January, 2018

An obsolete battleship isn't something that's very useful; they take up a lot of room. So it's not surprising that there are not many of these old ships around.

I'll be first looking at the Battleship Texas, which is in Houston, and then the Battleship Alabama, which is in Mobile. You'd be right thinking that the only reason these two ships were saved from being scrapped was the fortune of their name. The states for which each was named successfully convinced the Navy that they'd take them.

Let's compare:

USS Texas (BB-35)
Launched: 18 May 1912
Decommissioned: 21 April 1948
Class and type: New York-class battleship
Displacement: 27,000 long tons
Length: 573 ft
Speed: 21 knots
Armament, largest: 10 × 14 in guns

USS Alabama (BB-60)
Launched: 16 February 1942
Decommissioned: 9 January 1947
Class and type: South Dakota-class battleship
Displacement: 35,000 long tons
Length: 680 ft
Speed: 27.5 knots
Armament, largest: 9 × 16 in guns

The Texas served in both world wars and shows the ability of the naval engineers to keep her relevant well beyond what could realistically have been expected when she was launched.

The Alabama represents several generations of development, and save for the next generation of Iowa Class battleships that came soon after, the Alabama is as good as they ever were.

Texas

Battleship Texas State Historic Site

The Texas has had a rough life and it's remarkable that she looks as good as she does. Even so, a great deal of work and money will be required to keep the whole ship in a good state of repair and to stop the decay. The plan is to eventually display this ship in a permanent dry-dock to eliminate further rot of the hull.

Few ships look as menacing as those old Dreadnaught ships with their reverse-angle bows.

Those who served onboard the Texas didn't have an easy job getting from once place on the ship to another. The ship was not designed for their comfort.

A look into one of the big turrets (you enter from below).

Guided tours are offered, where some of the more remote areas can be seen. But, even the standard self-guided tour is quite good, and much of the ship is open.

A battleship holds many men and it has to supply everything they'll be needing.

There are only twelve small rooms for officers--everybody else is well-crowded together. When the ship was built, hammocks were the norm. By the second world war, these drop-down beds had replaced most of those.