National Historic Landmark

U.S.S. TEXAS

Houston, Harris County, Texas
Listed
December 8, 1976
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76002039

About this property

USS Texas (BB-35) is a museum ship in Galveston, Texas, and former United States Navy New York-class battleship. She was launched on 18 May 1912 and commissioned on 12 March 1914. She is the oldest surviving dreadnought battleship. Texas served in Mexican waters following the "Tampico Incident" but saw no action there, and made numerous sorties into the North Sea during World War I without engaging the enemy, though she did fire for the first time when shooting medium-caliber guns at supposed submarines (no evidence exists that suggests these were anything more than waves). From September 1927 to September 1931, Texas became the flagship of the United States Fleet, one of only four ships to be designated U.S. Fleet flagships from 1922 to 1941. In World War II, Texas escorted war convoys across the Atlantic and later shelled Vichy French forces in the North African Landings and German-held beaches in the Normandy Landings before being transferred to the Pacific Theater late in 1944 to provide naval gunfire support during the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. She was the only Allied battleship that took part in all four of these amphibious landings. Texas was decommissioned in 1948, having earned a total of five battle stars for service in World War II. Texas was also a technological testbed: the first U.S. battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns, the first U.S. warship to control gunfire with directors and range-keepers, the first U.S. battleship to launch an aircraft, and one of the first U.S. Navy warships to receive production radar. She was the first battleship in the world to be outfitted with 14-inch guns. Texas was the first U.S. battleship to become a permanent museum ship; she was turned over to the state of Texas on 21 April 1948 as a permanent museum in Houston. In 1976 she became the first battleship to be declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark. She is one of the seven remaining ships and the only remaining capital ship to have served in both World Wars. Texas is owned by the people of Texas and is officially under the jurisdiction of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Everyday operations and maintenance of Texas have been handled by the non-profit organization Battleship Texas Foundation since August 2020. At the end of August 2022 she was moved to a dry dock in Galveston, Texas, to undergo a $60 million repair project. On completion, her new permanent home will be Galveston. As of June 2025, the repair project is still underway, but she has moved out of dry dock and is in final stages of restoration.

Location

Houston, Harris County, Texas
29.75618, -95.08970

Categories

MILITARYENGINEERING
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
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Points of Interest
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Nearby Historic Sites

San Jacinto Battlefield
Listed
0.5 mi
K'nesseth Israel Synagogue
Industrial
7.5 mi
Washburn Tunnel
Civil War
7.5 mi
Pomeroy Homestead
Industrial
7.8 mi
Pasadena Post Office
Industrial
7.9 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of San Jacinto — Capture of Santa Anna
1836Early Republic
0.5 mi
Battle of San Jacinto — Main Assault
1836Early Republic
0.7 mi
Battle of San Jacinto (April 1836)
1836Early Republic
0.7 mi
Battle of San Jacinto — Opening Phase (April 21, 1836)
1836Early Republic
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was U.S.S. TEXAS listed on the National Register?

U.S.S. TEXAS was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 1976.

What type of historic resource is U.S.S. TEXAS?

U.S.S. TEXAS is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is U.S.S. TEXAS a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. U.S.S. TEXAS has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for U.S.S. TEXAS?

The period of significance for U.S.S. TEXAS is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near U.S.S. TEXAS?

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