Did the IJN prepare a Very Large Trench Coat for the Matsushima class cruisers to make them appear more threatening? Can you please do a 5 minute guide on Floppy? Also, please transmit scritches behind his ears!
I'm having a hard time finding anything on either era but what was the Russian Navy doing in ww1 in either Baltic or Black seas. Same question except for the Soviets in WW2.
I have kind of a dumb question. Why replace the torpedo blisters anyways? Wouldn't have been cheaper not to and made maintenance easier and cheaper as well?
I'm glad to see that other people appreciate such great and venerable history like I do. By the way, is that Exeter as your picture? I play azur Lane as well that's why I'm asking😊
There is always the off chance that the state may need her services again... Sure, it's extremely unlikely to ever happen, but weirder things have happened in Texas.
I live in Canada but I visited the old ship nearly 30 years ago now on a rather toasty, cloudless San Jacinto August day. She looked great even though the deterioration was doing its dirty work. It was depressing, years later, to see the shots of her listing at her moorings at San Jacinto and very heartening to see her on the move to the dry dock to be restored. A salute to the State that wouldn't let her rot away or be scrapped. A salute to all who made this restoration happen.
I had a moment like that aboard USS New Jersey last year. I was on the 04 bridge just outside the conning tower, with all the controls and ship service telephones and such, and it dawned on me that, at one time, that spot was one of the most secret, protected, and powerful places on the planet. These ships are just wild.
When I was in middle school we took an overnight field trip to the USS Texas. During our tour I had the odd sensation I should be keeping track of the things they talk about. Lo and behold, at the end of the tour was a pop quiz. I made the highest score, so I got to be the “officer” of the ship for the weekend. I decided who showers first, people had to salute me, everyone had to ask permission to leave the ship, etc. This would’ve been pretty fun if I didn’t have hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) in my armpits. Being an anxious middle schooler on a COED overnight trip didn’t help 😅 nothing like having super sweaty armpits while having to salute your crush off the boat Anyway, it was a great time and it’s a memory I’ll never forget
I remember the two gentlemen who ran the overnight tour program were a hoot. When they were telling us about the 16 inch shells and how big/heavy they were one of them came around the corner lugging one (and pretending to struggle with it). Of course it was rubber, and those two guys had a fun time messing with us I distinctly remember when we were lining up to do the “salute-the-officer-to-leave-the-boat” process (Sorry, I was never in the military so I’m not sure what the proper term is) I got bored and started playing with the AA guns. The next group who were going to tour the boat were on the dock waiting for us to leave. I pointed the AA gun at the and a few of the younger kids screamed and ran. The two gentlemen running the tour had a chuckle.
@@Zealyx you really can! I slept on the topmost bunk up against a wall. There were tiny holes in the wall so once my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could just barely see into the next room (which was locked and we had no access to). There was a table there, and the combination of the atmosphere of the ship and my overactive imagination made me convinced I’d see some kind of soul that’s still bound to the ship sitting at the table. I generally don’t give that kind of thing much credit, but for some reason (perhaps the aforementioned reasons) I was convinced that night. I was also hyperaware of anything that might startle me because my face was about 4 inches from the ceiling. I didn’t want to jump out of bed and slam my head against the ceiling 😂 that probably contributed a little
I spent hours walking anywhere and everywhere I could on the awesome Saturday in July 2014, Gregorio. I’m a little envious of your experience, good sir 😉
@@Zealyx haha thank you! I am definitely grateful for the experience. At the time I think I was mostly interested in it for the girls, but in hindsight it was a very valuable trip that propelled my interest in all things related to WW2
Drachinifel, my Wife and I were in the tour group just after yours on that day! Sorry we were not able to meet you in person. My father taught me naval history, and if he were with us today he would have loved to see USS Texas out of the water. For everyone else, if you can see USS Texas in dry dock it is well worth your time. And yes, the staff who conduct the tours and work/volunteer with the Battleship Texas foundation are knowledgable and pleasant.
I had the pleasure of visiting this fine ship in 1967, our family relocated to Houston from Buffalo NY for 16 months as my father was working on the Apollo space program. I still remember her very well..Respect and a salute for the USS Texas..
I just did the drydock tour this past Sunday (4/30/23). I must say it was worth every second of the 13 hr road trip, in each direction. I highly recommend the tour to anyone contemplating it. You will come away pictures and memories you'll never forget. Yes you are able to actually lay your hands on her, get underneath her, and poke your head and cameras into those inspection openings in the hull. As of my visit, most of the new blister is installed on the port side. The area forward where the original torpedo tubes were was still exposed. Again, well worth the visit. Dreadnought porn you are unlikely to ever see in this lifetime again.
Huge thank you for visiting the ship and supporting our cause! Please tell you friends! Museums survive from visitors, everyone is jewel! Also visit Commemorative Air Force, there is over 100 bases around the US (I am volunteer for both).
Man i got to do the tour with my wife 3-dec-23. (Im a texas resident but it was still a 6 hour drive...dang my home state is big). They had a couple of the keel blocks out doing some work under there and i got get up under there and touch the keel itself, 1912 steel.... they had her blisters finished and were in the process of priming her for her final paint. It was very much worth it. 27000 tons of warship above my head was awesome and if i could do it again i would.
I watched some of the towing stream the Texas Foundation did, and I gather she was a very well-behaved ship. Apparently her rudder wasn't helpful, but once the tug team got used to it, it was fairly comfortable to manage. Because anthropomorphising inanimate objects is fun to do, I have since concluded Texas is a polite ship, at least in retirement when she's not flooding her blisters to increase her gun range... I imagine the entire Museum Ship community are looking very carefully at the findings of Texas' refit and the redesign of her blisters to make her easier to preserve, it seems Texas is still leading innovation in the field of Battleship design.
Isn't that a unique design priority to consider "Make it easily preserved while keeping it as close to the original in appearance as possible." must be something of a fascinating consideration for engineering.
It must be mind-blowing for you, Drach, when you think about how far you've come in your field to be known well enough to be given special tours and access to these wonderful ships. It's as they say: When your job is doing something you love, it's not really work. Can't wait for the next set of Texas pictures!
As a Texan, who has visited USS Texas several times, I was thrilled to hear about the repairs. Way back when the Texas was sent to drydock (1988 i think), I stood along the ship channel and watch as she was returning. To actually see her underway, It was a stirring moment.
Thank you, and keep visiting! MORE IMPORTANTLY, write to your Texas representative to support funding for ship! We could not save USS Texas without support from the state and people like you!
I was on her then heading to greens bayou but I don’t remember seeing you… lol I was a volunteer back then and was called to do Halyard duty in the fly bridge, was pretty awesome indeed
My grandfather worked on USS Texas at NNS&DD. He was a blacksmith, and I guarantee that some of his work is visible on topside fittings, like hatch dogs.
