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Texas
| Features
| Books"Old
Hoodoo"
The Battleship Texas
America's First Battleship
(1895-1911)by
Al Sumrall and Mark D. Cowan | |
| In this new book
(October 2011) about a little known era of Naval History, authors Al Sumrall and
Mark D. Cowan research the first Battleship Texas. Built in 1895, when the world’s
“arms race” involved building the biggest warships afloat, the Texas was soon
to be made obsolete by the British Dreadnaught class of battleships. (The Second
Texas has the distinction of being the last of the Dreadnaughts.) For naval
history buffs, this well-researched and lavishly illustrated book might belong
on the shelf next to Robert Massey’s Castles of Steel, but absolutely belongs
alongside books about the later Texas. The book has already gathered 5 five-star
reviews on it’s Amazon page – which contains the following description written
by co-author Mark D. Cowan: |
USS
Texas (1895-1911)
Wikipedia |
| “The Texas
was early-on considered something of an ugly duckling in the Navy, often characterized
as a clumsy “hoodoo”, or jinxed ship. Her service in the Spanish
American War proved her to be a late bloomer, an odd-looking ship that met
the challenges of combat and served her nation well as a critical step in the
development of the New Navy. Perhaps being seen as the least valuable battleship
in the Navy and therefore the most expendable, the Texas found herself
in the enviable position of seeing more action than any other capital vessel in
the US Fleet. The Texas shone in every engagement in which she was committed.
She took part in the search for the Spanish fleet. She also participated in the
first significant independent Marine Corps action in history when she provided
critical support in their capture of Guantanamo Bay. She then provided support
to the Army in the invasion of Cuba and the subsequent investiture of Santiago,
engaging a number of Spanish forts in the process. Off Santiago, she took the
first hit by an enemy gun and the first combat death for the Navy, being struck
by enemy shells in two different actions. At the Naval Battle of Santiago she
steamed aggressively forward into the thick of battle and directly engaged six
warships of the Spanish fleet." |
 |
USS
Texas Cat and Dog Mascots
US
Naval Historical Center |
| "Though clearly
obsolescent, few patriotic sailors would not have wanted to walk her powder and
blood-stained decks. The Texas was conceived in an era when the US Navy
was attempting to arise from the post-Civil War neglect that had crippled its
ability to assert itself in international waters. It was a period of great change,
both technologically and in the development of the theory of naval power as espoused
by Alfred Thayer Mahan. She sailed in the time before the US Navy had reached
the renowned strength and professionalism it exhibited in World
Wars One and Two, but
contributed immeasurably to this achievement. This is the illustrated story of
the design, construction, and operational history of the USS Texas of 1895,
America's first battleship and hero of the Spanish-American
War. Hundreds of historic photos and plans combined with exhaustively researched
text capture the spirit of the age, as well as the technological details of the
ship.” | |
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