Friday, August 22, 2014

USS Texas

The July 24, 1914, Shorpy picture site "Don't Mess With Texas" 1900 "USS Texas discharging amminuition."  Nicknamed "Old HooDoo."  Photo of some of the crew standing behind some really big shells.

Comments:  these shells were capped, armor-piercing shells.  Rated as a second-class battleship and sister ship of the famous USS Maine.  Mounted two 12-inch guns.  Seem to be practice rounds in photo.  Fought at the Battle of Santiago in Spanish-American War.

From Wikipedia.

A pre-dreadnaught battleship and "Near-sister ship" of the USS Maine.  Commissioned 1895-1911, fought in the Spanish-American War.  Name changed after the war to San Marcos so the Texas name could be given to Battleship-35, now a museum in Texas.

Used as target ship and sunk in Chesapeake Bay in 1912 and  continually used as target even through World War II.  After the war, was completely destroyed as navigation hazard.

--Old "HooDoo" Cooter

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