The answer to your question, I think it's boiler room. Also the white squares are part of her old moring system that would connecting her to 4 columns imbedded in the gulf mud. Thank you for making it down to her! The old girl need as much support as she can get!
I had the same clarification about the white squares but might add that the plan is to use the same mooring system for her new berth so they will stay where they are on the ship.
As a native born Texan, you cannot imagine how glad I am to see her in drydock. I can garuantee there would've been an armed revolt if she had been allowed to rust to pieces. And I know the Battleship Texas foundation has been trying their dead level best to protect her. But even so
Well, she has belonged to the people of Texas for quite some time. It's our job to see that her repairs are made. Thank goodness for the Battleship Texas Foundation. If you remember 20-30 or so years ago the USS Texas was a hot potato passed back and forth that no agency wanted to deal with, the ship being seen as a money pit.
@@MidnightdoesWoT That makes me very happy young man that you will be able to see her in all her glory when she is fully restored and pass it along to your family some day.
Thank you for support! MORE IMPORTANTLY, write to your Texas representative to support funding for ship! We could not save USS Texas without support from the state and people like you!
So pleased to see the work going apace. Being a native Texan, and having toured it before, it's a great pleasure to see this effort to keep this ship an active resource for history
I drove past Galveston earlier this year. I got to see the USS Alabama. My goal is to see all of the remaining gun ships, cruiser or larger in the world, especially the battleships. Glad to see how happy Drachinifel was to see this ship. Last WW1 era BB, last BB that took any part in WW1, the only battleship left from two world wars and the last battleship that served in the Grand Fleet. It is odd to think that such an old ship, with only a few upgrades could outgun every ship in the world within its combat radius. It was truly a beatiful sight to see the videos of this ship being towed to drydock.
So glad she finally got the repair work she very badly needed. I love this old battle wagon having been all over her many times. I lived about 80 miles from San Jacinto her old berth. My greatest fear for her was that she would be allowed to rust away and disintegrate because of indifference from the legislature. Great work Drac.
When I was young back in the 70's I used to go to the battleship Texas with my best friend. His dad worked on Texas doing repairs. Texas wasnt open for tours at the time so we had run of the entire ship except the areas roped off for repairs. Sitting on the anti aircraft guns making them rotate and move up and down we would pretend shooting down attacking aircraft. Great memories for a childhood. So glad to see her getting the love she deserves.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this ship throughout her life and everyone who has helped make learning about her so much more practicable and practical for so many people.
I went on one of the drydock tours a couple weeks ago, it was a really great experience. Bought one of the Texas-shaped paperweights that was made from her steel. So good that she's finally getting all fixed up and looking forward to visiting when they get her opened back up.
It's interesting to see how the whole museum ship community on both sides of the Atlantic are paying attention to this. Lessons learned. Glad you were able to make it out there, Drach. She really needs the publicity.
TEXAS can absolutely benefit from the publicity. She is a tremendous teacher of history, and valuable to any setting she is part of. And yes, TEXAS is incredibly valuable to the museum ship community. She is the longest surviving museum ship by far…and her transfer from the US Navy has almost no restrictions. All the other museum ships look to her experiences…from filling ballast tanks with seawater and extensive use of concrete before the corrosive effects were appreciated, she has suffered much so others may learn. And, we can be jealous as apparently the contract for TEXAS doesn’t explicitly prohibit firing up the engines!
@@tonyInPA Sadly, she's a triple reduction steam system that would most likely just explode if they tried to bring up pressure. But yeah, its a nice thought. (I live 30 minutes from the ship. Grew up playing on her.)
@@marckyle5895 Awesome that ships from across the Atlantic AND Pacific are looking to learn. After spending a bunch of time yesterday on NEW JERSEY all of these ships have many needs...and much to teach us as caretakers.
@tonyInPA not exactly on the longest surving. There is one older and I don't include the Uss constitution because she is still commissioned. That would be USS Olympia the protected cruiser which was built in the 1890s
I was once in a void space like those shown on the USS Saratoga (CV-60). The Ship's Supply Department used spaces like that to store equipment and parts. To get to the void I had to climb down a ladder (at least two decks high) similar to the one shown, and at the bottom of the ladder was a small office just outside of the void with a desk and a chair (and just barely enough room for those items and the Supply CPO that used them).
Very Nice, you got to see more than I did when I tour USS Texas. Can't wait to see your part 2 of Texas in drydock. Thanks for visiting, hope you like the BBQ!
First we get several recent crossover videos with Travis Davis of BB Texas and Ryan Szymanski of BB New Jersey giving many nice details on the (mostly ) current status of the USS Texas. Now Drach posts a nice long video from his own visit. Keep pumping the publicity! Being able to simply see so much of the ship since it's out there in drydock must have been a real treat for you.
I went on the Tour on March 12, the day she was commissioned in 1914. Was a great tour. Also got to see where her torpedo tubes were blanked over when they were removed.
I visited the Battleship Texas very briefly back in 1980. I was coming back to Galveston from visiting the Johnson Space Center, so I didn't have much time before it closed for the day. Still, it was very impressive! Just an immense feeling of solidarity! I hope to see it this summer, and then again after it is set up in its new home.
In 1957, as part of studying Texas History in Grade 3, my parents took me to San Jacinto Battleground and the USS Texas. At that time, it still smelled like at battleship and the tour guide took me to all parts of the ship that were normally not toured. It was amazing.
Very cool! I have this ship on WoWarships Legends. I like that the intro volume is up higher like it used to be. Sometimes it's really low and we turn the volume up and it gets really loud when the actual video starts. That really is an amazing battleship. Thank you for making the video!
Weird that this was posted today. I was doing a deep dive on the available videos of her restoration just last night and your channel was mentioned in those other videos once or twice. I’m glad you enjoyed your tour of our dreadnought and I hope you enjoyed your time in our state.
Excellent tour, highly recommend, highly knowledge guides, our tour lasted 1 hour or so late because of our "good questions" we kept asking the guide lol
Wow! Very nice tour! Glad they let you tour the underside and gain a unique perspective! I bet a bunch of scapyard salesmen are pissed at all the steel they missed out on when she became a museum. Thank God, they preserved her!
37:12 as an ex engineer on USS Kitty Hawk and USS O'Kane and x2 visitor to USS Texas 1980-83 I just remember being VERY young then again home on leave after my bootcamp and 'A' school in 1998. My guess is we're looking up into what's normally the bilge and possibly the pipes coming straight down might have been "remote operators" for valves very out of reach. My 1998 visit has a funny story if you or anyone is interested.
