Moving the USS Texas

[Reagan1k 3016]

6 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

The problem is no one ever plans a trip around touring these ships. It’s always something else you do on your trip. For Corpus, the expense and effort would double but tourism income and donations would stay flat. No one that was going to Galveston will change their plans and go to CC just to walk on a second boat.

 

1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

I know it's not "the' draw, but there is decent chance for the preserving history the USS Texas would be embraced.    These old Navy dudes and dudettes for that matter who are retired down here live for this sort of thing.  

Both are correct.  The Alabama makes it because it is a "might-as-well" stop on I-10.  1000's of people pass by daily and if you siphon off a tiny percentage you end up with a model that could be feasible.  Even if they don't give a shit about the history and they only stop to keep the kids from imploding on a long drive, the curators don't care.  "Please daddy, can we stop?" and "If we don't let them out for a break I'm going to smother everyone in their sleep tonight." 

Think Bobby Petrino meme here.  

If the Alabama were 5 miles father south off I10 it would draw a fraction of what it does.  Having it visible on I-10 from either direction, and having a couple of billboards 30 miles out each way makes it a destination.  No significant amount of people will go 10+ minutes out of their way to see the Texas or the Alabama,  but put it within sight of an interstate and there's a chance to maintain history without breaking the bank / relying on tax dollars.

Ground it in the Lost/Old River basin or stick it in the Neches above the Port of Beaumont.  Put in an RV Park and a playground with a dog park.  That's the only chance it survives.

Any other plan becomes a tax hell-hole IMO.

[CycleTex87 2954]

Hope that thing doesn’t break deep and take water….in the middle of the Ship Channel. 

[royiv 9164]

6 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

Hope that thing doesn’t break deep and take water….in the middle of the Ship Channel. 

Seems like that would be problematic for the supply chain. 

[TwiceHorn 31283]

9 hours ago, Chad Fuck said:

Those people exist, and I've met them.  But this is a great point and you are absolutely correct they're a very small subset of people and not enough to make a difference in the big picture.  

*raises hand*

Well, didn't plan the trip, it was a wedding, but on Sunday made the trip down to SanJac specially to see the Texas.  Ate at a Waffle House in Pasadena to boot.

Edited August 31, 2022 by TwiceHorn

[Nice Guy Eddie 13414]

live stream of the move: 

 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

Should park it in the river walk so people can learned about its role defending the Alamo.

[YGIFS 19449]

8 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Should park it in the river walk so people can learned about its role defending the Alamo.

It also helped there in winning the Civil War at the Battle of Iron Cactus.  But now you got your damn history rewrites and these kids today just don't understand.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13414]

I'm a traditionalist that loves when Captain Paul Revere of the Texas yelled Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death during the French and Indian War.

[FartingMonk 3606]

The USS Texas was part of the lend lease to Chiang Kai Shek prior to our involvement in World War 2.  Part of the AVG famously known as the the Flying Tigers.  If you look closely on the stbd side it has 10 meatballs painted on the side signifying that it shot down 10 Japanese fighters making it a double ace.

[YGIFS 19449]

You can't say Flying Tigers anymore.  It's now dubbed "Aviational Felines"  

[FartingMonk 3606]

Forgive my transgressions.  

[Chad Fuck 17567]

Should park it in the river walk so people can learned about its role defending the Alamo.

This is the link you want.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

Such beautiful scenery!

[Nivek 16861]

USS Texas belongs in Austin.  Put that big mother on campus, right outside DKR, and fly the biggest Texas flag we have over her!

Nah, put it where we shell collie station, waco, and norman.

[Captainant 27467]

Man, it really is something to see that steel castle moving again. Godspeed, Texas

[GreenspointTexas 9568]

Pretty amazing

[InkaUtexas 25523]

Just saw this posted. amazing! 

 

[Gatorubet 30117]

On 8/30/2022 at 5:22 PM, CycleTex87 said:

Hope that thing doesn’t break deep and take water…

… till all that remains are the faces and the names, of the wives and the sons  and the daughters

Edited September 1, 2022 by Gatorubet

[YGIFS 19449]

Was it rammed by the Cat Stevens?  

[davidg 4029]

Looks like the Clear Lake fleet came out to see her go by ...

 

 

[Kennythetiger 9335]

6 hours ago, Chad Fuck said:

 

This is the link you want.

