On the day of the
invasion of Iwo Jima,
USS Texas approached
the coast. Aboard,
Enever Limerick and
his comrades found
themselves at the very edge of the
landing beach, their main battery
guns positioned perilously close
to the shore. With
hearts pounding and
adrenaline coursing
through their veins,
they unleashed a
relentless barrage of fire,
their sole mission to
clear the landing area.
The 14-inch guns,
roaring like thunder,
tore through the coral
and sandy beaches,
leaving in their wake
an unimaginable scene of
destruction. It felt
as if nothing could
withstand such a
relentless onslaught.
But then, as the deafening
cacophony of their
guns relented, they
turned their gaze toward
the advancing landing
craft. Emerging from the
hillsides, like ghosts,
were Japanese tanks,
undisturbed by the
Americans' most potent
weapons. The fight
was far from over…
A behemoth was born
on a frigid March day in
1914. Commissioned
at the Norfolk Navy Yard,
Battleship Texas
emerged from the icy
shroud. Captain
Albert Grant wasted
no time with pleasantries,
delivering a brisk,
five-minute speech that
day, much to the relief
of his audience. But
behind the brevity lay an
awe-inspiring reality—the
birth of a naval legend.
Armed to the teeth,
Battleship Texas was arguably
the most potent weapon
in the world. Ten monstrous
14-inch guns adorned
her frame. These guns,
the largest of their
kind in the world,
held the power to launch
a 1,400-pound shell,
packed with over 100
pounds of explosive fury,
soaring distances
of up to 12 miles. The
world had never seen
such raw firepower.
The birth of Battleship
Texas coincided
with the turbulent
Mexican Revolution,
with headlines chronicling
border skirmishes and
American battleships
lurking ominously off Mexican
shores, poised for
intervention. Then, in April
1914, the "Tampico
Affair" unfolded in Tampico,
Mexico. American sailors, briefly
detained and then
released, ignited a
diplomatic firestorm
that would culminate
in the Invasion of
Veracruz on April 21.
By May, Battleship Texas
embarked on her first
journey to foreign waters,
heading to Veracruz
to support the ongoing
occupation. Though the
fighting had subsided,
her presence symbolized
America's military might
and determination. In
November, she made a
pilgrimage to Galveston,
Texas, her first and
last visit to the state
until her return as a
museum in 1948. There,
she was bestowed
with the silver service
from the 1895
Battleship Texas at Old
Ball High School—an
enduring link to her
storied past. In a solemn
onboard ceremony,
she was presented
with her own silver
service, cementing
her place in history.
In 1917, Battleship
Texas faced a challenging
moment when she ran
aground near Block Island
shortly after leaving
Long Island Sound.
Her crew worked
tirelessly to free her
from the sandy shores, and during
this struggle, sailors from passing
ships shouted words of
encouragement, giving
rise to her enduring
motto, "Come On Texas!"
Despite this setback,
Battleship Texas
crossed the Atlantic
in January 1918,
joining the Grand Fleet. In a
historic event on November 21,
1918, the German High
Seas Fleet surrendered
to Battleship Texas
and the Grand Fleet,
achieving the
largest naval victory in
history without
firing a single shot.
In 1919, Battleship
Texas made history again
by facilitating naval
aviation. A Sopwith
Camel biplane
successfully took flight from a
ramp constructed atop
Turret #2 on March 10.
From 1925 to 1927,
Battleship Texas underwent
extensive modernization
due to the Washington
Naval Treaty of 1922,
including upgrading her with
tripod masts, switching
to fuel oil-fired boilers,
adding torpedo
blisters for defense, and
installing an aircraft
catapult on Turret #3.
Further enhancements
followed in the
form of eight Browning .50 caliber
machine guns for air
defense in 1935 and
experimental air
search radar in 1939,
in coordination with her sister
ship, Battleship New York.
Then, the world once
again plunged into war.
