USS Texas: “The Most Gangsta Battleship Of All Time”

[Elderberry]

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog 2/9/2024

https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=57162

The Fat Electrician has a tribute video for USS Texas (which is still undergoing refurbishment).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oJSRAFkJIs

•  “Today we’re talking about the most gangsta battleship of all time: The USS Texas, predating both World Wars, being built in 1914.”

•  “It’s commonly referred to as the last dreadnought. But it’s not technically a dreadnought, belonging to the New York-class of battleswhips, which were commonly referred to as super-dreadnoughts.” It was a class of two, with only the New York and the Texas. There was a pre-dreadnought USS Texas laid down in 1889 and scrapped in 1911.

•  “They had the largest guns ever put on a boat up to that time. That would be the Mark 1, capable of launching two 14 inch shells that weighed nearly 1,600 pounds apiece. The USS Texas had five of them, two in the front and three in the back. It was like a freedom sedan.”

•  They also had ballistic calculators and analogue computers, making them the most accurate naval guns in the world at the time. Plus a whole bunch of smaller guns.

•  “It was the first ship in history to incorporate anti-aircraft guns.”

•  “As well as having a 12″ thick hull, an entire freedom foot of Pittsburgh steel. The only thing millimeters is going to do to that is scratch the paint.”

•  It was the first ship to have a compliment of Marines onboard. “They let the water grunts drive the biggest gun ever made.”

•  The USS Texas saw “almost no combat” in World War I. Via Wikipedia: “Texas’s service with the Grand Fleet consisted entirely of convoy missions and occasional forays to reinforce the British squadron on blockade duty in the North Sea whenever German heavy units threatened.”

•  “But it’s actions in World War II made it a naval legend.” Lots of newer, more powerful ships than the Texas, but the Texas was the only battleship to engage the enemy in all five theaters.

•  “D-Day, June 6, 1944. The Texas would take it’s position 12,000 yards off the coast of Normandy.” It fired 235 rounds at German fortifications in just under 54 minutes. “That is four hundred and eight thousand pounds of ammunition.”

•  “The Texan was shooting the enemy with about three spicy Volvos a minute.”

•  “I’m trying to tell you the Grim Yeeter over here bitchslapped the enemy’s coastline with an entire car dealership in the amount of time it takes you to watch a TV show.”

•  Continued bombarding until running out of ammo June 11, at which point it went back for resupply. By the time it was back, allied troops had driven the enemy so far inland its guns couldn’t reach. So it moved in to 3,000 yards, the closest it could get without beaching the ship.

•  “It’s at that point the Texas said ‘Hold my beer’ and flooded all the blister tanks on the starboard side, tilting the entire boat, changing the angle of the guns, allowing them to reach further inland.”

•  “They gangster leaned a 32 thousand ton warship so they could continue to engage the enemy. This might be the most grunterrific moment in world history.”

•  “It’s not technically a war crime. Geneva didn’t even necessarily know that shit was a bleep option.”

•  The Texas would go on to fight at Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

[PeteS in CA]

“It’s commonly referred to as the last dreadnought. But it’s not technically a dreadnought, belonging to the New York-class of battleswhips, which were commonly referred to as super-dreadnoughts.” ...

The term "super-Dreadnought" was applied to any Dreadnought-style battleship with larger that 12" guns. For example, the RN had battleships with 13.5" guns that were also termed super-Dreadnoughts. The New York Class was the USN's first super-Dreadnought class. They wanted 14" guns on the earlier Wyoming class, but because US-made 14" guns were not ready for production, USS Wyoming and USS Arkansas (the previous battleship class) instead had 12"/50 guns instead of 12"/45 guns (i.e. higher muzzle velocity and greater armor penetration than the USN's 12"/45 guns).

It was a class of two ...

This was fairly typical for USN pre-London-Naval-Treaty Dreadnought-type battleships, though there were 3 New Mexico and 3 Colorado class battleships. But the South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee classes were 2 each.

They had the largest guns ever put on a boat up to that time. ...

Weeeellllllll ... HMS Queen Elizabeth, which had 15"/42 main guns, was commissioned the same year as USS Texas (first of the New Yorks to be commissioned), but a few months later.

As well as having a 12″ thick hull, an entire freedom foot of Pittsburgh steel. The only thing millimeters is going to do to that is scratch the paint.

USN Practice was to armor critical areas of battleships against the caliber of guns the ship carried. So the New York class (and the Nevada and Pennsylvania classes) were armored against 14"/45 guns. How well a New York, etc., would fare against a 15"/42 gunned Queen Elizabeth, a 14"/50 gunned New Mexico or Tennessee, or a 16"/45 gunned Colorado, Nelson, or Nagato, I wouldn't want to have experienced.

The USS Texas saw “almost no combat” in World War I. ...

This is pretty much true of all USN battleships of the WW1 era. Oil-burning USN battleships were kept on the US side of the Atlantic, because oil was less easy for the British to get (and the Queen Elizabeths needed the oil), while coal was plentiful.

... Lots of newer, more powerful ships than the Texas, but the Texas was the only battleship to engage the enemy in all five theaters.

That depends on how one defines "theater". USS Texas escorted convoys across the Atlantic and supported landings in North Africa, Normandy, southern France, and eventually in the Pacific. USS Nevada, ignoring the PH attack, supported landings at Attu in the Aleutians, Normandy, southern France, and eventually in the Pacific.

I’m trying to tell you the Grim Yeeter over here bitchslapped the enemy’s coastline ...

As did USS Arakasas ... as did USS Nevada ... as did HMS Warspite ...

I'm not in the least denigrating or diminishing USS Texas' career, but most USN older battlewagons had similar careers (except for USS Oklahoma and USS Arizona, of course), and USS Texas was one of US older battleships that did not engage an IJN battleship at the Battle of the Surigao Strait (IIRC, Fuso had sunk before US battleships opened fire on Kirishima), a rather unique event.

[catfish1957]

Honored to say this historic ship is within an hour of visiting, and I do try to stop by every few years.

And....   it's located where the War of Texas Independece ended too (Jacinto) or at Galveston at dry dock for repair.  (Not sure of its up to moment status)

Talk about a historic feel and joy to see.