Battleship Texas Conning Tower

Hey yall, Travis is back and in this video he'll be showing you the ins and outs of Battleship Texas' conning tower. This structure is unique space and while some steps for it's restoration has taken place in the past; it is far from perfect. There are plans to restore it in the future but it is a lower priority of the ship at this time. Once more, thanks to all yall for getting us past the 2k subscriber mark! We be giving away 4 challenge coins to those who fill out the google form below. This form has been open for almost a week and we'll be closing it soon!
Giveaway form:
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If you would like to volunteer with us, check out our website here:
battleshiptexas.org/volunteer/
Be sure to follow us on instagram, facebook, twitter and our update page in order to stay up to date on what's going on around the ship!
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[@bobuncle8704]

As someone who is mobility challenged, I’ll not ever get a chance to personally see spaces like this. I really appreciate seeing these tours. Thank you

[@rampageTG]

I’m so glad a lot of museum ships have started making KZbin videos. It’s a great way to go into depth specific parts of a ships history and it also helps to raise interest in the ships themselves. I’m hoping the move to the dry dock and repairs go smoothly next year. I’m looking forward to coming back to tour the ship afterwards.

[@mambofred7625]

For me these vids are great. Stuff I'll never get to see from the UK 🇬🇧

[@shorey66]

Yeah, as a Brit, I know I'm unlikely to ever see these ships but at least I can see them to some extent this way.

[@fire304]

Agree. I grew up a half hour from the USS Massachusetts and visited many times as a kid, there were so many spaces I wanted to visit but couldn't. Videos like these finally pull the curtain back (the armored curtain?) and show the public spaces we are not ever really likely to explore.

[@davismontana9307]

When I was a teenager in the late 60's you could go just about anywhere on the ship except climb the mast. There was a real problem with vandals and they pretty much looted the wheelhouse. Glad to see our state finally step up and try to preserve her.

[@tomlavelle8340]

Amazing that it can float with all that heavy steel!

[@wickerman9569]

I’ve been on her several times. I would be willing to sigh a waver so I could see some of this stuff. I’ve been over every part they let you see. So if I could see the other it would be like a first time visit. That would make the drive worth while to see her again. Good to see her getting the repairs she’s needs now. 🇨🇱

[@BattleshipTexas]

In the past Hard Hat Tours to behind the scenes areas have been offered, we are going to continue doing them and expand our offerings.

[@tomscotttheolderone364]

I've never seen it so well lit! Leave that lighting in place!

[@loualiberti4781]

Wow … finally videos with actual information worth watching on UTube. Thank you.

[@kingofcastlechaos]

I have the Texas in my port in World of Warships. It is really neat to watch this video and be able to scroll around the ship in the game. Thanks for all you are doing to preserve her and tell the history (good and bad- we want it all).

[@Quint1836]

BB-35 is all I sail into battle

[@nicklackey6595]

Keep em coming, I wanna see everything texas.

[@user-jg7lw9zt9k]

Спасибо!! Нам, в России, очень интересно смотреть американские решения линкоров!

[@craftpaint1644]

That space between the Conn and the armored decking where medical supplies were kept is called the "Mezzanine."

[@nomore9203]

New Texas video. GREAT!!! ✌

[@patraic5241]

I wonder if any of those periscopes survive somewhere in surplus storage or in other museums. I'm not surprised that the hatch swings down. If the counterweight were inoperable the hatch could still be opened just with the pull of gravity. There is no way someone could move that much steel without assistance otherwise.

[@BattleshipTexas]

You never know. Alabama had four our Mk 15 gunsights that were removed in 1946 and one of the ship’s rangefinders turned up in an nautical antiques shop in Florida.

[@davidmorris2730]

I’ve done the hard hat tour twice and was disappointed we did not go into conning tower. Glad to finally get to see it! Next you need to go to the spotting top. Great job.

[@beverlychmelik5504]

The other reason it opens upward is that if a shell penetrates and explodes in that area, the rim of the hatch will prevent the explosion from forcing the hatch into the conning tower. It it was the otherway, the dogs would have to be so much stronger to try to keep the hatch in place.

