U.S.S. TEXAS
historic place
The U.S.S. TEXAS, a historic place in Harris County, Houston, was commissioned on March 12, 1914. This battleship, measuring 573 feet long, is the only surviving vessel to have served in both World War I and World War II. During World War I, it operated in the North Sea and was present at the surrender of the German Imperial Fleet in 1918. The U.S.S. TEXAS achieved several naval firsts, including mounting anti-aircraft guns in 1916 and launching an aircraft in 1919. In World War II, it served as the flagship for the D-Day bombardment group supporting the Allied landings on Omaha Beach in June 1944. After its decommissioning on April 21, 1948, the ship was transferred to the State of Texas, becoming the nation's first permanent memorial battleship. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1975. The U.S.S. TEXAS offers a direct connection to significant moments in 20th-century naval history.