Drach, another great video! You can hear your enthusiasm throughout the whole video, which I love! I am SOOOO pleased that there are people like you, and the few other online historians and naval oriented people that are providing and teaching us so much! I am very big WW II buff, and history in genera (western history), and it is great that you are sharing not only your enthusiasm and knowledge, but making it all fun to learn. I have been on 3 of the 4 Iowa battleships (the NJ when it was in service, docked at San Fransisco in the '80s), and love learning everything about the nig ships of WW II. So much so, as you may know already, I added section in my ammo/ballistics file all on WW II battleships. They had guns with very similar properties to guns we use over here, but MUCH, MUCH bigger! I own 3 revolvers, and the .357 Mag max's out at 907 ft. ;ns.. of ME, the .45 LC max's out at 1,344 ft. lbs. but the second biggest handgun, the .500 S&W, max's out around 2,8oo ft. lbs., which right in the low end/middle of high powered rifles. The .50 Cal Ma Duece is about 14,000 ft. lbs, which in itself is quite impressive! But the big guns on the battleships of WW II had between 150 MILLION ft. lbs. of ME (the British KGV) up to 327 MILLION ft. lbs. (the Yamato). To my knowledge, there was only one other gun/cannon that had more non-nuclear power, and that was the German Gustav with 1,408 MILLION ft. lbs. (but this gun was too big to be unusable because it had to be used from a train car, and took a couple of hundred of people to shoot it! It was used only once in WW II. So, back to your great video and explanation of everything. I often wondered where the rusting occurred, and what they had to do to repair it. I have been on the Texas twice, and the second time (6 years ago) with my niece's husband, who is a history teacher. The Texas was at San Jacinto at that time, which is next to a memorial of the Battle of San Jacinto, the battle where Sam Houston and his rag tag army defeated Santa Anna in 1836, at the very spot of very close by, which led to the 'country' of Texas, which was finally accepted to join the US in 1845. It is the tallest stone monument in the US, taller than the one in Washington, DC. It has a great museum at the bottom of this monument, with pictures, clothes, weapons, and more. He introduced me to the monument and the museum, and I introduced him to the Texas! Great video, and I am looking forward to your next one on the Texas.
Aw yes, time to grab me a cuppa and listen to what is my number 1 podcast series, drydock videos. Despite this ironically not being a drydock week, it's like a bonus.
Been down to see her 3 times since in drydock. Live in Houston. Been on her 50 times at least. Spent the night as a boy scout. Got to raise the colors. We love her.
wow this is Amazing! I toured Texas in 2011 after driving 3,000 KM from Western Canada to take my daughter to school in Texas and I so want to tour it again!
Draco, you have some international influence. Texas got some badly needed love because of your earlier post. Many thanks from the other side of the pond.
I am sooo glad the USS Texas is getting to love and care she deserves. I was 7 years old when she was moved for her 80’s refurbishing. She was so beautiful and powerful looking.
Well presented and detailed! Your relationships with the Foundation shines here, and of course, your attention to those important details and presentation thereof.
Thrilled to see this perspective. I’m a NEW JERSEY volunteer and flew down for a tour 16 April. There Was great progress since February, but much more to go. Just about wore out the camera on my poor phone! Bucket list item for sure, and great to talk to other volunteers about learnings given we want NEW JERSEY to be the next drydocked BB.
Loved the shot looking straight up at the bow port side. Such a menacing looking ship. WWII battleships can be quite sleek and elegant but Dreadnoughts just have that look of a pure machine of war. It's like something out of fiction but people actually built these things in great numbers. I would be a little nervous standing, what looks like 50 m under an anchor on a rusty ship. You never know, it could be the day.
Oh heck yeah! I was wondering if you would be able to visit Texas while she's getting treated (unless you mentioned it already, in which case my all-nighter is bringing on delirium already) It is so amazing the journey you made to being able to be a guest under such circumstances of the last dreadnought left above water. I'm happy for you!
You've done so much service for her. I wouldn't doubt that you've captured the best shots of her in this state and I'm sure they'll want to use these pictures and who knows your great grandkids might be saying hey my great grandfather took these famous pictures.
I was last aboard Texas in 2011. I was surprised at how much of the ship we were allowed to go to. Most of the time the engine spaces are off limits, but I really enjoyed seeing them. I had seen the USS Alabama and also the USS Missouri and I was shocked at how little armor Texas had. I was also amazed that the crew were berthed in weather decks. Makes you really appreciate modern ships.
The difference between pre World War and WWII end treaty ship with another cruiser or two of displacement. Some guy had to rivet that prairie dogging a hernia. You're getting in a dick waving contest with Iron Duke, so there is that about the actual armor that isn't as obvious. A lot of sea salts were living down the age of sail and ironclads in the design period. Stale air is bad air. Colonel 100 thinking with the 5inch space. You guys got beds? Lose the beds. Sex? WRONG ANSWER. If you're always on top of the gun you're ready to shoot, ready to shoot means more kills. You got a shipbucket?... All bets are off if the DDG loses circulation.
I had my tour 3 weeks ago. As an engineer who works with corrosion problems, seeing the interior surfaces was very interesting to me. The most impressive thing was how the torpedo blisters were riveted to the hull. The bulge sloped down and around the bottom. This was riveted in such close quarters, without welding. I saw some of the hundreds of thousands of holes that had to be precisely drilled. This past year, I visited "The Great Britain" in her Bristol dry dock. All of those rivets! I am looking forward to your second video. I have visited the ship when afloat and look forward to seeing the innards when the restoration is complete.
Over a hundred years old and she still inspire awe. I can't imagine what seeing her in person would feel like. Maybe one day, given the foundation's excellent work and dedication, perhaps I will be able to. 😊
I'm honestly suprised she's still afloat with how badly she was allowed to deteriorate, glad to see shes getting some much needed TLC with the current management and hope she'll be around for many more years. I know the old management did the best they could, but DAMN did she suffer.
While you are correct that the forward protruding bow isn't exactly a ram bow, it isn't "just part of the bow", it's one of the first full-size examples of the research of Dr. David Taylor at the Navy's Surface Warfare test tanks at what is now known as Carderock. Taylor was the first to prove through tank tests that a bulbous bow can reduce a ship's fuel consumption. COOL STUFF CONSIDERING SHE WAS LAUNCHED BEFORE WW I.
In the 1990s a replica of Drake's _Golden Hind_ docked in Galveston on a tour. Somewhere I have a photo looking out one of her gunports, along the barrel of a cannon, at the rear battery of the _Texas_, which was then in drydock across the channel undergoing some earlier preservation work. Three hundred and thirty years of naval artillery in one shot!
I was on one of those big cruise ships in Jan. 2023, a month before these photos. We got a magnificent view of Texas as we sailed down the channel. My grandson is now a huge fan after I explained what it was. Hundreds of people crowded on the rail to see, but many more had no clue, and went about their business ... poor souls.
