Launched in 1892, the USS Texas was a pre-dreadnought type battleship. It was the first American battleship and one of the first ships built for the new “Steel Navy”. The US steel industry was still developing at the time, so construction took longer than anticipated. At the time of her launch, the ship was already considered out of date. Nevertheless, Texas ended up seeing more action than any other capital vessel in the fleet. Texas served with distinction in every engagement in which she was involved.
The main armament consisted of two 12” guns mounted in turrets en echelon. This was to allow maximum end-on fire. Secondary armament was six 6” guns, twelve 6 pounder guns and multiple 1 pounder guns in various configurations. The ship also had four torpedo tubes. One of the early steel ships, Texas was heavily armored including a 12-inch belt at the waterline. Propulsion was provided by twin propellers driven by two inverted vertical triple-expansion steam engines capable of 8,610 indicated horsepower. Maximum speed was 17.8 knots.
Several accidents during her early career resulted in the ship having a reputation for bad luck. The ship ran aground near Newport, RI in September of 1896. During repairs in New York, the ship sank in shallow water at the dock after the failure of an injector valve. The ship was refloated and repaired. In February of 1897, while anchored in Galveston, strong tide swung her around and the ship grounded onto a mud bank. Because of these two incidents, Texas earned the nickname of “Old Hoodoo”.
It was not long before the Texas was able to dispel that reputation when she was called into action during the Spanish-American War. The explosion of USS Maine in Havana Harbor in February of 1898, led to the declaration of war between the United Staes and Spain. With other ships of the US Navy, Texas joined the Flying Squadron in Cuban waters in May.
The ship provided critical support for the first significant independent Maring Corps action in history during their capture of Guantanamo Bay. She provided support for the Army during the invasion of Cuba by engaging a number of Spanish forts. On 16 June, USS Texas along with the cruiser Marblehead bombarded the fort on South Toro Cay in Guantánamo Bay. After about an hour and 16 minutes, the fort was taken out of action.
The Texas’ star really shined during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. When the Spanish Fleet under Admiral Cervera sallied forth in an attempt to elude the American Fleet. USS Texas strongly steamed ahead immediately taking four of the enemy ships under fire. Texas suffered a few hits from enemy shells, but she gave as good as she got contributing to the sinking or beaching of several of the Spanish ships. Gunners from the Texas claimed the decisive which finished the destroyer “Furor”.
This artwork shows “Old Hoodoo” in action during the fateful Battle Of Santiago de Cuba.