Talks Over Future Home for Famed Battleship USS Texas Continue

 

The port of Galveston and the trustees for the WWII battleship USS Texas have returned to the negotiating table to talk through options for the famous vessel's mooring arrangements. 

USS Texas is currently at Gulf Copper Shipyard for an extensive overhaul, including much-needed hull maintenance above and below the waterline. Once she returns to duty as a museum ship, she will need a safe permanent berth - but an agreement on the location has proven elusive. 

On October 22, the board for Galveston Wharves (Port of Galveston) voted to end a yearlong discussion with the Battleship Texas Foundation over the warship's new home. USS Texas was originally slated to berth in the area of piers 19-21, but a local restaurant objected, noting that the battleship would block the view from its waterfront dining room. 

The talks went on for months. Port director and CEO Rodger Rees told the Houston Chronicle that the conversation was "not getting anywhere," even though the parties were investing a lot of time in it, and so the board pulled the plug in late October.

There were several reported points of disagreement, starting with the length of the lease. Rees told the Chronicle that the foundation would like to have a lease term of 40-50 years - far longer than the port board's proposal for 10 years. The board also wants to see thorough due diligence on the feasibility of the mooring site before signing off, including detailed engineering work to make sure that the vessel stays secure during storms. That will require funding for a study (or several, if multiple sites are evaluated). 

The port's board reauthorized talks on USS Texas' future last week, and the conversation is set to begin anew. The repair work at the shipyard is well under way, and Texas should be ready to return to the Galveston waterfront sometime next year - giving the port and the foundation a limited amount of time to reach a decision. 

State Sen. Mayes Middleton noted that the state has invested $60 million in the restoration process, and he expressed confidence that the two sides can reach an agreement. "The Battleship Texas dominated two World Wars, and she will survive a contract squabble," he said in a statement.