Walking under a ship in drydock is quite an experience. I was able to do this several times during dockings of my old ship - the USS Long Beach. Standing under 18' propellers and two large rudders is indeed impressive. My most memorable trip "down under" was about an hour after an earthquake the day the ship settled on the blocks. The quake was strong enough to make the access brows, cables, and hoses rattle and jump back and forth between the dock wall and the ship's side. I was the Engineering Duty Chief that night and I and the Engineering Duty Officer made our way down into the dock with standard US Navy flashlights to check for any damage to the blocks that occurred as a result of the quake. It was pretty spooky not knowing what we'd see or if the 17k ton ship might decide to flop over on us. As it turned out, that 17k tons of cruiser had rotated 3/4 of a degree on the blocks during the quake but remained basically fine.
Born and raised Galveston Co. here: I want to extend a genuine Texan "thank you" to you, sir. An absolute delight to have you here at home and to explore the majesty of the USS TEXAS. To your quiz: i want to make two guesses if you'll permit me. 1) Steam Room, where the power station for the vessel's electricity was produced utilizing coal and water, OR 2) Engine Bay/Pump Room, where the diesel was pumped from the hold to the engine Look forward to the second video about your tour of this vessel. Always a pleasure to see folks from abroad that appreciate the grandeur of this good ship.
Thank you so much for your amazing educational video's. I was so glad to watch Texas be towed in Live a few months ago. Your attention to detail is absolutely the best!! I heard from another video channel someone saying you are the best Naval historian and I certainly agree!!
This was the first war ship my dad took me to as a kid, she holds a very special place in my heart as she kicked off my love of war ship, I can’t wait to take my kids to see her
Hi it's Clay again I talked to you a while ago about the Texas we are going to Galveston in June so glad you got to see it we love your videos keep it up....... Clay in Dallas Texas
Back in February and the beginning of March, the 1877 tall ship Elissa was in dry dock at the same shipyard as the Texas. I was a member of the volunteer crew who moved the Elissa out of dry dock and back to her permanent berth. It was so cool sailing the Elissa across the harbor with the Texas in the backdrop. I would wager that the Elissa and Texas were the two oldest ships in the world in dry dock in February. I wonder if that has ever happened before - the two oldest in dry dock at the same shipyard simultaneously.
Thanks for making a video of our USS Texas. Took the tour back in December 2022, I can’t wait to see her finished and all painted! I would ask anyone who loves old warships please buy some merchandise or donate any thing you can!
Thank you for explaining the function of the paravane support below the bow of Battleship Texas. I've seen that in several photos since she was placed in the drydock, but this is the first explanation of what it is. I am very much delighted with the restoration being done to the Texas so she can live for another hundred years or more. Battleship Texas played a significant role in the naval war of WWII and it is vital that such ships and airplanes and other fighting equipment from the war be preserved. At the beginning of the war, the US was a largely agricultural nation with primitive infrastructure. The war left the US as the foremost powerful nation on the planet. Battleship Texas played an important role in the emergence of the nation to that powerful position. "Come On, Texas!"
I had the good fortune of meeting you in the parking lot and chatting about driving experiences on your road trip. Hopefully the Texas barbeque was up to your expectations. It was a perfect photogenic day outside.
35:46 The USCGC INGHAM Museum, in Key West, is also a fully riveted hull, well with exception of one new section I had replaced the last time she was in dry dock, modern shipyards don't like to do riveting, so when we replaced a hull section, we welded it in.
34:33 - The particular flavor of rust is likely due to an anoxic atmosphere. Rust by definition is oxidation, and if in a confined space, can consume most or all of the oxygen in said space, and thus can no longer rust. This makes entry to confined spaces particularly hazardous, in addition to the lack of lighting and restrictive geometries of hull members. Many men have died in such spaces, and many more after them in recovery attempts. This is why standard practice is to ventilate the space with fresh air for many hours if not days and test the oxygen content of the air to ensure breathability before entry, as well as having at least one man standby with required rescue gear. On a tangential note, in high pressure boilers and steam systems, there is a coating of rust that, due to the addition of oxygen scavengers (hydrazine), creates a uniform protective layer preventing the steel from oxidizing beyond that very thin layer. If the hydrazine level is not maintained, the high pressure and temperature will actually accelerate the corrosion process.
I found this fascinating, but to be honest, all technical observations were overshadowed by your passion and giddiness in the presence of something so cool. Glad you got the chance to check it out.
Pinned post for Q&A :)
Did WWII-era capital ships take significantly longer during the design process than most of the pre-WWI dreadnoughts?
Will you be coming back to Texas (the state) to watch Texas (the ship) be launched when the repairs are complete?
Did the IJN prepare a Very Large Trench Coat for the Matsushima class cruisers to make them appear more threatening?
Can you please do a 5 minute guide on Floppy? Also, please transmit scritches behind his ears!
I'm having a hard time finding anything on either era but what was the Russian Navy doing in ww1 in either Baltic or Black seas.
Same question except for the Soviets in WW2.
I have kind of a dumb question. Why replace the torpedo blisters anyways? Wouldn't have been cheaper not to and made maintenance easier and cheaper as well?
So glad this venerable vessel is getting repaired for future generations
I'm glad to see that other people appreciate such great and venerable history like I do. By the way, is that Exeter as your picture? I play azur Lane as well that's why I'm asking😊
@@Cbabilon675 yes, it's Exeter
Nothing like hurra patriotism for the war criminal nation
There is always the off chance that the state may need her services again... Sure, it's extremely unlikely to ever happen, but weirder things have happened in Texas.
@@TexasSpectre sure, when the GoP decides to become traitors again and get desperate for the military.
From computer voiced shorts and video essays to being invited to tour the Texas' drydock. You've come a long way, brother!
Even as Canadian I am thrilled to see this being brought back and super happy for my American friends 🥰
I live in Canada but I visited the old ship nearly 30 years ago now on a rather toasty, cloudless San Jacinto August day. She looked great even though the deterioration was doing its dirty work. It was depressing, years later, to see the shots of her listing at her moorings at San Jacinto and very heartening to see her on the move to the dry dock to be restored. A salute to the State that wouldn't let her rot away or be scrapped. A salute to all who made this restoration happen.
I love that ship, it encapsulates the menacing bad-assery of dreadnoughts.
She was, extremely briefly, the most destructive weapon on the planet at the time.
I had a moment like that aboard USS New Jersey last year. I was on the 04 bridge just outside the conning tower, with all the controls and ship service telephones and such, and it dawned on me that, at one time, that spot was one of the most secret, protected, and powerful places on the planet. These ships are just wild.
@@F-Man Powerful indeed. Let's not forget the nukes. 😳
Texas had a great career. It's hard to believe that she fought in World War II.
