Special Feature:

San Jacinto Battleground State Park

Battleship Texas Hard Hat Tour

La Porte (Houston), Texas

January 18, 2003

The Last Word

The final set of photos were taken after the tours were over, as the moon rose over the battleship (and as such, the photo quality is not the best). As a final piece of fun, our visit to the conning tower took us past the normal closing time for the park. After saying goodbye to the tour crew, we left the ship and found the pier gate locked. After a quick survey of the situation we climbed the fence and hopped down the far side, making it a novel ending to a great day. 


Many of the public spaces open on the battleship have been restored through the hard work of both Texas Parks & Wildlife employees and the First Texas Volunteers, supported by the Battleship Texas Foundation.

Their ceaseless efforts continue to restore the only surviving dreadnought-era battleship to her 1945 appearance. The Hard Hat Tours take small groups through spaces not yet open to the public. While some of the areas have been restored or are undergoing restoration, many have not and provide an unvarnished look straight back to 1914, when the Texas was commissioned into the United States Navy, or 1948 when the Texas made her final journey home.

The power of today's flash cameras disguises the fact that many of the tour spaces are lit only by an occasional work light and flashlights carried by the tour group. Many of the photographs on display here are illuminated solely by the camera's own flash and a 2 D-cell Maglite flashlight.

I hope you have enjoyed your photo Hard Hat Tour and encourage you to experience the Tour yourself.

The Photos

(click on thumbnails to open the photo in a new window)

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For More Information:

San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park

USS Texas Volunteers Hard Hat Tour Information

USS Texas History and Information

A Photo Tour of USS Texas


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