During the first quarter of the 20th Century, the major naval powers of 
the world built hundreds of Dreadnought-style battleships. Today there 
is only one.
 
    The battleship Texas was for a time the most powerful weapon on 
earth. When she was commissioned in 1914, her 14-inch guns were 
the largest in the world. This technological marvel of her time served 
with the British Grand Fleet in World War I and was the flagship of the
entire U.S. Navy between the two World Wars. During the Second 
World War, an older Texas, past her prime, supported amphibious 
invasions in North Africa, Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima, and 
Okinawa. She and her crew were preparing for the invasion of Japan 
when the war ended and the Texas came home.

    No longer needed to defend her country, the Texas was saved from 
the scrap yard to become our nation's first historic ship museum in 
1948. Now lying peacefully in her berth at the San Jacinto State Park 
near Houston, the battleship Texas is still serving her country—teaching 
instead of fighting.

    The Texas is the only battleship remaining in the world today 
that served in World War I and the only ship remaining of any type 
that served in both World Wars.  This is the story of the battleship 
Texas and the brave men who walked her decks.

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JOHN C. FERGUSON was the Restoration Planner for Battleship 
Texas before becoming Director of the 12th Armored Division Memorial 
Museum in Abilene, Texas. He is the author of Texas Myths and 
Legends (McWhiney Foundation Press, 2003) and Hellcats (State 
House Press, 2004).


Number Four: Military History of Texas Series