@@navysailor
She fought in both WWs
When I was in middle school we took an overnight field trip to the USS Texas. During our tour I had the odd sensation I should be keeping track of the things they talk about. Lo and behold, at the end of the tour was a pop quiz. I made the highest score, so I got to be the “officer” of the ship for the weekend. I decided who showers first, people had to salute me, everyone had to ask permission to leave the ship, etc. This would’ve been pretty fun if I didn’t have hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) in my armpits. Being an anxious middle schooler on a COED overnight trip didn’t help 😅 nothing like having super sweaty armpits while having to salute your crush off the boat
Anyway, it was a great time and it’s a memory I’ll never forget
I remember the two gentlemen who ran the overnight tour program were a hoot. When they were telling us about the 16 inch shells and how big/heavy they were one of them came around the corner lugging one (and pretending to struggle with it). Of course it was rubber, and those two guys had a fun time messing with us
I distinctly remember when we were lining up to do the “salute-the-officer-to-leave-the-boat” process (Sorry, I was never in the military so I’m not sure what the proper term is) I got bored and started playing with the AA guns. The next group who were going to tour the boat were on the dock waiting for us to leave. I pointed the AA gun at the and a few of the younger kids screamed and ran. The two gentlemen running the tour had a chuckle.
Excelsior story. I walked the same deck that you did years later. You can feel the souls that manned that vessel.
@@Zealyx you really can! I slept on the topmost bunk up against a wall. There were tiny holes in the wall so once my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could just barely see into the next room (which was locked and we had no access to). There was a table there, and the combination of the atmosphere of the ship and my overactive imagination made me convinced I’d see some kind of soul that’s still bound to the ship sitting at the table.
I generally don’t give that kind of thing much credit, but for some reason (perhaps the aforementioned reasons) I was convinced that night. I was also hyperaware of anything that might startle me because my face was about 4 inches from the ceiling. I didn’t want to jump out of bed and slam my head against the ceiling 😂 that probably contributed a little
I spent hours walking anywhere and everywhere I could on the awesome Saturday in July 2014, Gregorio. I’m a little envious of your experience, good sir 😉
@@Zealyx haha thank you! I am definitely grateful for the experience. At the time I think I was mostly interested in it for the girls, but in hindsight it was a very valuable trip that propelled my interest in all things related to WW2
Drachinifel, my Wife and I were in the tour group just after yours on that day! Sorry we were not able to meet you in person. My father taught me naval history, and if he were with us today he would have loved to see USS Texas out of the water. For everyone else, if you can see USS Texas in dry dock it is well worth your time. And yes, the staff who conduct the tours and work/volunteer with the Battleship Texas foundation are knowledgable and pleasant.
I had the pleasure of visiting this fine ship in 1967, our family relocated to Houston from Buffalo NY for 16 months as my father was working on the Apollo space program. I still remember her very well..Respect and a salute for the USS Texas..
Salute to you Thomas!
@@Zealyx Many Thanks!!
Damn, this is about as close to the date of the ship's launch as it is to today
Another Buffalonian!?
@@levijudd3480 Indeed I am!! LOL
I just did the drydock tour this past Sunday (4/30/23).
I must say it was worth every second of the 13 hr road trip, in each direction.
I highly recommend the tour to anyone contemplating it.
You will come away pictures and memories you'll never forget. Yes you are able to actually lay your hands on her, get underneath her, and poke your head and cameras into those inspection openings in the hull.
As of my visit, most of the new blister is installed on the port side. The area forward where the original torpedo tubes were was still exposed.
Again, well worth the visit.
Dreadnought porn you are unlikely to ever see in this lifetime again.
Huge thank you for visiting the ship and supporting our cause! Please tell you friends! Museums survive from visitors, everyone is jewel! Also visit Commemorative Air Force, there is over 100 bases around the US (I am volunteer for both).
I took the tour back in February. I'm proud to be one of the few people alive who has stood under, and poked my head into, a battleship.
Man i got to do the tour with my wife 3-dec-23. (Im a texas resident but it was still a 6 hour drive...dang my home state is big). They had a couple of the keel blocks out doing some work under there and i got get up under there and touch the keel itself, 1912 steel.... they had her blisters finished and were in the process of priming her for her final paint. It was very much worth it. 27000 tons of warship above my head was awesome and if i could do it again i would.
I watched some of the towing stream the Texas Foundation did, and I gather she was a very well-behaved ship. Apparently her rudder wasn't helpful, but once the tug team got used to it, it was fairly comfortable to manage. Because anthropomorphising inanimate objects is fun to do, I have since concluded Texas is a polite ship, at least in retirement when she's not flooding her blisters to increase her gun range...
I imagine the entire Museum Ship community are looking very carefully at the findings of Texas' refit and the redesign of her blisters to make her easier to preserve, it seems Texas is still leading innovation in the field of Battleship design.
Isn't that a unique design priority to consider "Make it easily preserved while keeping it as close to the original in appearance as possible." must be something of a fascinating consideration for engineering.
Legend has it that whoso proves worthy by straitening the rudder shall be proclaimed rightwise King of Texas.
It must be mind-blowing for you, Drach, when you think about how far you've come in your field to be known well enough to be given special tours and access to these wonderful ships. It's as they say: When your job is doing something you love, it's not really work. Can't wait for the next set of Texas pictures!
Many Thanks indeed to the USS Texas’s Team .. and of course many thanks to our Author for this episode..!
As a Texan, who has visited USS Texas several times, I was thrilled to hear about the repairs.
Way back when the Texas was sent to drydock (1988 i think), I stood along the ship channel and watch as she was returning. To actually see her underway, It was a stirring moment.
Thank you, and keep visiting! MORE IMPORTANTLY, write to your Texas representative to support funding for ship! We could not save USS Texas without support from the state and people like you!
I was on her then heading to greens bayou but I don’t remember seeing you… lol
I was a volunteer back then and was called to do Halyard duty in the fly bridge, was pretty awesome indeed
My grandfather worked on USS Texas at NNS&DD. He was a blacksmith, and I guarantee that some of his work is visible on topside fittings, like hatch dogs.
In 2024 I still would be afraid of her 14 inch guns.
First Sabaton gets invited to Texas now Drach? The people who manage the ship truly have a love for the history
I saw Sabaton 2 years ago. I was drunk and someone injected me with horse tranquilizer.
@@bebo4374 you need ketamine to make sabaton sound good
Sabaton and “ sound good” doesn’t make sense in the same sentence.
@@bebo4807 you can listen to anything on K even if all sabaton songs are the same.
Wait,,, what?😳
Welding on a riveted ship is its own bag of tricks. Gotta watch your heat.
The answer to your question, I think it's boiler room.
Also the white squares are part of her old moring system that would connecting her to 4 columns imbedded in the gulf mud.
Thank you for making it down to her! The old girl need as much support as she can get!
I had the same clarification about the white squares but might add that the plan is to use the same mooring system for her new berth so they will stay where they are on the ship.
Glad someone pointed that out. Thanks
Correct, called "Bollards".
I'm 68 years old I was 13 when my family toured Texas in 1968 I will tour her when she has been completed Thanks for the video!!!!!!!
