Leaking battleship in Texas set to make a trip for $35 million repairs

LA PORTE, Texas (AP) — It is the only surviving battleship to have served in both world wars, having fought against the Nazis and the Japanese army during World War II. But the biggest challenge in recent years for the USS Texas has been a rusting and leaking hull that at times forced workers to pump about 2,000 gallons (7,570 liters) of water a minute from the 110-year-old ship.

To ensure that the historic vessel does not sink and can continue to receive visitors, the foundation in charge of its care was tasked Wednesday to tow the ship from its former home along the Houston Ship Channel to a shipyard in nearby Houston. Galveston to make the necessary repairs.

The journey from its longstanding berth at the San Jacinto Battlefield 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 ship’s repairs are part of the foundation’s plans to eventually relocate it to a new location in Texas, possibly one of three nearby cities, including Galveston, to attract more visitors and increase revenue.

Moving the ship for repairs is “the single most important step in getting the ship back in tip-top shape,” Tony Gregory, president of the Battleship Texas Foundation, said Tuesday as he stood on the ship as workers made final preparations. .

The battleship will be pulled by four tugboats at a rate of about 5 knots per hour. The 40-mile (64-kilometre) trip to Galveston was expected to take about nine hours and she would not be without risk as the ship’s hull could leak enough to sink her.

“Once we get going, I anticipate it will be pretty straightforward… We feel like we’re ready,” Gregory said.

Since 1948, the USS Texas has been located at the state historic site where the decisive battle in the Texas Revolution was fought. There, she serves as a museum and tourist attraction. The battleship was previously taken to the same shipyard in Galveston for repairs in 1988.

During the last three years, the ship has been closed to the public as the foundation has been preparing for repairs. In 2019, the Texas Legislature approved the $35 million to fix the hull. The foundation plans to make other corrections that it is paying for. All repairs are expected to take up to a year to complete.

The foundation hopes that many people will gather along the ship channel to watch the ship go by.

Theresa McGowen, an interior designer from nearby Deer Park, said she planned to see the ship on Wednesday and hoped to be moved by recalling memories of visiting the ship as a child and later with her children.

“It has a lot of meaning because it has a lot of special memories and also its history. And they’re not going to bring him back (to La Porte). There is a bit of sadness with that,” she said.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70

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