[@killemtoenjoythesilence]

I'm a year late but I came to say the same thing. I'll be willing to bet that's the main reason.

[@manuelsandoval8506]

Excellent detail show. Thanks for the full detail video

[@colbysf1206]

Cool to finally see the inside it

[@TGHibiki]

Keep these coming, always glad to hear and see more about her.

[@eletourneau9424]

My father was a signalman and in the conning tower at Cherbourg (according to records I saw). He was one of the wounded. where would I find info on what his duties were, and what he was doing in the conning tower? He never talked about it. And I have a few pieces of shrapnel that he kept. I have no idea if they were from the USS Texas or the German shell. I know of one other person who also has some her father brought home. I'm guessing someone picked up pieces and gave it to the wounded.

[@BattleshipTexas]

Mr. Letourneau, we are happy to help you find that information and just sent you a message.

[@eletourneau9424]

@Chris S Most vets don't talk about their experience. I was USAF during Vietnam, and I never talked about it except to other vets. They are the ones who understand. The experience of war is different from most of them, yet common. And most importantly, war only ends for the dead. -- My dad only talked about being on the Texas to a neighbor who was also in the WWII Navy, and later in life to a couple of his close friends. -- Me I didn't talk about what I experienced to others until 35 years later. And that was in a story I wrote about being at Kadina AB, after North Korea shot down an EC-121 and we loaded nukes in the B52s.

[@rowdy9379]

My Dad definitely had PTSD and he drank for years, but quit later.

[@TheAirplaneDriver]

There was what….50 years or so from the USS Monitor to when this ship was on the drawing boards. Watching this reminded me of the technology of that first ironclad. Pretty amazing.

[@fire304]

Educated guess, but I would say the hatch closes upwards because that armored deck was to protect the crew if a shell hit below. The false deck was used for cable run, but it also protected the occupants from the shock of a shell detonating a deck below.

[@robertmurphy4836]

After touring the ship years ago I always wondered why there's such a large gap between the top of the conning tower and the underside of the bridge? The ship looks odd compared to other battleships of the era.

[@BattleshipTexas]

A chunk of that is the age of the ship. As built a pilot house wasn’t part of the thinking, making her pilot house an after thought. Her conning tower wasn’t tall enough to include as part of a pilot house design that wrapped the bridge around the conning tower -turret 2 would parent this. I believe the Navy didn’t see the need to go through the expense and time of raising the conning tower; it would have also changed the stability of the ship. With an unraised conning tower, there had to be an air gap between the top of the conning tower and the structure above due to the periscopes and gun director.

[@captaincobb8146]

It's amazing how much Texas was preserved! Good job Texas! Every nut and bolt that can not pass the certification, should be kept for history. But the Battle Ship Texas needs to be returned back into service. Rebuilt to original specs... But with mild upgrades.

[@pedenharley6266]

Many thanks! I’d love to see inside the spotting top when you get a chance.

[@jaybee9269]

The differences between Texas and the Iowas are astonishing.

[@mikesaporitojr3313]

Most likely the first video I have seen from USS Texas and glad I found this Channel ps From Rochester NY

[@user-xh2vn6gs7p]

I’d love to have a video of the spotting top/foretop if possible and sky 1 and everything else in the upper superstructure

[@DK-gy7ll]

I agree 100%... I always wanted to know what a fighting top looked like from the inside. Most of the pre-war USN battleships had them but I never understood their function.

[@HaddaClu]

@26:12 Easy? I'm sure Ryan of the New Jersey would have some rather choice words to say about that / the time he climbed up and down the cable trunk just for a video. Pretty sure he got stuck near the end and had to climb all the way back up to the top again to get out.

[@Sanderford]

He did, because as I recall there was some kind of pipe or something positioned just right to block the hatch leading out into Broadway at the bottom of the trunk, which to me makes no sense.

[@tomharley4856]

My dad served aboard her sister ship, USS New York (BB 340

[@tomharley4856]

(BB34)

[@W5NEH]

Great video, thanks guys. Love every minute of it!