In 1939, Battleship
Texas undertook
neutrality patrols,
escorting merchant
ships across the
perilous Atlantic. On
the day of the attack
on Pearl Harbor,
Battleship Texas was
already preparing for her
next mission. With the
nation officially at war,
Texas continued her
patrols until late 1942,
when she played a
pivotal role in Operation
Torch—the Invasion
of French North Africa.
On November 8,
1942, Battleship Texas
faced the crucible
of combat once more,
supporting the attack
on Port Lyautey,
Morocco, as the
Allies sought to seize a
strategic airfield. After
three days of fierce
fighting, Operation
Torch emerged victorious,
bringing French North Africa
back into the fold of the Allies.
By the spring of
1944, Battleship Texas
and her crew
diligently prepared for a
major operation that
would shape the course
of history. The turning
point arrived in May
when General Dwight D.
Eisenhower, the supreme
commander of the Allied
Expeditionary Force,
stepped aboard. His
presence signaled
the gravity of the
impending mission,
and during his visit, he
addressed the crew on the fantail.
Finally, the crew of Texas
received their marching
orders—the Invasion of
Normandy. June 6, 1944, a
date forever remembered
as "D-Day," saw Battleship
Texas assigned to a
pivotal role. Her mission:
to provide crucial support
for the Army Rangers
at Pointe du Hoc and the
landings at Omaha Beach.
As dawn broke,
Texas roared to life
for 34 minutes,
unleashing a torrent
of 255 fourteen-inch
shells upon her assigned
targets at Pointe du
Hoc. Texas then pivoted,
steaming towards Omaha
Beach to bolster the main landing.
But the next day, a
distressing message reached
Texas—The Rangers at
Pointe du Hoc were in peril.
Rising to the occasion, the mighty
vessel dispatched two landing craft
laden with vital
supplies: ammunition,
food, water, and
medical aid. In return,
they received 35 wounded Rangers
and 27 prisoners of war. Only one
of the valiant Rangers succumbed to
his wounds while aboard the ship.
June 25, 1944,
found Texas thrust into
the crucible of the
Battle of Cherbourg.
Following the Normandy
landings, Allied forces
advanced northward along
the Cotentin Peninsula,
with the strategic
prize of Cherbourg—the
deep-water port—firmly in sight.
As Battleship Texas
pounded the German
artillery positions
encircling the city,
a storm of enemy fire
rained upon her. Dozens
of near misses surrounded
her in the relentless
German bombardment.
But then, at 1:16pm,
disaster struck. A German
shell found its mark,
striking the top of
the conning tower and
causing extensive
damage to the navigation
bridge above. Eleven
brave souls were
wounded, but only
one paid the ultimate
price- the only
combat fatality among
Texas' crew throughout
her entire career.
Fortunately, the shell
failed to detonate,
perhaps due to its
peculiar trajectory—skipping
off the water's surface
before tumbling inward.
After repairs, Texas
sailed to the Mediterranean
for Operation Dragoon—the
Invasion of Southern
France. Compared to
the monumental struggle at
Normandy, Southern France
proved more manageable.
As August 15, 1944
dawned, Battleship Texas
loomed off the coast
of Sainte-Maxime,
France. Her mission:
neutralize a battery of
five menacing
220-millimeter guns. The day
was shrouded in
poor visibility, but with
the support of
destroyers, Fitch, Emmons,
and Rodman, Texas found
her mark. The next day,
she drew within 3,000
yards of the shoreline,
awaiting calls for fire
support that never came.
By nightfall, her orders
directed her to Palermo,
Sicily, as the German
Army's retreat from
Southern France marked
the triumph of Allied arms.
Texas returned to
the United States and
underwent a series
of vital upgrades.
New radar and fire control
systems were installed,
and several hundred members of her
crew were reassigned and replaced.
Just before the year's close,
Texas set sail for the Pacific,
braving the vast expanse
of the ocean to reach
her next destination.
At Iwo Jima, the ship and
her crew confronted
the most intense fighting
they had witnessed thus
far. For many on board,
it marked their first
close encounter with the
grim reality on the
other end of their guns.
The anti-aircraft gun crews
faced a daunting test as well,
as Japanese air raids
had posed a persistent
threat throughout
the Pacific theater.
