Battleship Texas Band Aids: Leaks Plugged With Glue and Tinfoil

by Bill Davenport July 11, 2012

The venerable Battleship Texas, moored in a cubbyhole off the Houston ship channel is back in action after alarming  leaks in her rusty 99-year old hull last week threatened to sink her. Patched with $300,000 worth of aluminum plates (tinfoil compared with the ship’s 12″ thick  armor) and epoxy, the temporary patches have allowed the popular tourist attraction to re-open, as she waits for someone, anyone to come up with the estimated $100 million it would cost to permanently dry-dock her.

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DeeDee Bott July 12, 2012 - 19:08

Surely there are 100 Navy vets who would come up with $1 million each for this project – Let’s begin with Navy Hero George HW Bush and then there is John Kerry, can we name more……..?

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Brad M July 15, 2012 - 00:09

$100M..this is an absurdly ridiculous number. Who/What source is this #?! I know we live in Texas and exaggeration is common, but this is assinine.

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Bill Davenport July 15, 2012 - 22:16

The source is the Wall St. Journal, which said: “Such a project, however, would cost $100 million, and the fundraising effort so far is some $70 million short.” Later on on their piece on the Battleships’ temporary repairs, they added this quote: ‘”It’s a very costly undertaking,” said Chris Johnson, a spokesman for the Naval Sea Systems Command, a division of the Navy charged with handling decommissioned ships.’ When even the Navy thinks it’s expensive, you know it’s REALLY expensive!

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Bill Davenport July 15, 2012 - 22:22

While I’m commenting, let me add that the Battleship Texas is one of the more incredible artifacts I’ve seen, and this is coming from a non-naval, liberal, art-writer point of view. It should be preserved. If you have never been out to the San Jacinto Battleground and toured it, go soon, before it sinks!

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