Battleship Texas

[Rhino]

I saw a comment the other day that while she was being towed she's the only US Battle ship that's floating right now. That was shocking, we really do not have any active BBs right now do we?

If memory serves, USS Alabama at Mobile bay, USS New Jersey at Camden, USS North Carolina at Wilmington, USS Wisconsin at Norfolk, USS Iowa at San Diego and USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor are still afloat. USS Texas may well be the only US Navy Battleship that saw action in World War 1 still afloat. Possibly the only US BB to serve with the Royal Navy as well. None of our big gun ships are operating currently. There was scuttlebutt about BB-63 being reactivated. A WESTPAC cruise?

USS Alabama and USS Missouri are movie stars. USS Missouri played herself in "Battleship". She blew away a whole bunch of illegal space aliens!
It's fun to watch this slightly silly story based on the old Battleship game, but has interesting hardware. No way Liam Neeson is Brooklyn Deckers dad.
USS Alabama played the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis in a film by the same name. A heroic tale of the sinking of CA-35 filmed entirely in Alabama.

my 2-bits.

 

[moon puppy]

There was scuttlebutt about BB-63 being reactivated.

I think they should have at least one still in service. I know the 16in guns are out classed now with drone tech but there's a lot of deterrent factor when you see those guns fire.

 

[Duke Maddog]

I have heard or read somewhere that the USS New Jersey, USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin, when they were being prepared for their respective museums, provisions were made that they could be recalled to active duty if ever needed again. And yes, drone tech is considered to be one of the factors people think that outclasee these ships, but the same drone tech also is a tremendous help getting rounds more accurately down range. Iowa was not prepared as the B turret is considered a war grave, even though the explosion occurred during peacetime.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

From what I have read over the last couple of days, all the Battle ships have been retired. All the armament has been disposed of due to age and how it was becoming unstable. In the conversion to museum ships most of the circuitry used for fire, control, and even operation has been destroyed making these ships pure museums and no longer able to be used as they were built.

If you notice on the Texas in dry dock, it no longer has propellers, shafts or any kind of ability to propel herself.

 

[moon puppy]

Also note how far up the mud goes around here. She was literally sitting in the mud.

 

[Big10]

 

[Paulw]

Also note how far up the mud goes around here. She was literally sitting in the mud.

Still for as old as she is, she is in good shape for being in the mud all this time. I would have expected to see rusted through hull plates.

 

[moon puppy]

I remember talking to someone when I visited a couple of years ago that there was a lot of concern about moving her. She is a study in painting techniques isn't she?

 

[moon puppy]

She's getting a good bath!

Can you imagine the crud coming off that thing!

 

[Tim A.]

Amazing.

 

[Tim A.]

I'm late to this dry dock party. Found a YouTube channel for the restoration to get ongoing update videos. Today's was on restoring the Bofors guns.

 

[moon puppy]

I know we have a couple of threads on this. Might consolidate them.

Latest update

 

[Rhino]

The "Big Stick" President Roosevelt must have wished for most fondly. What a grand Lady! The last of her kind. Seeing her repaired and painted makes me a little misty.

 

[moon puppy]

TR was a badass. Wish we could clone him.
Everyone should read Edmund Morris trilogy, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex and Col Roosevelt.

 

[Tim A.]

I know we have a couple of threads on this. Might consolidate them.

Latest update

 

[Tim A.]

They are doing a beautiful job on Texas.
I'm learning a lot on the Foundation's fb page. I was waiting to see where they started the antifouling red. I wanted to get an idea of the width of the boot topping. However they said no red. It's not needed, and will save quite a bit of money.

 

[moon puppy]

New video out.

Shocking to me how quickly they have turned this out.

 

[Rhino]

Those ABSD Yard guys know their stuff! They build almost as fast as Tim does!

 

[moon puppy]

They guy created a 3d Model of the Texas based on his drone footage.

 

[centaur567]

This is amazing stuff and a massive undertaking. I only wish that the WWII USS Enterprise was saved also. Gary S.