Japanese air raids in the Pacific
theater posed a constant threat,
putting the anti-aircraft
gun crews to
the test. On the
day of the invasion,
Enever Limerick and
his comrades positioned
their main battery guns
on the landing beach,
unleashing a relentless
barrage to clear the area.
The impact of their 14-inch
guns on the shoreline
was devastating, slicing
through coral and sand,
creating an unimaginable
scene of destruction.
To their astonishment,
Japanese tanks reminiscent
of World War 1 relics
emerged from the hillsides
and headed towards
the Marines ashore,
surviving the
bombardment. This audacity
left the crew in
shock and disbelief,
highlighting the
tenacity of their enemy.
Despite the ferocity of the battle,
Battleship Texas' crew bore witness
to an iconic moment in Pacific War
history—the raising
of the American flag
atop Mount Suribachi,
a symbol of resilience
and determination amidst
the brutal campaign.
Battleship Texas had
evolved into a veritable
fortress in her own
right. Armed to the teeth
with an arsenal of
anti-aircraft weaponry,
she was a daunting
adversary for any enemy
pilot. Her armament
included ten 3-inch
guns, ten quad
40-millimeter Bofors,
and a staggering
forty-four 20-millimeter
Oerlikon cannons.
Even in the twilight
of her service, this
old battleship had
transformed into an
intimidating presence.
During the grueling
50-day crucible of Okinawa,
Texas, unleashed a
relentless barrage of nearly
6,000 rounds of
anti-aircraft ammunition. Yet,
in the face of relentless Japanese
air raids, she emerged unscathed.
In the crucible of
battle, Battleship Texas
achieved a record—a
record for days at battle
stations. Under the
steadfast leadership of
Captain Charles A.
Baker, the entire crew
endured the relentless
onslaught from the air.
There was no respite;
there was no reprieve.
One crew member,
Ralph Fletcher, recalled
those trying days. They
experienced a growing
frustration towards
their commanding
officer, Baker, for
keeping them at
their battle stations for
an extended period. In
hindsight, they realized
that Captain Baker was
merely fulfilling his
duty, as nearby vessels
like the battleship
Tennessee were positioned
perilously close. One
morning, at dawn, they
received information
about an impending threat.
Fletcher remembered:
(QUOTE) "We got word that
they were coming. So
[on the Tennessee about]
two-thirds of the crew
had gone below. So when
they sounded general
quarters you could hear
that 'Bong, bong,' I
could hear it from their
ship all the way over to
us. You could see them
running just like monkeys
trying to get to their
battle stations. In the
meantime, one of those
Japanese kamikazes
hit them on a quad-forty
gun mount just like
the one that I was on."
Okinawa proved to be Battleship
Texas' final major battle,
and it was by far the
most grueling. Captain
Baker's decision to
keep the entire crew at
their battle stations
throughout the 50-day
ordeal proved his
leadership and foresight.
As World War 2 drew
to a close, Battleship
Texas found herself in Leyte Gulf,
unaware of the
historical events unfolding
worldwide. The Captain
addressed the crew,
marking the end of
the war and initiating a
joyous celebration
on the ship. Flares lit
up the night sky, and an
unexpected Conga Line
led by Captain Baker
added to the jubilation.
Returning home posed
immense challenges as over 12
million Americans had
served in the war. Operation
Magic Carpet was
launched to repatriate them,
with Battleship Texas
participating in three
such missions between
October and December
1945, offering hope
and a ticket home.
In February 1946, the
battleship moved to the
Atlantic coast, remaining
inactive until April
1948, when she
entered the final chapter
of its military service.
Decommissioned and
entrusted to the State
of Texas, she became
a living memorial to
the valor of her crews,
now preserved at the San Jacinto
Battleground State Historic Site.
The battleship arrived
in Texas, becoming
the first permanent
battleship memorial
museum in the United
States and serving
as the flagship of the
Texas Navy. Today,
Battleship Texas stands
as a testament to the past,
honoring the sacrifice
and bravery of her crews
while preserving a
crucial piece of history.