Rare photograph of Dreadnaught Row from Flying Fortress

[SPANNERmkV]

[PbyCat-Guy]

USS Texas? It's an awesome battle wagon.

[SPANNERmkV]

Correct you are. (Hey Jack- Give the man a pony! )
The Flight Crew elected to fly down the I-10 flight corridor and there was the Battleship Texas lit so you could see her silhouette.
I have tried to photograph her before and if the light is not right she just blends into the background.

[whistlingdeath77]

i don't see it

[Lynn Allen]

i don't see it

Go up from the #1 spinner, across the channel and about a inch to the right and there she is...

Last edited by Lynn Allen on Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Tiger Tim]

I have tried to photograph her before and if the light is not right she just blends into the background.

At least we know her camouflage works most of the time...

-Tim

[Clifford Bossie]

Texas is a post Dreadnaught, far superior to the HMS Dreadnaught.

[mustangdriver]

Thats just cool

[Clifford Bossie]

Thats just cool

It is a really cool photo.

[RickH]

Clifford, Texas is considered to be the last of the Dreadnought class of battleships. She is far superior to the original Dreadnought, as you have said.

She is also the last of the recip powered battleship in existence.

[the330thbg]

toured her when I was a weee lad (early 70's). She is near a giant San Jacinto monument.., yes?

I think it is just to the left of your photo, if memory serves.

Last time I saw the lady she was lite gray.

Cool shot

Thanks!

[Clifford Bossie]

Clifford, Texas is considered to be the last of the Dreadnought class of battleships. She is far superior to the original Dreadnought, as you have said.

She is also the last of the recip powered battleship in existence.

Rick,

Some historians refer to any battleship built after the HMS Dreadnought as a Dreadnought and others only include certain classes. The novel thing about the Dreadnought was the use of only one caliber of gun as the main armament (12" guns, all others being "secondary"). Prior to that it was not unusual to have up to three calibers in the main armament. A good example of that is the USS Iowa (BB-04) launched in 1896 which had 12", 8" and 4" batteries as main guns. The Dreadnought also introduced turbines for propulsion, but the main guns were the big innovation. One archaic feature of the Dreadnought was the use of two "wing turrets" vs. all centerline "super imposed" turrets. With the USS Michigan launched in 1906 all subsequent American battleships only a single caliber main gun. The Brits and Germans continued to mount main guns in wing turrets (as well as centerline) for several more classes. The SMS Ostriefland was an obsolete battleship by the end of WWI, not some sort of "Uber Ship" as often written. So, many naval architects consider any USN Battleship from the Michigan on to be "post Dreadnought" (while not a naval architect I do fall into the catergory.). Some folks the term "Super Dreadnought", but that seems to be an invention of the popular press. Now back to the Texas: The New York class (New York and Texas) had a much improved armor layout than the Dreadnought and all centerline guns. The odd thing is the return to reciprocating engines. The two previous classes and all subsequent classes used turbines. The Texas, as well as any American Battleship built from the Michigan on, are really seperate from the Dreadnought.

Kind of a side note, the Bismarck is usually thought of as some sort of super-duper battleship. Indeed she (and Tirpitz) was an evolution of the World War One Baden class of ships. While potent, the Bismarck was not much of an improvement over the Pennylsvania class.

All of this digresses from the photo. Which is a cool photo! I have seen pictures of TX Guard F-101s, F-102s and F-16 over the Texas. It would be really neat to see a photo of the B-17 over the Texas!

(Coming back a few minutes after I initially posted this it looks too much like I am splitting hairs. I don't want to take anything away from the photo. Cool photo!)

Last edited by Clifford Bossie on Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Pat Carry]

Kool photo! I must get down that way someday and visit the Texas.

[Bill Greenwood]

Anyone who is down Houston way and who has not been there should go see the Battleship Texas. It is located just east of downtown Houston, just a few miles north of the Gulf freeway, Hwy 45, that goes from Houston to Galveston. I think Pasadena might be the closest town.
One other good thing to see at the same location is the San Jacinto Monument, museum and battle grounds. They are right next to where the Texas is docked.