Is this giant hunk of iron just deadweight, or is it able to help the tug with steering and propulsion?  

[YGIFS 19449]

4 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Is this giant hunk of iron just deadweight, or is it able to help the tug with steering and propulsion?  

There's no wake behind it, but I'm guessing it can at least steer.  

Coming from a Navy family, I can't be the only one wishing there was a PO3 on the bow at turret 1 giving the thumbs up to go faster like a kid tubing on the lake.

[CycleTex87 2954]

I might have paid good money to ride on that thing down to Galveston 

Edited August 31, 2022 by CycleTex87

[next2naus 436]

On 8/29/2022 at 11:39 AM, Brisketexan said:

We gotta get her in fighting shape so she can stop those commie rooskie bastards!  I read about it in a book.....

I read this book, your conclusions were all wrong, Brisket. Da Cruz acted stupidly.

 

I did read the book, entertaining fluff

[CycleTex87 2954]

I mean, can it lob a shell to Collie Station?

[next2naus 436]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:39 AM, SquishMitten said:

From the article, that’s the conclusion of the legislature. The state is giving $35 million and cutting them off. No more future maintenance will be funded by tax dollars. It’s now somebody else’s problem. It’s neat, for sure, but there’s only so much value the general public gets from something our kids might visit one time in their lives.

I agree, we (the State or Fed) can't keep every relic. 

[Guadaloopy 10926]

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

There's no wake behind it, but I'm guessing it can at least steer.  

Coming from a Navy family, I can't be the only one wishing there was a PO3 on the bow at turret 1 giving the thumbs up to go faster like a kid tubing on the lake.

100% deadstick move. No propulsion. No steering.  It would be prohibitively expensive make the steering gear operational.  Not to mention that the rudder would be useless at these speeds without propwash. 

[CycleTex87 2954]

Watching the video it looks like the tug in back is doing most of the steering. 

[YGIFS 19449]

Makes sense.  Why I said "guessing".  Thought it'd have some rudimentary capability even without propwash because during initial and final tugging/pushing, even at the displacement...prop might creak and crack a bit this way or that and cause some shit even by a few degrees.  Obviously these folks know what they're doing.  But then, when it comes to a 100 year old d-comm'd battleship, you know what you're doing until you don't.  

1 minute ago, CycleTex87 said:

Watching the video it looks like the tug in back is doing most of the steering. 

We're still talking about the ship, right? 

[Guadaloopy 10926]

I gotta be honest.  I’m not optimistic about how far $35M is going to go in keeping her afloat.  I can only imagine what that hull is going to look like when they get it on blocks.

They need to find a nice spot offshore to sink it as a marine habitat and let people dive it.   

[Chad Fuck 17567]

1 hour ago, Kennythetiger said:

Is this giant hunk of iron just deadweight, or is it able to help the tug with steering and propulsion?  

Giant dead weight.  On one of the threads they were talking about how the rudder was sticking a bit, so the back tug was acting as a rudder.

But those tugs are doing all the work.  Texas is currently a giant pool floatie.

[Chad Fuck 17567]

8 minutes ago, Guadaloopy said:

I gotta be honest.  I’m not optimistic about how far $35M is going to go in keeping her afloat.  I can only imagine what that hull is going to look like when they get it on blocks.

They need to find a nice spot offshore to sink it as a marine habitat and let people dive it.   

[Guadaloopy 10926]

6 minutes ago, Chad Fuck said:

I really hope they can make sufficient repairs with that budget.  I’d be very happy with that.  Or if some wealthy benefactor steps up with the difference if the repair estimate balloons, that would be fine.   
 

There are just a lot of unknowns in this scenario that make me pessimistic, but I’m also conditioned by experience to be pessimistic about shipyard estimates. 

[Chad Fuck 17567]

2 minutes ago, Guadaloopy said:

I really hope they can make sufficient repairs with that budget.  I’d be very happy with that.  Or if some wealthy benefactor steps up with the difference if the repair estimate balloons, that would be fine.   
 

There are just a lot of unknowns in this scenario that make me pessimistic, but I’m also conditioned by experience to be pessimistic about shipyard estimates. 

I appreciate all of this and realize that you are speaking reality. 

I'm gif'ing my feelz.  

[Nivek 16861]

16 hours ago, next2naus said:

I agree, we (the State or Fed) can't keep every relic. 

he didn't mean anything by it ArmyBrat.  He is just an asshole.  