As a native born Texan, you cannot imagine how glad I am to see her in drydock. I can garuantee there would've been an armed revolt if she had been allowed to rust to pieces. And I know the Battleship Texas foundation has been trying their dead level best to protect her. But even so
Well, she has belonged to the people of Texas for quite some time. It's our job to see that her repairs are made. Thank goodness for the Battleship Texas Foundation. If you remember 20-30 or so years ago the USS Texas was a hot potato passed back and forth that no agency wanted to deal with, the ship being seen as a money pit.
@@ronlackey2689 I'm only 25 so
@@MidnightdoesWoT That makes me very happy young man that you will be able to see her in all her glory when she is fully restored and pass it along to your family some day.
@@ronlackey2689 I saw her at San Jacinto maybe 14 years ago. They would only let us go down to the first deck below
Thank you for support! MORE IMPORTANTLY, write to your Texas representative to support funding for ship! We could not save USS Texas without support from the state and people like you!
So pleased to see the work going apace. Being a native Texan, and having toured it before, it's a great pleasure to see this effort to keep this ship an active resource for history
I drove past Galveston earlier this year. I got to see the USS Alabama. My goal is to see all of the remaining gun ships, cruiser or larger in the world, especially the battleships. Glad to see how happy Drachinifel was to see this ship. Last WW1 era BB, last BB that took any part in WW1, the only battleship left from two world wars and the last battleship that served in the Grand Fleet.
It is odd to think that such an old ship, with only a few upgrades could outgun every ship in the world within its combat radius. It was truly a beatiful sight to see the videos of this ship being towed to drydock.
I see from 1:30 the company Gulf Copper has had 7 days without an accident there, glad to see that ancient beast can still draw some blood! lol
So glad she finally got the repair work she very badly needed. I love this old battle wagon having been all over her many times. I lived about 80 miles from San Jacinto her old berth. My greatest fear for her was that she would be allowed to rust away and disintegrate because of indifference from the legislature.
Great work Drac.
When I was young back in the 70's I used to go to the battleship Texas with my best friend. His dad worked on Texas doing repairs. Texas wasnt open for tours at the time so we had run of the entire ship except the areas roped off for repairs. Sitting on the anti aircraft guns making them rotate and move up and down we would pretend shooting down attacking aircraft. Great memories for a childhood. So glad to see her getting the love she deserves.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this ship throughout her life and everyone who has helped make learning about her so much more practicable and practical for so many people.
Thank you, Drachinifel for highlighting this last great queen of yesteryear.
I went on one of the drydock tours a couple weeks ago, it was a really great experience. Bought one of the Texas-shaped paperweights that was made from her steel. So good that she's finally getting all fixed up and looking forward to visiting when they get her opened back up.
It's interesting to see how the whole museum ship community on both sides of the Atlantic are paying attention to this. Lessons learned. Glad you were able to make it out there, Drach. She really needs the publicity.
TEXAS can absolutely benefit from the publicity. She is a tremendous teacher of history, and valuable to any setting she is part of.
And yes, TEXAS is incredibly valuable to the museum ship community. She is the longest surviving museum ship by far…and her transfer from the US Navy has almost no restrictions. All the other museum ships look to her experiences…from filling ballast tanks with seawater and extensive use of concrete before the corrosive effects were appreciated, she has suffered much so others may learn. And, we can be jealous as apparently the contract for TEXAS doesn’t explicitly prohibit firing up the engines!
@@tonyInPA Sadly, she's a triple reduction steam system that would most likely just explode if they tried to bring up pressure. But yeah, its a nice thought. (I live 30 minutes from the ship. Grew up playing on her.)
@@tonyInPA IJN Mikasa, USS Constitution and HMS Victory have joined the chat.
@@marckyle5895 Awesome that ships from across the Atlantic AND Pacific are looking to learn. After spending a bunch of time yesterday on NEW JERSEY all of these ships have many needs...and much to teach us as caretakers.
@tonyInPA not exactly on the longest surving. There is one older and I don't include the Uss constitution because she is still commissioned. That would be USS Olympia the protected cruiser which was built in the 1890s
I was once in a void space like those shown on the USS Saratoga (CV-60). The Ship's Supply Department used spaces like that to store equipment and parts. To get to the void I had to climb down a ladder (at least two decks high) similar to the one shown, and at the bottom of the ladder was a small office just outside of the void with a desk and a chair (and just barely enough room for those items and the Supply CPO that used them).
Very Nice, you got to see more than I did when I tour USS Texas. Can't wait to see your part 2 of Texas in drydock. Thanks for visiting, hope you like the BBQ!
First we get several recent crossover videos with Travis Davis of BB Texas and Ryan Szymanski of BB New Jersey giving many nice details on the (mostly ) current status of the USS Texas. Now Drach posts a nice long video from his own visit. Keep pumping the publicity! Being able to simply see so much of the ship since it's out there in drydock must have been a real treat for you.
I went on the Tour on March 12, the day she was commissioned in 1914. Was a great tour.
Also got to see where her torpedo tubes were blanked over when they were removed.
I visited the Battleship Texas very briefly back in 1980. I was coming back to Galveston from visiting the Johnson Space Center, so I didn't have much time before it closed for the day. Still, it was very impressive! Just an immense feeling of solidarity!
I hope to see it this summer, and then again after it is set up in its new home.
Amazing pictures, Greetings from Bath Iron Works , Bath Maine
In 1957, as part of studying Texas History in Grade 3, my parents took me to San Jacinto Battleground and the USS Texas. At that time, it still smelled like at battleship and the tour guide took me to all parts of the ship that were normally not toured. It was amazing.
Very cool! I have this ship on WoWarships Legends. I like that the intro volume is up higher like it used to be. Sometimes it's really low and we turn the volume up and it gets really loud when the actual video starts. That really is an amazing battleship. Thank you for making the video!
I'll keep it simple. She's magnificent!
Weird that this was posted today. I was doing a deep dive on the available videos of her restoration just last night and your channel was mentioned in those other videos once or twice.
I’m glad you enjoyed your tour of our dreadnought and I hope you enjoyed your time in our state.
As long as the blisters can still be flooded to tilt the ship 😜 as a texas resident I’ll be seeing her in june
That ship really is so photogenic. It's awe inspiring
16:20 "This is an example of a semi-balanced rudder". I can't help but seeing all the ultimate admirals nodding knowingly...
Yep "Ah yes. A fine choice!"
...and all the crewmen cheering when they had to, on rare occasion, manually move the rudder (testing).
Excellent tour, highly recommend, highly knowledge guides, our tour lasted 1 hour or so late because of our "good questions" we kept asking the guide lol
Wow! Very nice tour! Glad they let you tour the underside and gain a unique perspective! I bet a bunch of scapyard salesmen are pissed at all the steel they missed out on when she became a museum. Thank God, they preserved her!