[@vicmclaglen1631]

Kind of ironic the helmsman on the navigation bridge was killed by a shell ricochet off the armored conning tower, which was of so little use they stopped being put on many battleships period.

[@fletcher3913]

I enjoyed the tour a history lesson. Thank you.

[@nickpopelka]

Excellent job man

[@herrakaarme]

I was afraid you'd accidentally drop the flashlight into the cable trunk, but fortunately it didn't happen. A good and interesting video, thanks for posting it!

[@hoistthejack5059]

The 2' X 3' hatch is about 840lbs. 2X3=6 square feet at 140lbs per square foot. (20lbs per half inch times 6 gets 3 inches of armor)

[@OhYeaMista]

20 x 6 is 120 per square foot not 140. 20lbs for 1 sq foot of half inch times 6 is 120 lbs for 1 sq foot of 3 inch. 120 x 6 is 720 lbs.

[@greggweber9967]

Years ago I heard about a battleship, don't know which or even what Navy, that a shell hit from an angle and exploded below the Conning Tower. Sailors were amazed that injured people staggered out of the safest place on the ship when they on deck weren't injured. I think in another battle there was an explosion and everyone was accounted for except for the lookout who was standing and looking out of a slot.

[@DK-gy7ll]

Conning towers were often removed from battleships during reconstruction as they really didn't serve their intended purpose well. Imagine being inside a huge bell when someone hits the outside really hard.

[@pizzaivlife]

@@DK-gy7ll all 7 surviving fast battleships still have theirs though

[@GizStudPrez]

This is great - seeing spots you can't go into anymore is wonderful - might want to have notes to remind you what to say before you show the camera around.....to keep it tighter.

[@johnmorris4753]

I noticed a possible safety issue. You need to cut the excess off of the bolts that are holding the Lexan to the veiw ports. Someone may poke their eye out while trying to look out

[@THINKincessantly]

The USS Alabama is a very nice ship, 30-40 years younger but a museum ship .

[@captaincobb8146]

As a kid (1960s'), I lived in Galveston, Tx. in the summertime, due to my real father living there. My father was a world-class Tool & Die Maker. Richard Cobb. Dad had an Apartment near the American National building. The place we lived in is still there. The red building at the corner of Postoffice St. & 20th St., on the second floor, on the corner, overlooking, Postoffice & 20th. The spring that I came down just after my 17th birthday, he handed me my Tool & Die Journeymen's Card. And become another world-class Tool & Die, Maker. I love Galveston! I hated Illinois! Where I am still today, and still hating it here! After being married, I really tried hard to move back to Galveston in the early 80s'. I worked for VANSKIKE SECURITY, INC. and a gun shop called GUNSMOKE. But it wasn't enough for my wife and I couldn't really blame her after coming from working for JOHN DEER HARVESTER. But I loved Harry and Nancy Vanskike, even though Harry was a first-class prick, who once took me out to a Wanch Barge, in the middle of the Gulf, and left me there for 10 &1/2 days and 11 nights. So I digress... I still count Texas as my true home. Because I love Galveston so much. At this point, my life is going through some major changes. My wife of over 45 years won't make another one, and I've been battling bladder cancer for 5 years. But her cancer is on a whole nother level. And lately, I may, or may not, have other issues. At 65, who knows. But if I remain in reasonably good shape after I lose my wife, I'd love to come down there to Galveston, my real home, and help work on the TEXAS. My real name is Michael G. Dawson (Cobb at birth). 209-203-6332

[@MrTexasDan]

Hey Travis, thanks for yet another excellent walk-through. I hope you can figure out a way to get access to the conning tower for folks who can climb a ladder ... there are still many of us :-)

[@BattleshipTexas]

It is something we want to do; along with a lot of other spaces.

[@SenorKabong]

@@BattleshipTexas My grandfather was the XO for most of the European campaign. He was in the conning tower during Cherbourg and one of the days I want to take my nephew around the ship. Being able to actually go in there would be something special. I was able to go down and see where the other shell punched through the hull during one of the crew reunions many years ago.

[@BattleshipTexas]

@@SenorKabong That is so cool! I have always found your grandfather to be a very interesting person and an important pat of the ship's history. Please feel free to reach out to us via email if you have anything else you'd like to share about your grandfather.

