>> BORN TO SUPPORT A WORLD WAR.
REDESIGNED AS A WORLD CLASS
CRUISE LINER.
AND THEN A MARITIME TRAINING
VESSEL.
THE TEXAS CLIPPER IS NOW AT HER
"FINAL PORT OF CALL".
(bell ringing)
THE BELL CEREMONY SIGNALS
THE LAST CHANGE OF WATCH
FOR THE TEXAS CLIPPER,
AS TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE
DEPARTMENT TAKES FINAL
COMMAND OF HER.
SAVED FROM BEING CUT INTO SCRAP
METAL, IT IS SOON TO BECOME AN
ARTIFICIAL REEF, PROVIDING
NEEDED MARINE HABITAT,
AND QUALITY FISHING AND SCUBA
DIVING FOR THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS.
BUT, BEFORE THERE WAS A TEXAS
CLIPPER, SHE WAS KNOWN AS,
THE "QUEENS".
(music)
(war, battle)
1944.
THE WAR IS NOW GOING THE
WAY OF THE ALLIES.
THERE IS A HUGE NEED TO
TRANSPORT TROOPS AND WEAPONS
TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC FOR THE
FIGHT AGAINST JAPAN.
ANSWERING THAT NEED IS
THE QUEENS.
SHE WAS DESTINED TO BE A TEXAS
SHIP FROM THE BEGINNING.
HER HULL WAS LAID ON
MARCH 2, 1944, THE ANNIVERSARY
OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY.
(bottle breaking)
THE QUEENS CARRIED 47 OFFICERS
AND 512 ENLISTED MEN ON
ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE.
JOE EDWARDS WAS ONE OF THEM.
>> I WAS 17 YEARS OLD
AND JOINED THE NAVY.
I WAS JUST COUNTRY, COUNTRY BOY.
AND AFTER I TOOK THE BOOT
TRAINING AND ALL THE HMM,
WHEN I WENT ABOARD HER,
IT JUST SEEMED LIKE
A SECOND HOME TO ME.
WE TRAVELED SO MUCH,
DIFFERENT PLACES.
THAT'S WHAT REALLY MADE
IT INTERESTING.
>> SHE LEFT NORFOLK, VIRGINIA,
AND WENT STRAIGHT TO PEARL
HARBOR, PICKING UP TROOPS
AND SUPPLIES AND TRANSPORTING
THEM TO ALL CORNERS OF
THE PACIFIC.
ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES THE
QUEENS DELIVERED TROOPS WAS
THE ISLAND OF IWO JIMA,
SITE OF ONE OF THE BLOODIEST
BATTLES OF THE PACIFIC WAR.
JOE'S DUTY WAS TO PILOT A
PERSONNEL TRANSPORT.
>> THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE
KILLED THERE THAT,
THAT THEY JUST COULDN'T
TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING.
AND, WHEN WE WAS UNLOADING
YOU'D HAVE TO WATCH THAT, NOT
TO HIT A BODY OR SOMETHING THAT
WAS FLOATIN', THAT WAS STILL
FLOATIN' AROUND THE EDGE OF IT.
WE HAD THREE DOCTORS ABOARD
OUR SHIP AND WE TOOK ON A LOT
OF THE WOUNDED PEOPLE.
AND, THEY BROUGHT THEM OUT
AND THE DOCTORS HELPED WITH
THE HOSPITAL SHIP THERE.
(war, battle)
IT TOOK THEM A LONG TIME TO
GET THAT ISLAND STRAIGHT.
>> THE QUEENS WAS COMMISSIONED
NEAR THE WAR'S END,
SO ONE OF ITS MOST
MEMORABLE DUTIES WAS BRINGING
THOUSANDS OF TROOPS HOME.
WHEN SHE WAS DECOMMISSIONED,
SHE QUICKLY MOVED TO HER
NEXT LIFE, AS THE EXCAMBION.
(music)
IN 1947 THE QUEENS WAS
REDESIGNED TO CARRY BOTH
CARGO AND PASSENGERS BY HENRY
DREYFUS, THE MAN WHO DESIGNED
THE RADIUM-DIAL ALARM CLOCK,
THE HOOVER UPRIGHT AND THE
ROTARY-DIAL TELEPHONE.
