museum, as well as the Gato-class submarine USS Cavalla (SS-244), which had the distinction of sinking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shkaku during World War II, and the Edsall-class destroyer escort USS Stewart (DE-238). In addition, Seawolf Park maintains the remains of the World War I tanker SS Selma – one of the twelve experimental concrete ships constructed. Unfortunately, it was scuttled after the foundation deemed the move simply too expensive, as it would have required dredging the channel.

State officials, who still have a say in where the ship can go, also nixed a plan to move the ship to Corpus Christi, where it could be moored near USS Lexington (CV-16), the Essex-class aircraft carrier that is also preserved as a floating museum.

It would very much seem that the latter two options need to be seriously reconsidered. But for now, with $60 million already spent, USS Texas is simply a hole in the water. There are hopes that a home can be found for this homeless battleship, but it isn't looking good.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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This piece has been updated since publication.