Standing strong since its birth during World War I, the USS Texas battleship, after a lengthy passionate discussion, was towed to Galveston where it currently sits in dry dock awaiting to be refurbished before a final destination is determined.

A 27,000-ton New York class battleship, the USS Texas was built in Newport, Virginia, and was commissioned in March 1914. The USS Battleship Texas participated in the occupation of Veracruz, Mexico. It joined the Atlantic fleet in 1918 before being reassigned to the Pacific fleet in 1931, when her base of operation was moved to California. During WWII, she joined the Atlantic squadron in maintaining the safety of cargo ships. She provided heavy gunfire support during the invasion of North Africa in November 1942. The Texas’s 14-inch and 5-inch guns fired on German positions for several days prior to the Normandy Landings.

From late March to late May, the ship operated off Okinawa, blasting Japanese positions and fighting off suicide plane attacks. When the war ended, the ship spent three months transporting veterans home to the United States. The Texas was inactive until April 1948 when she was placed out of commission and turned over to the state of Texas, where she has been maintained as a memorial at San Jacinto until the ship was towed to Galveston where it was refurbished and find a new home.

The cities vying for the honor of hosting the ship are Baytown, Beaumont, Galveston, and Corpus Christi. The estimated cost to refurbish the ship is $35 million.