Edited September 1, 2022 by Nivek

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

I thought the whole point was that they were going to reskin the entire hull below the water line. 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Bobby_Batronic

[Nivek 16861]

 

1 hour ago, Guadaloopy said:

I gotta be honest.  I’m not optimistic about how far $35M is going to go in keeping her afloat.  I can only imagine what that hull is going to look like when they get it on blocks.

They need to find a nice spot offshore to sink it as a marine habitat and let people dive it.   

Nah, that would advance the degradation and limit the exposure and enjoyment of the ship.    Floating in an oversized sandbox would be a better option (and reinforcing the hull to handle the weight/pressure).   If Elon was a man, he would give them $300 million to restore the fucker, make her seaworthy and then host a New Years and Independence Day parties on the fucker with the deck guns approved for a salvo salute.    But he sucks.  

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Nivek

[totallynotabuttpirate 5342]

All this publicity should help the foundation with fundraising. 

[YGIFS 19449]

21 minutes ago, totallynotabuttpirate said:

All this publicity should help the foundation with fundraising. 

I mean the ship is called TEXAS.  It's gotta be a good recruiting tool to have our own battleship, no?  

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

40 minutes ago, totallynotabuttpirate said:

All this publicity should help the foundation with fundraising. 

I believe the battleship New Jersey curator is going to pay a visit in preparation for that ship’s upcoming dry dock visit. He has a pretty solid YouTube following so that should help too. 

[utee94 15746]

8 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

I believe the battleship New Jersey curator is going to pay a visit in preparation for that ship’s upcoming dry dock visit. He has a pretty solid YouTube following so that should help too. 

New Jersey?

Get a rope.

[HouTex 1850]

The ship channel pilots are pretty bad ass.  I’m assuming they were in charge of the move. 

[TwiceHorn 31283]

Getting those aerial views, you can really tell she's a dreadnought, short and chonky.

[YGIFS 19449]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Getting those aerial views, you can really tell she's a dreadnought, short and chonky.

Vic Mackey has joined the chat...

[elfenix 34172]

4 hours ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

I believe the battleship New Jersey curator is going to pay a visit in preparation for that ship’s upcoming dry dock visit. He has a pretty solid YouTube following so that should help too. 

i toured both the new jersey and the olympia while in philly last year (and, of course, sighted the olympia with the new jersey's rangefinder).  built less than 50 years apart as the biggest, baddest ship in the navy and one seems like a pleasure yacht while the other is your enemy's worst nightmare. 

Edited September 1, 2022 by elfenix

[TwiceHorn 31283]

1 minute ago, elfenix said:

i toured both the new jersey and the olympia while in philly last year (and, of course, sighted the olympia with the new jersey's rangefinder).  built less than 50 years apart as the biggest, baddest ship in the navy and one seems like a pleasure yacht while the other is your enemy's worst nightmare. 

Ive heard Olympia is in pretty bad shape, but that might have changed.  I visited it in 1975 and thought it was pretty cool.  The captain's cabin, with a rug on the floor, a rocking chair, and a 3" gun was amusing.

[FartingMonk 3606]

4 hours ago, YGIFS said:

I mean the ship is called TEXAS.  It's gotta be a good recruiting tool to have our own battleship, no?  

If you want a recruiting tool.  Y'all should reach out to the current USS Texas.  It's a Virginia class submarine based out of Hawaii.  They have some really cool stuff they sell from their ships store.  Their shirts are burnt orange and all that cool stuff.

[Chad Fuck 17567]

I believe the battleship New Jersey curator is going to pay a visit in preparation for that ship’s upcoming dry dock visit. He has a pretty solid YouTube following so that should help too. 

I was aboard New Jersey about a month ago. Really nice shape but it’s in a rough location.

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2630]

Watched it enter the dry dock earlier today while standing next to the Elissa. To think, only 35 years separate them in age   

 

Incredible experience   

[InkaUtexas 25523]

1 hour ago, FartingMonk said:

If you want a recruiting tool.  Y'all should reach out to the current USS Texas.  It's a Virginia class submarine based out of Hawaii.  They have some really cool stuff they sell from their ships store.  Their shirts are burnt orange and all that cool stuff.

gotta a link? Or do you expect us to google it? 

Hope at least one surly has a kid on it. Can we donate a membership to the crew member with the most article 15's?