For those, or should I say youse guys, not fortunate enough to be born in Texas and may not know of San Jacinto, here is a quick history. In the Early 1800s Mexico controlled Texas and invited settlers in from the states. Some who came were peaceful farmers,but some were spirited frontier types like Davy Crockett and above all Jim Bowie, famous for his large knife, ( like the one in the Crocodile Dundee movie)and his large appetite for whiskey, and their spokesman was the fiery William Barrett Travis, who was one of those independence minded types not to be walked on. Mexico then decided to clamp down , but too late, the genie was already out of the bottle, or for Bowie the cork out of many bottles. Mexico was run by a dictator, Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who was about as big an ass as any we have now. He brought an army of about 5000 into Texas to San Antonio where the Texans were in an old mission, the Alamo. It was pretty one sided several thousand against 187, but the Texans had some cannon and were great marksman and they held out for 13 days of the siege. Finally the Mexican cannon knocked down the north wall and they got inside the fort, killing all but a few women and kids. The Texans took a huge toll of Santa Annas army perhaps at thousand or more dead or dying of wounds. Gen. Cos said of his main brigade that led the battle, "We brought 800 of the finest soldiers here and we left 660 of them dead on the ground." Santa Anna was not used to being defied and he called it, "a small affair", as it was for him since he stayed well behind the fighting. There were so many bodies that most were burned or thrown in the river, not buried.
Santa Anna moved east, toward other Texas forces and govt., as Gen Sam Houston retreated. At San Jacinto, the Texans had enough of running. Their force of about 800 attacked Santa Anna's army of twice that size. Many of the Mexican soldiers threw down their weapons and ran. There had also been a massacre of 400 Texas prisoners who had surrended at Goliad. The Mexican soldiers yelled "Me no Alamo, Me no Goliad". The Texans were not in a mood to take prisoners,and it was all over in 18 minutes. The "Napoleon of The West" tried to disguise as a private, but was captured. Houston let him live when he signed the treaty. Texas was now a free nation. That is San Jacinto and the monument to it it there. Go see them both, you can do it in half a day.

Last edited by Bill Greenwood on Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Pat Carry]

Anyone who is down Houston way and who has not been there should go see the Battleship Texas. It is located just east of downtown Houston, just a few miles north of the Gulf freeway, Hwy 45, that goes from Houston to Galveston. I think Pasadena might be the closest town.
One other good thing to see at the same location is the San Jacinto Monument, museum and battle grounds. They are right next to where the Texas is docked.

For those, or should I say youse guys, not fortunate enough to be born in Texas and may not know of San Jacinto, here is a quick history. In the Early 1800s Mexico controlled Texas and invited settlers in from the states. Some who came were peaceful farmers,but some were spirited frontier types like Davy Crockett and above all Jim Bowie, famous for his large knife, ( like the one in the Crocodile Dundee movie)and his large appetite for whiskey, and their spokesman was the fiery William Barrett Travis, who was one of those independence minded types not to be walked on. Mexico then decided to clamp down , but too late, the genie was already out of the bottle, or for Bowie the cork out of many bottles. Mexico was run by a dictator, Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who was about as big an ass as any we have now. He brought an army of about 5000 into Texas to San Antonio where the Texans were in an old mission, the Alamo. It was pretty one sided several thousand against 187, but the Texans had some cannon and were great marksman and they held out for 13 days of the siege. Finally the Mexican cannon knocked down the north wall and they got inside the fort, killing all but a few women and kids. The Texans took a huge toll of Santa Annas army perhaps at thousand or more dead or dying of wounds. Gen. Cos said of his main brigade that led the battle, "We brought 800 of the finest soldiers here and we left 660 of them dead on the ground." Santa Anna was not used to being defied and he called it, "a small affair", as it was for him since he stayed well behind the fighting. There were so many bodies that most were burned or thrown in the river, not buried.
Santa Anna moved east, toward other Texas forces and govt., as Gen Sam Houston retreated. At San Jacinto, the Texans had enough of running. Their force of about 800 attacked Santa Anna's army of twice that size. Many of the Mexican soldiers threw down their weapons and ran. There had also been a massacre of 400 Texas prisoners who had surrended at Goliad. The Mexican soldiers yelled "Me no Alamo, Me no Goliad". The Texans were not in a mood to take prisoners,and it was all over in 45 minutes. The "Napolean of The West" tried to disguise as a private, but was captured. Houston let him live when he signed the treaty. Texas was now a free nation. That is San Jacinto and the monument to it it there. Go see them both, you can do it in half a day.

Bill, You are awesome! You must be a history fanatic like me.