(PatrioticPost.com)- Several U.S. battleships from the Second World War have been preserved and open to the public as “museum ships.” For a few more weeks, the Battleship Texas Foundation will be offering a tour of the World War I-era USS Texas (BB-35), according to a report from the defense and national security website 19FortyFive.
The warship was completed in 1914 and is undergoing repairs in Galveston, Texas at the Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation’s shipyard that is costing up to $35 million. While the ship is out of the water, the foundation is giving the public limited tours to showcase the over 100-year-old wear and tear alongside the repair efforts.
The tours, which began in November, are being conducted every Sunday. They are offered to visitors who are at least 16 years of age and mandate a strict dress code of long pants and closed shoes with good traction.
Repairs on USS Texas began after the ship was towed 40 miles by four tugboats through the Houston Ship Channel. It is reportedly the first major restoration since the ship was drydocked from 1988 through 1990.
This marks the largest restoration effort because the ship is unlike any other, the outlet reports. The USS Texas, which turned 100 years old in March 2014, saw service in both World Wars before it was turned into a “floating museum” in 1948. The ship did not just oversee the Normandy beach landings, but also saw other military incidents.
The New York-class warship was in service during the 1914 “Tampico Incident,” when the United States occupied Veracruz for six months after Mexican forces imprisoned nine U.S. sailors.
While the USS Texas has enjoyed its home in the Houston Ship Channel, the Battleship Texas Foundation intends to berth the ship at a different location. Baytown, Galveston, and Beaumont have all reportedly expressed their interest in hosting the warship.
But the USS Texas is still honored as Galveston’s “flagship” as it was the home of the Texas Navy.
