newportnewsshipbuilding

Visiting the Battleship Texas was one of my favorite things after it was retired and placed in Houston, Texas, next to the San Jacinto Monument. It is still there!

This was taken sometime at USS Texas's launching ceremony on 18 May 1912 at Newport News, Virginia.

"USS Texas (BB-35) is a New York-class battleship, and the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the U.S. state of Texas. During her career Texas saw action in Mexican waters following the "Tampico Incident", and escorted Allied convoys across the Atlantic Ocean during World War I. When the United States formally entered World War II, Texas resumed her role of escorting war convoys across the Atlantic, and later shelled Axis-held beaches for the North African campaign and the Normandy Landings before being transferred to the Pacific Theater late in 1944 to provide naval gunfire support during the Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Texas_(BB-35)

The USS Texas remains retired, moored in Houston, Texas, adjacent to the San Jacinto Battlefield and Monument where Gen. Sam Houston and the Texas army defeated Mexican Gen. Santa Anna and his troops. This was 1836 and the cry was "Remember the Alamo". Mexican troops were caught napping, which gave the Texas soldier's the advantage. This was the Battle that won Texas Independence from Mexico and was the beginning of the Republic Of Texas. My ancestor's fought there that day and their names are engraved on the enterior of the Monument. The Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto Battlefield are open for visitors.

This was taken sometime between keel laying on 17 April 1911 and her launching on 18 May 1912 at at Newport News, Virginia.

Is that a clear glass pushpin in the upper right corner? This then a picture of a picture?

On March 17, 1915, the 15,000 ton superdreadnaught USS Pensylvania was launched at the Newport News (Virginia) Shipbuilding Drydock Company. It was the largest battleship ever launched anywhere in the world, Miss Elizabeth Ludoff Kolb (1896-1979) of Germantown, Pennsylvania, daughter of Louis J. Kolb of Philadelphia and a senior at National Park Seminary in Forest Glen, Maryland, had been invited to the launching ceremonies by Pennsylvania Governor Brumbaugh (term 1915-1919), who called her "the most beautiful and sweetest girl in Pennsylvania". Elizabeth was the official "sponsor" of the ship, which, as far as I can tell, means she offered the name for the ship. Nineteen years young, Elizabeth arrived with her maids of honor, fellow classmates Miss Katherine Kolb (1900–1979) (who was also her younger sister), Miss Katherine Martin and Miss Mildred Harold. Following the prayer and with the words "I Christen thee Pennsylvania", Miss Kolb broke a bottle of champagne on the bow and set in motion one of the greatest battleships of all time.

Before the launch: