The USS Texas (BB-35) was one of the strongest battleships in the U.S. Navy, serving in both World War I and World War II. Famous for its heavy firepower and modern design, the ship played a key part in supporting the Allies during the D-Day invasion. On that crucial day, the crew took a brave and risky action that put them in real danger—but that bold move helped secure an important win.
New York-class super-dreadnought battleships
The USS Texas was a New York-class battleship commissioned in March 1914, just before World War I began. She was the second ship in her class and an upgrade from the earlier, less powerful Wyoming-class. Seen as the U.S. Navy’s first real “super dreadnoughts,” both Texas and her sister ship, the USS New York (BB-34), were built for serious firepower and were heavily armed.
Their main weapons were ten 14-inch deck guns. These were backed up by an array of secondary arms, including four QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss saluting guns, twenty-one 5-inch guns, and two QF 1-pounder “pom-poms.” They also had four torpedo tubes that could launch Bliss-Leavitt Mark 3 torpedoes.
In addition to their heavy weapons, Texas and New York were well-armored and ran on water-tube boilers paired with triple-expansion steam engines. This gave them a top speed of just over 24 miles per hour and a cruising range of about 1,825 miles.
USS Texas‘ service during World War I
Since the United States did not enter World War I until April 1917, the USS Texas initially saw action following the Tampico Incident, a conflict sparked by rising tensions between US Navy sailors and Mexican soldiers. Shortly after her commissioning, Texas was dispatched to Mexico without undergoing the customary shakedown cruise, spending two months stationed off the coast of Veracruz.
After a short stint with the Atlantic Fleet, Texas returned to Veracruz. In 1916, she made history as the first US battleship to be outfitted with 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and to incorporate directors and rangefinders for controlling gunfire. Although these technologies have largely evolved, their fundamental principles are still applied today.
Texas alternated her training operations between New England and Virginia, conducting winter tactical and gunnery exercises in the West Indies. Once the US entered into WWI, the battleship crossed the Atlantic to join the Grand Fleet, where she witnessed the first American shots of the war.
While serving with the Grand Fleet, Texas supported the British squadron assigned to blockade operations in the North Sea. Working alongside other vessels, she also escorted American minelayers, contributing to the extensive North Sea Mine Barrage, a minefield stretching from Norway to the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland.
Interwar period
The USS Texas returned to the United States in late 1918. After escorting President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the ship underwent an overhaul and resumed her duties with the Atlantic Fleet.
In 1919, Texas made history as the first U.S. battleship to launch an aircraft, a British-built Sopwith Camel. The ship also served as a navigational reference and protector for the Curtiss NC-4, the first seaplane to complete a transatlantic flight. Shortly after these milestones, the super-dreadnought was transferred to the newly-formed Pacific Fleet and received the designation BB-35.
During the interwar period, Texas underwent another overhaul, which included upgrading her anti-aircraft weapons with eight 3-inch guns. Her torpedo tubes were removed, and six of her 5-inch guns were relocated to casemates. After these modifications, she was named the flagship of the U.S. Fleet and carried out routine operations with the Scouting Fleet.
By the start the Second World War, Texas had undergone several additional refits and was assigned to the Training Detachment of the U.S. Fleet.
Operation Torch
At the start of World War II, the USS Texas joined the Neutrality Patrol and later spent six months near Iceland, patrolling the waters and escorting supply ships. She then took part in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, becoming one of only three U.S. battleships involved—alongside the USS New York and USS Massachusetts (BB-59).
As part of Task Group 34.8, Texas transmitted Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower‘s “Voice of Freedom” message, encouraging the French not to resist the Allied landings. While she didn’t immediately face German forces, she was assigned to strike a Vichy French ammunition depot near Port Lyautey.
After finishing her mission in North Africa, Texas returned to the U.S. By April 1944, she was preparing for what would become her most important assignment: the D-Day invasion.
USS Texas (BB-35) makes a risky decision on D-Day
The USS Texas (BB-35) arrived off the coast of Normandy in early June 1944, joining the British cruiser HMS Glasgow (C21) in the western fire support lane near Pointe du Hoc. Among the 702 Allied ships in the invasion fleet, Texas was one of only seven battleships.
As the battle unfolded, Texas unleashed her powerful 14-inch guns in support of the 29th Infantry Division and the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions. Within just 34 minutes, she had fired 255 shells—almost as many as the 300 rounds she had used during the entire Operation Torch campaign. As Allied forces pushed inland, Texas adjusted her fire to strike deeper enemy positions. Anchored just 2,700 meters from shore, she continued bombarding German defenses throughout June 7-8.
After a short return to England, Texas was back in action by June 15. By then, the advancing Allies had moved beyond the range of her big guns, which couldn’t elevate high enough to hit their targets. But rather than accept these limitations, the crew devised a clever solution. Since the port-side guns couldn’t be raised further, they decided to lower the starboard side instead.
To do this, the crew deliberately flooded the torpedo blister on the starboard side, tilting Texas slightly to one side. This gave her guns just enough elevation to strike enemy positions effectively. While most ships would never risk flooding part of their hull, this bold and unconventional tactic showed the ingenuity and determination of the Allied forces at Normandy—helping ensure the mission’s success.
What happened to the USS Texas (BB-35)?
Following the Normandy invasion, the USS Texas assisted in the Battle of Cherbourg and Operation Dragoon. The vessel was then transferred to the Pacific Theater, where she provided naval gun support during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Earning a total of five battle stars during WWII, she was decommissioned in 1948.
Texas was the first ever US battleship to become a permanent museum ship and the first to be declared a National Historic Landmark. She is also the only remaining WWI-era dreadnought and the last capital ship to have served in both world wars.
On August 30, 2022, Texas set sail from her home at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, with her destination being the Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp in Galveston, where her hull will undergo a $35 million repair and upgrade. Due to her age and the amount of time she’s spent in the water, the underpart of the battleship has begun to rust and wear away, and efforts are needed to keep her afloat.
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The ship is still undergoing repairs but is available to tour. It is permanently docked in Texas at Pier 15 in the Port of Galveston.