The USS Texas (BB-35) experienced more combat than most other U.S. battleships, participating in both World Wars. She was a blend of military strength and innovation that proved essential to the Allies’ success during the Normandy landings. On that day, her crew made a daring choice—one that put their lives in jeopardy but ultimately proved to be a strategic success.
New York-class super-dreadnought battleships
The USS Texas was a New York-class battleship commissioned in March 1914, just months before the start of World War I. As the second of two ships in the class, she was designed as an improvement over the lesser-armed Wyoming-class. Regarded as the US Navy’s first true super dreadnoughts, both Texas and her sister ship, the USS New York (BB-34), were heavily armed.
Their primary firepower consisted of ten 14-inch deck guns, complemented by various secondary weapons, including four QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss saluting guns, 21 five-inch guns and two QF 1-pounder “pom-poms.” Additionally, both ships were equipped with four torpedo tubes capable of launching Bliss-Leavitt Mark 3 Torpedoes.
Along with their formidable weaponry, Texas and New York were heavily armored and powered by water-tube boilers and triple-expansion steam engines, giving them a top speed of just over 24 MPH and a range of approximately 1,825 miles.
USS Texas‘ service during World War I
Since the United States did not enter World War I until April 1917, the USS Texas initially saw action following the Tampico Incident, a conflict sparked by rising tensions between US Navy sailors and Mexican soldiers. Shortly after her commissioning, Texas was dispatched to Mexico without undergoing the customary shakedown cruise, spending two months stationed off the coast of Veracruz.
After a short stint with the Atlantic Fleet, Texas returned to Veracruz. In 1916, she made history as the first US battleship to be outfitted with 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and to incorporate directors and rangefinders for controlling gunfire. Although these technologies have largely evolved, their fundamental principles are still applied today.
Texas alternated her training operations between New England and Virginia, conducting winter tactical and gunnery exercises in the West Indies. Once the US entered into WWI, the battleship crossed the Atlantic to join the Grand Fleet, where she witnessed the first American shots of the war.
While serving with the Grand Fleet, Texas supported the British squadron assigned to blockade operations in the North Sea. Working alongside other vessels, she also escorted American minelayers, contributing to the extensive North Sea Mine Barrage, a minefield stretching from Norway to the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland.
Interwar period
The USS Texas returned to the United States in late 1918. After escorting US President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the ship underwent an overhaul and resumed her duties with the Atlantic Fleet.
In 1919, Texas became the first US battleship to launch an aircraft, a British-built Sopwith Camel. She also served as a navigational reference and protector for the Curtiss NC-4, which became the first seaplane to complete a trans-Atlantic flight. Soon after, the super-dreadnought was transferred to the newly-formed Pacific Fleet and designated BB-35.
As the interwar period unfolded, Texas underwent another overhaul, during which her anti-aircraft armament was upgraded to include eight 3-inch guns. Her torpedo tubes were removed, and six of her 5-inch guns were relocated to casemates. Following these changes, she was named the flagship of the US Fleet before carrying out routine operations with the Scouting Fleet.
By the time the Second World War broke out, Texas had undergone several more refits and was assigned to the US Fleet’s Training Detachment.
Operation Torch
When WWII began, the USS Texas operated as part of the Neutrality Patrol, before spending six months patrolling near Iceland and conducting convoy-escort missions. This was followed by Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, during which she became one of only three US battleships to take part. The other two were the USS New York and Massachusetts (BB-59).
As part of Task Force 34.8 (TG 34.8), Texas transmitted Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower‘s “Voice of Freedom” radio broadcast, which urged France to not oppose the Allied landings. While she wasn’t immediately involved in action against the Germans, Texas was tasked with firing upon a Vichy France ammunition dump near Port Lyautey.
After her brief stint overseas, Texas returned to the US. In April 1944, she began training for her greatest operation yet: D-Day.
USS Texas (BB-35) makes a risky decision on D-Day
After arriving in Normandy in early June 1944, the USS Texas and the British cruiser HMS Glasgow (C21) entered the western fire support lane off Omaha Beach, near Pointe du Hoc. Among the 702 ships in the US-British flotilla, she was one of just seven battleships.
The Texas began firing 14-inch shells in support of the 29th Infantry Division and the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions. In just 34 minutes, she had fired 255 shells—a staggering amount compared to the 300 rounds the ship expended during the entire Operation Torch. As the Allies advanced from the landing beaches, Texas shifted her focus to targets farther inland. Positioned only 2,700 meters from shore, the battleship continued pounding German positions throughout June 7-8.
After a brief return to England, Texas was back in Normandy by June 15. By then, Allied forces had moved so far inland that they were beyond the range of her large guns, which could no longer raise high enough to hit the needed targets. With fire missions still being requested, the crew had to devise a creative solution. If the port side guns couldn’t be lifted further, the starboard side would need to be lowered.
To achieve this, the crew intentionally flooded the torpedo blister on the starboard side, tilting Texas an additional two degrees into the water. This adjustment provided just the right angle for her guns to fire accurately and complete the mission. While most vessels would never deliberately flood part of their hull, this bold tactic was the perfect example of the creativity and determination of the Allied forces at Normandy, contributing to the success of the operation.
What happened to the USS Texas (BB-35)?
Following the Normandy invasion, the USS Texas assisted in the Battle of Cherbourg and Operation Dragoon. The vessel was then transferred to the Pacific Theater, where she provided naval gun support during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Earning a total of five battle stars during WWII, she was decommissioned in 1948.
Texas was the first ever US battleship to become a permanent museum ship and the first to be declared a National Historic Landmark. She is also the only remaining WWI-era dreadnought and the last capital ship to have served in both world wars.
On August 30, 2022, Texas set sail from her home at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, with her destination being the Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp in Galveston, where her hull will undergo a $35 million repair and upgrade. Due to her age and the amount of time she’s spent in the water, the underpart of the battleship has begun to rust and wear away, and efforts are needed to keep her afloat.
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The work is expected to take between nine and 12 months to complete.