[@DolphinOrgy]

Thanks for the amazing video, keep up the good work :)

[@BattleshipTexas]

Appreciate it!

[@walkertradingllc3439]

I second that !!! You guys are doing excellent with all your efforts and it is GREATLY appreciated !! Loving all the great video and documentation that ya’ll are doing !!! Keep up the excellent work !! I grew up in Southeast Houston and we would go to the restaurant that used to be right next to her mooring spot. Later as an adult, I moved to Deer Park and always loved driving by her as we would sometimes go to the San Jacinto Monument and the State Park. I drove by her after getting off work on night shift just a couple of mornings before they moved her and took a couple of final photos of her. I remember how fun and exciting it used to be to go aboard her and enjoy her; such as sitting in the gunners seats and playing with the handles/wheels that used to move the small gun turrets. Going to miss her always being right there close by !!! She was in the shadows of the San Jacinto Monument and in line with the reflection pool of the Monument. Can’t believe they are going to relocate her after all the decades she’s been at the San Jacinto Monument !!! I’m saddened to see her leave!

[@admiralbeatty6083]

Good video - thanks for posting!

[@admiralbeatty6083]

Please keep them coming - hope to visit USS Texas someday. Been to New Jersey, Iowa, North Carolina, and Alabama. Last of the WW I dreadnought battleships!

[@peterv1602]

Visited her several time but didn't have a chance to look inside so I enjoyed this great video tour.

[@stargatetitanx]

as you talk about the battleship texas i look at texas on world of warships

[@jeff1212us]

These ships are like the Tardis in reverse. Big on the outside, smaller on the inside.

[@hughthompson8018]

I saw this in 1990 (or thereabouts!) and never understood why slots were necessary for people who didn't need to see, such as helmsman, signalmen etc. When the ships own guns fired the blast and fumes would have got in through the slots and of course these essential people would have been made unnecessarily vulnerable to incoming shell fire. In British (and possibly other nation's ships) the helmsman was safely hidden away, receiving orders from the 'eyes and ears' people who needed to see.

[@IamJunius]

When built there was no mainmast in front (aft) of turret three. The turret angle indicator must be original.

[@wvbygraceofgod5508]

I would love to see from the inside of the fire directors position on the very top position of the tripod mast.

[@needmorecowbell6460]

I want to see what it looks like up in the battle bridge on the tripod mast

[@patchmack4469]

great to see the remains of the damage/repair done after the Cherbourg incident, will be good to see the inside of the pilot house too i'm also interested to see where the damaged shell came into the stateroom 20 at frame 19, just to see if the damage repair is still visible, is that shell still on board? i really hope so, its all part of her history not a lot of room in the lower conning tower, must of been a sauna during the summer months, lots still to do in the upper conning tower, great progress, i guess the slits were open to the elements for improved visibility, well nearly, and the cause of all the rusting inside, have to keep the birds and the bats out though, nasty acid poop

[@bendynamic2150]

I love Museum ships and I especially love Battleship Texas BB-35 and the service she and her crew gave our country from around 1912 when she was first launched to the year she was decommissioned in the 1948. It's just a shame that the people that decided to make her a museum and or exhibit didn't have the best foresight and decided to Moore her where she stood by flooding her. It has caused significant damage that people are still trying to repair and maintain to this day. She's over 110 years old this year and she's a mix of the old and new at the time kind of an intermediate ship with holdovers. Heck the only reason we still have her was the London Naval treaties after World War I putting restrictions on the types of ships you can build and all that ended up saving her from being declared Obsolete and scrapped and instead led to an entire refit I think in the mid 20s or so where she continued to service admirably throughout the Second World War. A lot of good stories and history about that ship. I really hope we can do her right by her and restore to the best of our abilities else we risk losing her forever.

[@alancarlson94]

Travis, @33:15, in her original configuration (before there was a mast there) would turret 3 have had enough elevation to fire over turret 4? Maybe that's why there's no indicator.

