Warship Pictorial: USS Texas BB-35 The USS Texas is the only WWI era dreadnought in existence today and the only capital ship surviving that served in both world wars. She was commissioned March 12, 1914. In 1914 she spent two months in Mexican waters supporting American troops following the Tampico Incident. In 1916 she was the first U.S. battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns. In WWI as part of Britain's Grand Fleet she did mostly convoy escort, occasional forays and support duties. Flagship of the Atlantic Fleet as the U.S. entered WWII she participated in the invasion of North Africa in 1942 and D-Day June 6, 1944. Transferred to the Pacific she participated at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In 1948 it was decommissioned and sent to Texas as a memorial or museum ship preserved at the San Jacinto Battlefield. The USS Texas also serves as the flagship of the Texas Navy. This book is heavily illustrated with photographs, diagrams, plans, and includes statistics. |
