Battleship Texas enters $15M restoration phase as it gets closer to calling Galveston, 'home'

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Tony Gregory, President and CEO of the Battleship Texas Foundation, announced that the City of Galveston and the Port of Galveston Board of Trustees have accepted terms for the historic ship.

"We at the foundation see a bright future for the Battleship Texas," Gregory said. "We look forward to stewarding the legacies of the brave men who served our great nation aboard and expanding our educational programming so that the Battleship Texas can be cherished for decades to come."

The foundation revealed it is still working on integrating Battleship Texas with the development of Pier 21 as part of an agreement with the company that currently leases Pier 21, Landry's Inc.

As negotiations progress, the foundation is focusing on ship maintenance, restoration, and the creation of educational programs.

Thanks to donations from the State of Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and others, the Battleship Texas Foundation reached 80% of its goal to save the ship and is now in its restoration phase.

This $15 million restoration project involves transforming the ship into a state-of-the-art visitor experience featuring interactive and technology-driven exhibits, augmented reality, holograms, guided tours, and integrations with cell phones. The ship will also be climate-controlled for year-round access.

These enhancements will contribute to the foundation's cornerstone educational program, the Overnight Education Program, where children can experience some of what sailors in WWII would have endured. Before restoration, this educational program hosted 4,000 children per year. The updates will allow the number of participants to grow.

The foundation also plans to invest $8.5 million to build new home port infrastructure to safely dock the battleship at Pier 21.

"We look forward to bringing the Battleship to her new home at Pier 21 and reopening as a world-class educational museum honoring our veterans and the storied history of the Battleship Texas," Matthew Pham, Vice President of Development said.