37:12 as an ex engineer on USS Kitty Hawk and USS O'Kane and x2 visitor to USS Texas 1980-83 I just remember being VERY young then again home on leave after my bootcamp and 'A' school in 1998. My guess is we're looking up into what's normally the bilge and possibly the pipes coming straight down might have been "remote operators" for valves very out of reach.
My 1998 visit has a funny story if you or anyone is interested.
Mr. Drydock has visited a dry dock! Dakka-dakka!
he's visited several drydocks at this point
Excellent presentation, Drach! Your use of photos instead of video allowed a better detailed view of Texas as you described all the information.
Drach, another great video! You can hear your enthusiasm throughout the whole video, which I love! I am SOOOO pleased that there are people like you, and the few other online historians and naval oriented people that are providing and teaching us so much! I am very big WW II buff, and history in genera (western history), and it is great that you are sharing not only your enthusiasm and knowledge, but making it all fun to learn.
I have been on 3 of the 4 Iowa battleships (the NJ when it was in service, docked at San Fransisco in the '80s), and love learning everything about the nig ships of WW II. So much so, as you may know already, I added section in my ammo/ballistics file all on WW II battleships. They had guns with very similar properties to guns we use over here, but MUCH, MUCH bigger! I own 3 revolvers, and the .357 Mag max's out at 907 ft. ;ns.. of ME, the .45 LC max's out at 1,344 ft. lbs. but the second biggest handgun, the .500 S&W, max's out around 2,8oo ft. lbs., which right in the low end/middle of high powered rifles. The .50 Cal Ma Duece is about 14,000 ft. lbs, which in itself is quite impressive! But the big guns on the battleships of WW II had between 150 MILLION ft. lbs. of ME (the British KGV) up to 327 MILLION ft. lbs. (the Yamato). To my knowledge, there was only one other gun/cannon that had more non-nuclear power, and that was the German Gustav with 1,408 MILLION ft. lbs. (but this gun was too big to be unusable because it had to be used from a train car, and took a couple of hundred of people to shoot it! It was used only once in WW II.
So, back to your great video and explanation of everything. I often wondered where the rusting occurred, and what they had to do to repair it. I have been on the Texas twice, and the second time (6 years ago) with my niece's husband, who is a history teacher. The Texas was at San Jacinto at that time, which is next to a memorial of the Battle of San Jacinto, the battle where Sam Houston and his rag tag army defeated Santa Anna in 1836, at the very spot of very close by, which led to the 'country' of Texas, which was finally accepted to join the US in 1845. It is the tallest stone monument in the US, taller than the one in Washington, DC. It has a great museum at the bottom of this monument, with pictures, clothes, weapons, and more. He introduced me to the monument and the museum, and I introduced him to the Texas!
Great video, and I am looking forward to your next one on the Texas.
Seeing Texas out of water in her full visage reminds me of the many shapes of Howl’s Moving Castle. 🔥
Aw yes, time to grab me a cuppa and listen to what is my number 1 podcast series, drydock videos.
Despite this ironically not being a drydock week, it's like a bonus.
Been down to see her 3 times since in drydock. Live in Houston. Been on her 50 times at least. Spent the night as a boy scout. Got to raise the colors. We love her.
wow this is Amazing! I toured Texas in 2011 after driving 3,000 KM from Western Canada to take my daughter to school in Texas and I so want to tour it again!
Thank you, Drachinifel.
A belated welcome to Texas!
I like that shot from under the ship, Drach. Let’s call it the Italian Frogmen view…
Draco, you have some international influence. Texas got some badly needed love because of your earlier post. Many thanks from the other side of the pond.
Been waiting for you to visit Texas in the Dock. A pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning.
I am sooo glad the USS Texas is getting to love and care she deserves. I was 7 years old when she was moved for her 80’s refurbishing. She was so beautiful and powerful looking.
Well presented and detailed! Your relationships with the Foundation shines here, and of course, your attention to those important details and presentation thereof.
Thrilled to see this perspective. I’m a NEW JERSEY volunteer and flew down for a tour 16 April. There Was great progress since February, but much more to go. Just about wore out the camera on my poor phone!
Bucket list item for sure, and great to talk to other volunteers about learnings given we want NEW JERSEY to be the next drydocked BB.
Loved the shot looking straight up at the bow port side. Such a menacing looking ship. WWII battleships can be quite sleek and elegant but Dreadnoughts just have that look of a pure machine of war. It's like something out of fiction but people actually built these things in great numbers.
I would be a little nervous standing, what looks like 50 m under an anchor on a rusty ship. You never know, it could be the day.
Oh heck yeah! I was wondering if you would be able to visit Texas while she's getting treated (unless you mentioned it already, in which case my all-nighter is bringing on delirium already)
It is so amazing the journey you made to being able to be a guest under such circumstances of the last dreadnought left above water. I'm happy for you!
I've been following the Texas story for months, but will benefit from and enjoy your extensive knowledge. 👍
Thank you for covering the restoration of Texas.
Drach: This video is simply outstanding. Thank you so much!
You've done so much service for her. I wouldn't doubt that you've captured the best shots of her in this state and I'm sure they'll want to use these pictures and who knows your great grandkids might be saying hey my great grandfather took these famous pictures.
I was last aboard Texas in 2011. I was surprised at how much of the ship we were allowed to go to. Most of the time the engine spaces are off limits, but I really enjoyed seeing them. I had seen the USS Alabama and also the USS Missouri and I was shocked at how little armor Texas had. I was also amazed that the crew were berthed in weather decks. Makes you really appreciate modern ships.
The difference between pre World War and WWII end treaty ship with another cruiser or two of displacement. Some guy had to rivet that prairie dogging a hernia. You're getting in a dick waving contest with Iron Duke, so there is that about the actual armor that isn't as obvious. A lot of sea salts were living down the age of sail and ironclads in the design period. Stale air is bad air. Colonel 100 thinking with the 5inch space. You guys got beds? Lose the beds. Sex? WRONG ANSWER. If you're always on top of the gun you're ready to shoot, ready to shoot means more kills. You got a shipbucket?...
All bets are off if the DDG loses circulation.
After years of waiting we get Uncle Drach's tour of USS Texas.....life is good.
The curator stated previously that the rudder is turned because that was the last order of the last Captain. I may be mistaken, however...
I had my tour 3 weeks ago. As an engineer who works with corrosion problems, seeing the interior surfaces was very interesting to me. The most impressive thing was how the torpedo blisters were riveted to the hull. The bulge sloped down and around the bottom. This was riveted in such close quarters, without welding. I saw some of the hundreds of thousands of holes that had to be precisely drilled. This past year, I visited "The Great Britain" in her Bristol dry dock. All of those rivets! I am looking forward to your second video. I have visited the ship when afloat and look forward to seeing the innards when the restoration is complete.
excellent video!