THIS WAS TO BE A LUXURY SHIP
WITH A COUNTRY-CLUB STYLE.
RENAMED THE EXCAMBION,
IT WAS ONE OF THE FOUR ACES,
THE FIRST FULLY AIR-CONDITIONED
SHIPS IN THE WORLD.
SHE EMBARKED FROM NEW JERSEY
AND TRAVELED THE MEDITERRANEAN
ON A SIX-WEEK ROUND-TRIP
VOYAGE.
FARES STARTED AT $850.
>> IT WAS CONSIDERED BACK
IN THE 1950'S AS ONE OF THE
TOP OF THE LINE LUXURY SHIPS.
IT HAD SOME OF THE MOST
ELABORATE STATE ROOMS THAT
EXISTED AT THE TIME.
ONE OF THE CARGO HOLDS THAT
WE KNOW OF NOW WAS USED AS
AN ACTUAL SWIMMING POOL.
AND SOME OF THE BEST SERVICE
WAS FOUND ON THAT SHIP.
>> LIFE WAS GOOD AND VERY
COMFORTABLE ABOARD THE
EXCAMBION, UNTIL THE BIRTH OF
THE TRANS-ATLANTIC AIRPLANE.
NOW EVERYONE WANTED TO FLY
AND THE EXCAMBION FOUND HERSELF
OUT OF BUSINESS, BUT READY TO
MOVE ON TO HER NEXT LIFE,
AS THE TEXAS CLIPPER.
(music)
THE TEXAS MARITIME
ACADEMY WAS NOW IN COMMAND,
MAKING HER AN OCEAN GOING
CAMPUS TO TRAIN CADETS FOR
THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY AT
GALVESTON TOOK OVER THE
TRAINING PROGRAM AND PAINTED
HER MAROON AND WHITE - THE ONLY
ONE LIKE IT IN THE WORLD.
ONE OF THE INSTRUCTORS ONBOARD
WAS DR. STEPHEN CURLEY.
>> FOR A DOZEN YEARS I SAILED
ONBOARD THE SHIP AS AN
ENGLISH TEACHER.
AND FOR 10 WEEKS EACH
SUMMER WE WENT OUT.
AND I SUSPECT WHEN YOU ADD UP
10 WEEKS AND MULTIPLY IT BY
12 YEARS YOU HAVE AN AWFULLY
LONG TIME, I WAS ONBOARD
THAT SHIP PROBABLY LONGER THAN
MOST OF THE NAVY PEOPLE WERE
ONBOARD THE QUEENS.
>> THE STUDENTS TOOK CLASSES
AND WORKED HARD LEARNING HOW TO
COMMAND AND CARE FOR THE SHIP,
AND THEY TRAVELED THE WORLD
WHILE DOING IT.
THE TEXAS CLIPPER WENT ON 30
CRUISES, VISITING PORTS IN
COUNTRIES SUCH AS URUGUAY,
GREECE, PERU AND RUSSIA.
>> THE QUEENS NEVER CROSSED
THE EQUATOR.
THE TEXAS CLIPPER CROSSED THE
LINE FOUR TIMES AND EACH TIME
THERE'S A CEREMONY WHEN YOU,
YOU'D DO THINGS LIKE PUT SOME
NOXIOUS ONIONS FROM THE GALLEY
ON PEOPLE'S HAIR AND SHAVE
THEM WITH A WOODEN RAZOR,
AND THEN SPLASH SEA WATER
ON THEM TO CLEANSE THEM.
AND THEY WORKED REALLY, REALLY
HARD BUT THERE WAS A SENSE OF
FUN IN ADDITION TO THAT.
>> IN 1988 ANN SANBORN,
A FORMER CADET, BECAME CAPTAIN
OF THE CLIPPER, MAKING HER THE
FIRST-EVER WOMAN TO BE SKIPPER
OF A DEEP SEA AMERICAN
MERCHANT VESSEL.
