Leaky battleship in Texas completes trip for $35M repairs
LA PORTE, Texas — It’s the only surviving battleship that served in both world wars, having fought in Europe during World War I and against the Nazis and the Japanese Army during World War II.
But the greatest challenge in recent years for the USS Texas has been a leaky, rusty hull that at times forced workers to pump out about 2,000 gallons of water per minute from the 110-year-old ship.
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To ensure the historic vessel, commonly known to Texas residents as the Battleship Texas, doesn’t sink and can continue hosting visitors, the foundation in charge of its care successfully towed the ship on Wednesday from its longtime home along the Houston Ship Channel to a shipyard in Galveston for repairs.
Tony Gregory, president of the Battleship Texas Foundation, said the process of pulling the ship by tugboats and getting it on its way went perfectly.
He said any problems would have happened in the first 15 minutes and there were no issues.
“It went smoother than we thought and quicker than we thought … and she’s gone, down the channel,” he said Wednesday morning.
Travis Davis, the foundation’s vice president of ship operations and who was aboard the vessel during its trip, said Battleship Texas did really well during its journey and the organization never had to implement any of its emergency plans.
“She’s been a champ the whole time,” Davis said in a video from the ship just before it arrived in Galveston.
The 40-mile journey from its longtime berth at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in the Houston suburb of La Porte is part of a $35 million project to repair the hull and ultimately restore the ship to its former glory.
The foundation plans to eventually resettle it in a new location in Texas, possibly in one of three nearby cities, including Galveston, to attract more visitors and increase revenue.
