USS Texas BB 35
The USS Texas BB 35 is a New York-class battleship that was launched from the Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Newport New, Virginia on May 18th, 1912 and was placed under the command of Captain Albert W. Grant. On March 24th, 1914 she set sail for the first time and was charged with patrolling the eastern seaboard.
The day came that the Texas as well as the entire Atlantic Fleet were ordered to Mexican waters in response to rising tension spawned from a mishap where Mexican federal troops detained an American gunboat off the coast of Tampico. The initial problem was resolved quickly but President Wilson saw it as an opportunity to put pressure on the Mexican government whom which he felt was undemocratic. On April 21st the President ordered U. S. forces to converge on to the city harbor of Veracruz where the American fleet seized the customs house there due to suspicious shipments involving a possible armaments trade deal.
At the start of World War I, the Texas steamed towards Scapa Flow, Scotland where she joined up with the infamous 6th Battle Squadron of Britain’s Grand Fleet. While there, her tour of service consisted entirely of convoy missions and occasional forays in order to reinforce the British squadron during blockade duties in the North Sea whenever German heavy units threatened within their proximity. After the war ended in 1918, the Texas was reassigned to the Pacific Fleet and on July 17th the following year and then she was officially designated BB-35 under the Navy's newly adopted alpha-numeric system of hull classification symbols and became known as the USS Texas BB 35.
During World War II, she assisted convoys in the Atlantic as part of her neutrality patrol missions where she supported cargo shipping between Iceland and the United Kingdom. Throughout these convoy patrols, the Texas was continuously stalked and hunted by German U-Boats, but no conflicts ever arose from these matters. On October 23rd, 1942 she assisted with Operation Torch which was the invasion of North Africa. After that battle was settled, she traveled north to begin preparations for the invasion of Normandy, France. The Texas received five battle stars for her service in World War II and was decommissioned June 18th, 1946. The Texas was the first of an eventual total of eight US battleships that have become floating museums.
The crew of the USS Texas BB 35 felt the dangers of war, but violent weather and the risks of enemy attacks were not the only dangerous threats they had with them. Asbestos was commonly used the construction of U. S. submarines and ships during that time, and the crew were at risk of inhaling deadly airborne asbestos fibers on a daily basis. Asbestos was used in insulation construction, specifically the insulation dealing with piping. Crewmembers of the USS Texas BB 35 may have been exposed to these deadly asbestos fibers should monitor their respiratory health closely. Mesothelioma cancer has been directly linked to asbestos exposure, and any veteran who is diagnosed with this particularly aggressive type of cancer should seek mesothelioma treatment immediately.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