[@alancarlson94]

@@charlesmoore766 This photo from 1918 shows nothing between turrets 3 and 4. www.navsource.org/archives/01/013591.jpg

[@alancarlson94]

@@charlesmoore766 Your memory may be just fine. It could have been in the plans. I just don't know.

[@christianjunghanel6724]

Would be nice if it gets restored soon!

[@paulmartin9418]

Travis - it's Cherbourg - pronounced "Share Borg" rather than "Shore Berg" 😉

[@longrider188]

Please give us a tour of the foretop. I know there probably isn't much up there, but I've always wanted to know more about the fire control directors that were up there.

[@rrice1705]

Myself as well. From comments I've seen here and there, I expect a lot of people want a peek into that area. I've searched and searched for online pictures to no avail ☹

[@HM2SGT]

🤔I wonder... _drone_ footage perhaps?

[@oldsalt7534]

What gripes my gut is the fact that there is so many rich people and so much money in Texas and we have to go out begging for the money to restore this historical ship. Come on Jerry Jones, get off your wallet and show what a true Texan you are.

[@johnbell7235]

*aggressive agreement*

[@Buck1954]

I always wanted to climb up into there when I was a kid.

[@ronjohnson5070]

While you were walking on the conning tower seeing the wire near your feet, my stomach was about to come up thinking you might fall

[@MrJeep75]

Be cool to finish the restoration

[@fxsrider]

You're gonna want that Premium Navy Armor... made me think of Fargo.

[@airplanes42]

Shame the periscope were taken off. Thanks for posting though, very interesting.

[@Cabin_Fever13]

Great info to help me finish my minecraft battleship lol

[@larryparrish7780]

some of the external armor, could it be better protected with powder coating instead of just painting?

[@jphellify]

When were the working periscopes removed?

[@BattleshipTexas]

1948, when the Navy was making her ready to become a museum for the State of Texas.

[@captaincobb8146]

TEXAS needs so much work! More than any other American Battel Ship, The Texas Battel Ship should be restored into service-ready condition. The plate that reflected the German alterity, should be removed and saved, but replaced. The rebuild would be cheap compared to the money sunk into this ship back in the day. And remember; These parts were made by hand... NO CNC's

[@JRodPhotoArt]

Why are there so many pieces missing from the ship? Are they all being restored?

[@captaincobb8146]

@39:00 T. Davis; I thank U again

[@user-ny8qt8rb3z]

Sad bout periscopes. It would be great if they'll be installed as it was when ship was active.

[@EnterpriseXI]

I’d happily sneak in to get to those two towers on top of the ship. Can’t find any video’s inside them

[@kennethpace9887]

I know nothing of ships, museums, etc. I figure the navy would gut the ship of all sensitive equipment and anything that could be used on other ships upon retirement of a ship like the Texas. What I don't get is how things like light fixtures are laying on the floor in pieces 70 years after retirement. I doubt gremlins go through at night and take things apart. When restoration is occurring, sure, take stuff apart, clean, repair. But why is so much stuff dismantled and, obviously left that way for periods of time? I don't get it.

[@mikeloghry9521]

7:02 Spoke by a True TEXAN.

[@thedreadpiratewesley2301]

The door is like 720lbs unless my math is wrong

[@kirkkirkland7244]

Looks like 1st division needs to turn to!!!!!

[@georgedistel1203]

Will the fore top ever be open for tours, I have always wanted to tour that part of an old battleship.

[@BattleshipTexas]

Probably not; it is a challenging, slightly dangerous climb to get up there.

[@georgedistel1203]

@@BattleshipTexas will you ever do a video from up there

[@walkertradingllc3439]

@@BattleshipTexas Perhaps with the use of a fall arrest system and a signed waiver of liability for those wanting to ascend ?

[@EK14MeV]

Does anyone have photos or video of what it looked like inside the main battery firing control towers at the top of the masts? They're above the heavily armored navigation room. Those locations are never discussed, it seems. Yet they must have been harrowing in rough seas, with the whipping effect of the battleship rocking through high waves

[@rgatesoit]

Is there a video of the pilot house or plans to do a video?

