This weekend is your last chance to visit the Battleship Texas before it closes

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Friday, August 23, 2019
This weekend is your last chance to see the Battleship Texas
The ship is closing to the public, so contractors can prepare for the ship to be relocated.

LA PORTE, Texas (KTRK) -- This weekend is your last chance to see the Battleship Texas before it leaves the San Jacinto Battleground for repairs and moves on to a new location.

If you go, prepare for a different visual experience. The park says thousands of artifacts and large exhibits are being removed.

The park is also no longer taking reservations.

You can swing by Friday through Sunday anytime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The ship will close Monday.

There is no fee to enter the grounds, but fees are required to enter the battleship. For the full list of fees, click here.

Battleship Texas is a 107-year-old relic of both World Wars.

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A decline in visits to the San Jacinto Battleground leaves keepers of the aging ship no choice but to seek a new home.

Bruce Bramlett with the Battleship Texas Foundation said the main reason for the move is because it doesn't have enough paid visitors to maintain the ship.

"We need to get somewhere where there's a lot of people," Bramlett said.

A bill passed unanimously in the legislature, which will provide Battleship Texas $35 million for repairs before it is taken to its new home. The measure mentioned the upper Texas coast as the general region for the new home, but no specific site has been chosen, Bramlett said.

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The repairs are expected to take about a year before the ship is moved to its new location.

It's expected to depart what's been its home for the last 70 years by the end of 2019.

"At the end of the day, I think people will be really excited about the things we have planned," Bramlett said.

This is what Battleship Texas looked like in the 1960s

Take a step back in time and watch events and celebrations at the Battleship Texas from the ABC13 archives.

The USS Texas was launched on May 18, 1912 and is the second ship the U.S. Navy named in honor of the state of Texas.

The ship saw action in Mexican waters following the Tampico Incident, and was involved in both World Wars.

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This is what Battleship Texas looked like in the 1960s