Over a hundred years old and she still inspire awe. I can't imagine what seeing her in person would feel like. Maybe one day, given the foundation's excellent work and dedication, perhaps I will be able to. 😊
I'm honestly suprised she's still afloat with how badly she was allowed to deteriorate, glad to see shes getting some much needed TLC with the current management and hope she'll be around for many more years.
I know the old management did the best they could, but DAMN did she suffer.
This just made my morning. I went to see her for a tour in April, her repairs are coming along great.
Wonderful up close and personal view of the fantastic work being done to save this treasured vessel. Looking forward to part 2.
While you are correct that the forward protruding bow isn't exactly a ram bow, it isn't "just part of the bow", it's one of the first full-size examples of the research of Dr. David Taylor at the Navy's Surface Warfare test tanks at what is now known as Carderock. Taylor was the first to prove through tank tests that a bulbous bow can reduce a ship's fuel consumption.
COOL STUFF CONSIDERING SHE WAS LAUNCHED BEFORE WW I.
In the 1990s a replica of Drake's _Golden Hind_ docked in Galveston on a tour. Somewhere I have a photo looking out one of her gunports, along the barrel of a cannon, at the rear battery of the _Texas_, which was then in drydock across the channel undergoing some earlier preservation work. Three hundred and thirty years of naval artillery in one shot!
I was on one of those big cruise ships in Jan. 2023, a month before these photos. We got a magnificent view of Texas as we sailed down the channel. My grandson is now a huge fan after I explained what it was. Hundreds of people crowded on the rail to see, but many more had no clue, and went about their business ... poor souls.
Walking under a ship in drydock is quite an experience. I was able to do this several times during dockings of my old ship - the USS Long Beach. Standing under 18' propellers and two large rudders is indeed impressive. My most memorable trip "down under" was about an hour after an earthquake the day the ship settled on the blocks. The quake was strong enough to make the access brows, cables, and hoses rattle and jump back and forth between the dock wall and the ship's side. I was the Engineering Duty Chief that night and I and the Engineering Duty Officer made our way down into the dock with standard US Navy flashlights to check for any damage to the blocks that occurred as a result of the quake. It was pretty spooky not knowing what we'd see or if the 17k ton ship might decide to flop over on us. As it turned out, that 17k tons of cruiser had rotated 3/4 of a degree on the blocks during the quake but remained basically fine.
Born and raised Galveston Co. here: I want to extend a genuine Texan "thank you" to you, sir. An absolute delight to have you here at home and to explore the majesty of the USS TEXAS.
To your quiz: i want to make two guesses if you'll permit me. 1) Steam Room, where the power station for the vessel's electricity was produced utilizing coal and water, OR
2) Engine Bay/Pump Room, where the diesel was pumped from the hold to the engine
Look forward to the second video about your tour of this vessel. Always a pleasure to see folks from abroad that appreciate the grandeur of this good ship.
Thank you so much for your amazing educational video's. I was so glad to watch Texas be towed in Live a few months ago. Your attention to detail is absolutely the best!! I heard from another video channel someone saying you are the best Naval historian and I certainly agree!!
This was the first war ship my dad took me to as a kid, she holds a very special place in my heart as she kicked off my love of war ship, I can’t wait to take my kids to see her
Hi it's Clay again I talked to you a while ago about the Texas we are going to Galveston in June so glad you got to see it we love your videos keep it up....... Clay in Dallas Texas
Thank you for supporting Battleship Texas.
Thanks Drach...excellent work, can't wait to take the dry dock tour this weekend!
Back in February and the beginning of March, the 1877 tall ship Elissa was in dry dock at the same shipyard as the Texas. I was a member of the volunteer crew who moved the Elissa out of dry dock and back to her permanent berth. It was so cool sailing the Elissa across the harbor with the Texas in the backdrop. I would wager that the Elissa and Texas were the two oldest ships in the world in dry dock in February. I wonder if that has ever happened before - the two oldest in dry dock at the same shipyard simultaneously.
Thanks for making a video of our USS Texas. Took the tour back in December 2022, I can’t wait to see her finished and all painted! I would ask anyone who loves old warships please buy some merchandise or donate any thing you can!
Thank you for explaining the function of the paravane support below the bow of Battleship Texas. I've seen that in several photos since she was placed in the drydock, but this is the first explanation of what it is. I am very much delighted with the restoration being done to the Texas so she can live for another hundred years or more. Battleship Texas played a significant role in the naval war of WWII and it is vital that such ships and airplanes and other fighting equipment from the war be preserved. At the beginning of the war, the US was a largely agricultural nation with primitive infrastructure. The war left the US as the foremost powerful nation on the planet. Battleship Texas played an important role in the emergence of the nation to that powerful position.
"Come On, Texas!"
I had the good fortune of meeting you in the parking lot and chatting about driving experiences on your road trip. Hopefully the Texas barbeque was up to your expectations. It was a perfect photogenic day outside.
35:35- "Relatively large US museum ship"- I will add that you see A LOT of rivets on the RMS Queen Mary!
I cannot help but observe that some arrows pointing to the topic Drach is referencing in the picture would be very helpful
35:46 The USCGC INGHAM Museum, in Key West, is also a fully riveted hull, well with exception of one new section I had replaced the last time she was in dry dock, modern shipyards don't like to do riveting, so when we replaced a hull section, we welded it in.
Actually those white boxes on her side is how she was attached to her mooring piles there's 2 forward and 2 aft.
Wait.. your not talking about the areas he said to try and guess what they are... Are you???
@strydyrhellzrydyr1345 when he walked down the side of the ship he said they were used for towing at 7 minutes in
Thank you for your work. She is an amazing lady.
34:33 - The particular flavor of rust is likely due to an anoxic atmosphere. Rust by definition is oxidation, and if in a confined space, can consume most or all of the oxygen in said space, and thus can no longer rust. This makes entry to confined spaces particularly hazardous, in addition to the lack of lighting and restrictive geometries of hull members. Many men have died in such spaces, and many more after them in recovery attempts. This is why standard practice is to ventilate the space with fresh air for many hours if not days and test the oxygen content of the air to ensure breathability before entry, as well as having at least one man standby with required rescue gear.
On a tangential note, in high pressure boilers and steam systems, there is a coating of rust that, due to the addition of oxygen scavengers (hydrazine), creates a uniform protective layer preventing the steel from oxidizing beyond that very thin layer. If the hydrazine level is not maintained, the high pressure and temperature will actually accelerate the corrosion process.
Some very impressive photographs and not to mention a very impressive ship!
Great job Drach. Good news for us when you gave up the day job M8.
I found this fascinating, but to be honest, all technical observations were overshadowed by your passion and giddiness in the presence of something so cool. Glad you got the chance to check it out.
I went last week!!! So amazing!!!
It's flattering to see the Texas immitating my car color.