Battleship Texas closed until further notice Commissioned in 1914, the battleship is a veteran of both world wars

It's been that it will take about $75 million to get the Battleship Texas shipshape for a move to dry dock. On Nov. 11, 2016 it was learned that the ship will closed until further notice to repair leaks in the ship's hull. less It's been that it will take about $75 million to get the Battleship Texas shipshape for a move to dry dock. On Nov. 11, 2016 it was learned that the ship will closed until further notice to repair leaks in the ... more Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Staff Photo: Smiley N. Pool, Staff Image 1 of / 59 Caption Close Battleship Texas closed until further notice 1 / 59 Back to Gallery

The Battleship Texas, the last surviving dreadnought class battleship, is currently closed for repairs as a marine salvage team works to patch holes in its hull. Visitors to San Jacinto Battleground State Park who were turned away today said the bow was down noticeably.

The closure comes at an unfortunate time as America celebrates Veteran’s Day on Friday. The battleship is a veteran of both world wars and was decommissioned after World War II concluded. The battleship arrived in La Porte in 1948.

Along the way it was a witness to history. Sailors observed the famous flag-raising at Iwo Jima from the ship's decks in 1945, and it ferried a young Walter Cronkite over to the North African theater to fight.

She spent most of June 1944 providing gun support for soldiers at Omaha Beach and nearby Pointe du Hoc. After D-Day, the battleship went to the south of France, the Mediterranean and ultimately made it into the Pacific theater.

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This isn’t the first time she’s begun to take on water. Every so often the battleship deals with leaks and has to close so crews can remove old patches and place new ones.

Bill Irwin, the Complex Superintendent of San Jacinto State Historic Site Complex, said Friday that the leaks are on the starboard side of the battleship. Patches here and there have gotten the job done as the battleship continues to age.

“T&T Marine Salvage is handling the repairs, which entails removing the old patches and replacing them with new ones. To completely fix the hull we’d have to take the battleship out of the water, draining the area around it,” Irwin says.

The hole that's currently being fixed is estimated to be three feet in size.

A dry-berth for the Battleship Texas been something that’s been talked about for some time, but the funding isn’t quite there. In 1988, the Texas was towed to Todd Shipyards in Galveston for a $14 million restoration. The deck was replaced and the ship’s hull was repaired during the two-year project.

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When asked when the battleship will be back open, Irwin said he is hopeful that guests can once again visit within a week or so.

“It all depends on repairs,” Irwin says.

The Battleship Texas, launched first in 1912, was the most complex machine of its time when it was commissioned as a naval warship in 1914. She had the largest guns on any ship in the world at that time. It was the first American warship to launch an aircraft and to mount anti-aircraft guns.