Updated: March 27, 2020 with images and some text.
I grew up in the outskirts of the Houston metropolitan area, but I never really got to see Houston until I moved away. I think I had to know what I was missing to have an interest in some of Texas’ quirky and yet pretty cool history.
We visited a few Houston attractions in the past. But with young ones, we know that we are always limited on time or their interests in the subject. However, we recently stumbled upon a new favorite game, Battleship, which got us thinking. How about checking out Battleship Texas?
Battleship Texas History
While visiting family, Prof and I thought it would be fun to visit another attraction/site around Houston to get to know my old town a little better. It took some time to decide which site to visit, until Prof mentioned seeing a real battleship, Battleship Texas (BB-35). When Piano Man heard this, he yelled a resounding, “Yesssssss!”
When we parked, you could see from afar the massive 34,000 ton (full-load), 573 feet (175 m) design of the ship. It’s quite an impressive view. According to Wikipedia, Battleship Texas accomplished several historical firsts:
– first US Navy vessel to house a permanently assigned contingent of US Marines
– first US battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns
– first US ship to control gunfire with directors and rangekeeprs (aka future analong forerunner to modern-day computers)
– first US battleship to launch aircraft from a catapult Turret 3
– first to receive the CXAM-1 version of CXAM production radar in U.S. Navy
– first US battleship to become permanent museum ship
– first battleship declared to be a U.S. National Historic Landmark
But after reading Texas Parks and Wildlife’s brochure, I learned some other pretty cool things. For one, the Battleship Texas landed at Iwo Jima, where the iconic American flag was lifted up on the second day of battle. The battleship also supported the invasion in Okinawa, the largest amphibious assault and highest number of casualties in the Pacific during World War II. While some would argue that more U.S. soldiers died on the European front (when doing a comparison strictly by numbers) than compared to the Pacific front, I distinctly remember when one of my professors in college talked about the horrifically high percentage rates at which Americans died in the Pacific. In addition to supporting the war on the Pacific front, Battleship Texas also supported the war in the Atlantic and North Africa.
Now, if that wasn’t enough to sell you on the idea to check out this famously historical museum ship, then knowing that you can walk around and touch a piece of history should be enough to go. I know that standing on the same same deck floor where our American soldiers fought for our freedom was enough for me to go.
Walking on the Exterior of the Battleship Texas
Once we walked onboard Battleship Texas, Piano Man wanted to sit on the 3”/50 caliber gun. So did Linus, I think.
Walking Inside the Battleship Texas
When I asked the another family to take a photo us, I heard a deep Texas southern accent. I haven’t heard that kind of accent in such a long time, and it felt nice to hear and see some southern hospitality.
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