A Conversation for Texas, USA
The Battleship Texas
Steve K. Started conversation Oct 3, 2002
The Battleship Texas is moored on the Houston Ship Channel (Texas, USA) in the City of Deer Park, where I live. Today's Deer Park Progress (a VERY small newspaper) had an interview with the Director of the Battleship (its a museum, basically) by reporter Bobby Vasquez.
A few interesting items:
"There are eight battleships left in the world ... the other seven were built during WWII ... the Texas was built prior to WWI. The technology on this ship was what you would likely find on the Titanic."
"Her first action was in 1914 ... she saw deployments in both World Wars ... firing the main 14 inch guns would be like launching your car from here to downtown [about 15 miles - remember the Bismarck?] ... it would leave a crater the size of a basketball court"
" ... the first American ship to have radar ... to launch an airplane ... to have a soda fountain ... which meant a lot to the 2,000 men on the ship ... "
Its an awesome ship, I still get shivers when I go below and think of the battles the crew went through. I recall that only one crewman was ever killed, the helmsman by an enemy shot, high above the main deck in the control tower.
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The Battleship Texas
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