Battleship USS Texas Taking On Water
The USS Texas was launched in 1912 and commissioned in 1914, and served until 1948. Photo courtesy Louis Vest at flickr.com/oneeighteen/A 100-year-old battleship anchored near Houston is leaking. The USS Texas started taking on water last weekend and has sunk 2 feet into the Houston Ship Channel.
Workers at the state historic site are trying to pump out water and find the leak. They’re also trying to keep oil out of the ship channel.
Andy Smith, the battleship’s manager, says the crew is filtering the oil with pumps and is using a boom, a barricade that floats on the water and catches oil.
“We don’t have any oil in the water right now, that’s just a precautionary measure,” Smith said. “We’re in the process right now of cleaning that oil up, and we’re kind of maintaining the status quo with the water coming in.”
Recent renovation plans for the ship fell through because of a lack of funding. Now Texas Parks and Wildlife will be pursuing an extensive repair plan.
The ship is still open for tours, although the lower deck is closed.
