Battleship Texas leaving San Jacinto Battleground for good over decline in visits
LA PORTE, Texas (KTRK) -- Battleship Texas, a 107-year-old relic of both World Wars, is set to pull up its anchors and depart from the San Jacinto Battleground.
Visitors have until the end of the year to book tours of the historic battleship before it is moved permanently from the Houston area.
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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 bill is now heading to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. 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
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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