THE TEXAS CLIPPER WAS MORE THAN
A SHIP, SHE WAS A TEACHER.
(music)
>> EVERY OUNCE OF THAT SHIP
I LOVED.
SHIPS ARE THE BIGGEST THINGS
BUILT BY HUMAN BEINGS THAT MOVE.
AND I THINK THEY MOVE,
THEY TAKE CARE OF US,
AND ULTIMATELY THEY MOVE US,
IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
>> SHIPS GROW OLD AND THE SEA
STAYS FOREVER YOUNG.
IN 1996, AFTER 52 YEARS OF
SERVICE, THE CLIPPER WAS
RETIRED - THE OLDEST ACTIVE
SHIP IN THE ENTIRE AMERICAN
MERCHANT MARINE.
AFTER SITTING AND RUSTING
FOR 10 YEARS,
THE CLIPPER WAS ACQUIRED
BY TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE.
IT TOOK A YEAR TO THOROUGHLY
CLEAN THE SHIP AND PREPARE
IT AS AN ARTIFICIAL REEF.
>> WE MODIFIED THE HULL
FOR WATER CIRCULATION
AND DIVER ACCESS.
ANYTHING THAT COULD FLOAT OFF
THE SHIP OR CAUSE A MARINE
HAZARD HAS BEEN REMOVED.
THIS BY FAR EXCEEDS THE AMOUNT
OF EFFORT THAT'S GONE INTO ANY
ONE PARTICULAR REEFING PROJECT.
(helicopter)
>> HAVING RECEIVED INSPECTIONS
AND APPROVALS FROM THE U.S.
MARITIME ADMINISTRATION AND THE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY, THE CLIPPER WAS NOW
READY FOR HER FINAL VOYAGE.
>> WE TOWED THE VESSEL
OUT OF THE HARBOR.
IT WAS JUST A SENSE OF
ELATION FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE,
ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO HAD
SERVED ON THE TEXAS CLIPPER
TRAVELING THE WORLD.
>> THIS LAST VOYAGE WAS A
SHORT ONE, JUST 17 MILES OUT
FROM SOUTH PADRE ISLAND
TO HER FINAL HOME.
SHE HAD NOT BEEN ON THE OPEN
SEAS FOR OVER 12 YEARS,
BUT SHE DID JUST FINE
AND WAS READY THE NEXT MORNING.
(big splash)
ON NOVEMBER 17TH, THE ANCHOR
WAS DROPPED AT THE LOCATION
OF THE CLIPPER'S NEW HOME.
THE FINAL FEW HOLES WERE CUT
FOR CIRCULATION OF WATER
AND SEA LIFE.
THE FLOOD VALVES WERE OPENED.
AND THE LAST MAN ONBOARD
WAS RECOVERED.
>> WE'RE WATCHING THE SHIP SINK
AND AT THAT POINT YOU REALIZE
THAT YOU'VE GOT A 7,000-TON
PIECE OF METAL THERE.
IT IS JUST A HUGE SIGHT TO
BEHOLD AND, IT WANTS TO DO
WHAT IT WANTS TO DO.
ONCE WE WERE WATCHING THIS
THING GO DOWN IT WAS JUST VERY
IMPRESSIVE, IT WAS THE LARGEST
THING I HAVE SEEN HAPPEN
AND CERTAINLY THE LARGEST
THING I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE
OF WORKING ON.
(music)
>> AFTER 63 YEARS OF FLOATING
ON THE WORLD'S OCEANS,
THE TEXAS CLIPPER IS NOW
AT HER FINAL PORT OF CALL.
(underwater bubbles, music)
>> THIS SHIP IS GOING TO
BE HOME TO A NEW CREW,
IT'S THE FLORA AND FAUNA
UNDERNEATH THE WATER.
IT'S JUST AS IT WAS OUR SHIP IT
IS GOING TO BE THEIRS AS WELL.
I SAY FAREWELL TEXAS CLIPPER,
FAREWELL EXCAMBION,
FAREWELL QUEENS.
YOU DID ONE HECK OF A JOB
AND YOU'RE STILL DOING IT.
(bubbles)