[@sc0pes_xd755]

i like how the video is simalar to the battle ships new jersys vids

[@72chargerse72]

Where is all the equipment from the armoured bridge now?

[@thurin84]

so what provisions did they have to function if the ship was under gas attack? how could they seal the conning tower? did they even try or did everyone just wear gasmasks?

[@BattleshipTexas]

There were gas masks available as well as SCBAs on the ship. Texas also had two decontamination stations on board located on second deck. This was more of a concern for the ship during the Normandy Campaign as they were still unsure of the willingness of the Axis to use chemical weapons.

[@thurin84]

@@BattleshipTexas imagine being cooped up in the conning tower in gasmasks!!! uuuggghhhhh.

[@rrice1705]

I have a question about steering the ship. It looks like there's a small tiller to the right of the wheel in the conning tower (seen at 14:51). Was this connected to a motor so the helmsman didn't have to turn the wheel?

[@rrice1705]

EDIT: nevermind, I posted before getting to that part of the video!

[@pdmacguire]

Maybe the floating drydock should be purchased, and just leave the ship perched in it. The whole business could travel from port to port and ongoing maintenance could be a lot easier/cheaper.

[@jamesbeaman6337]

What would the cost of that be with the purchase price and annual maintenance?

[@gianlucaspinello1932]

Please make a video fo the engine rooms

[@agresseur7184]

Wonders why this guy did not have a fall harness on while he did this? Otherwise great tour.

[@williamvarner4423]

From West Virginia

[@Lion_McLionhead]

So ancient in there, they must have forgotten what war they were fighting.

[@williamvarner4423]

I want to go

[@user-rf2yn8ky4n]

Drill texas battles 📠💶🇪🇺

[@TrevorTrottier]

I've seen Ryan on the battleship NJ climb that trunk, it's not super climbable.

[@FemboyAkagi]

just use Flex Seal as a primer and paint over it. boom, rusting problem solved

[@satweavers1]

I first saw TEXAS when I was a kid, around 1962. THe ship was glorious! The next time I saw it was in 1984 and I was horrified by what I saw!!! In the intervening 22 years, in the interior, everything that could be broken or unscrewed and stolen had been. It was a RELIC at that point. There was standing water in the bottom of the ship with lots of trash floating in it. I'm guessing much of this was just from rain being alowed to enter through open doors. Negligence! Disgraceful!!! The ship had basically been abandoned to the ravages of the disrespecting public, rather than preserved and properly displayed as a museumm piece. It was clear that the proper resources to monitor and maintain the ship had not been provided for a very long time. Now, there is an effort to restore the ship, but where will they find all the proper period fittings to replace all the missing parts? It is terribly sad that the state of Texas allowed this treasure to be pillaged.

[@davidholder3207]

So is that all the battle damage suffered by the ship in action? So, good job this wasn't a tour of one of the pacific aircraft carriers.

[@ct2368]

How many ships did Texas sink?

[@BattleshipTexas]

During Texas' 34 years of service she sank no ships with her main battery guns. She did lend her guns many times in fire support for amphibious landings

[@frankbodenschatz173]

@@BattleshipTexas (

[@HM2SGT]

*re: video of inaccessible spaces- 🤔I wonder... **_drone_** footage perhaps?*

[@candyhr4152]

We're the guys ok?

[@FishHatcheryGuy]

The helmsman was killed and nearly everyone else on the navigation bridge minus the captain was injured. The helmsman was the only combat fatality Texas had.

[@candyhr4152]

@@FishHatcheryGuy oh that's terrible. The ultimate sacrifice. May he rest in peace.

[@johnfalkenstine8377]

You need to start spraying corrosion inhibitor on the exposed areas.

[@ProjectFairmont]

A ship with a dangerous job, with men doing their job in a dangerous space. Such entitlement.

[@OhYeaMista]

720 lbs

[@donpost9462]

Ship appears to be in bad shape the state needs to maby spend a little money on it but that's Texas the pride of America

[@HM2SGT]

*Got a few score $million you can donate?*

[@Juggernaut-fg2up]

It would have been sweltering hot and dripping with humidity in there on any given day. How miserable they must have been