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The Texas Bookshelf is for single, specific books' reviews and author interviews . The Texas Parlor ranges more broadly than my other websites. The Young Texas Reader focuses on the youngest through teenagers. Texas Blog Notes surveys blogs of historical and literary interest. I've started a Will's Texana Youtube collecting channel where 1,000 videos are collected in 100 playlists . Find Will in Houston or at willstexana {at} yahoodotcom

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Where to Move the Battleship Texas

The Battleship Texas will be moved. To where is the question.
 
It rests in a slip of salt water in or margining the northern portion of the 1836 Texans' Army Camp from which the Battle of San Jacinto started.
 
Only the more unusual conversations now do not accept that the Battleship Texas must be "DRYDOCKED" or "DRYBERTHED" to be saved for the future. That's been concluded if not acted upon by relevant authorities.  Floating in salt water, the corrosion is eating its hull, the same as salt water eats your automobile's metal parts.  So the drydocking or dryberthing will happen.  The question becomes to where. 
Will it be temporarily raised or removed and replanted in its exact same location upon the Texan's Army Camp, will it be moved to a location virtually adjacent and still hovering at the Army Camp, will it be moved 30 to 100 yards away on the same coastline but beyond the immediate locale of the Army Camp, or will it be moved a few miles to Galveston?  But it will move. 
The discussion regarding where to move the vaunted 1912 Battleship Texas, flagship of U.S. W.W. II Naval Pacific forces, now moored in the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto Texas Army campsite is continuing.   Three groups now favor a move to Galveston.  The Texas Navy Association http://www.texasnavy.com/ , the Galveston City Council http://www.cityofgalveston.org/city_council/citycouncil.cfm (if it's going to move far, move it here), and the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground Association http://www.friendsofsanjacinto.com/site/  
An organization that has recently spoken against the Galveston site are the Battleship Texas Foundation http://www.battleshiptexas.org/  
The discussion has moved to the Legislature, probably the ultimate decision-maker in this case.
While tradition, self-interest, mis-information, personal favoritism, tourist dollars lost or gained, better funding across the years for preservation, greater or lesser visitor attendance, historical interpretation options, and general propriety all have their verses in this chorale, but those all are reduced to what is the proper place for it and will it be permanently, properly funded there (we're talking really big money).
 

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