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Posted on 04/10/2006 8:17:15 PM PDT by bittygirl
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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 ROAD TRIP! Welcome Aboard the Battleship TEXAS In 1948, the Battleship TEXAS became the first battleship memorial museum in the U.S. That same year, on the anniversary of Texas Independence, the Texas was presented to the State of Texas and commissioned as the flagship of the Texas Navy. In 1983, the TEXAS was placed under the stewardship of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is permanently anchored on the Buffalo Bayou and the busy Houston Ship Channel. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's 1,200-acre San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site consists of the Battleground, Monument and Battleship TEXAS. These sites are located within minutes of downtown Houston and a short distance to the beaches of Galveston Island. Millions of visitors come to this area each year to enjoy the mild coastal climate and cultural and sports activities. Students and visitors alike are most fortunate to be able to experience history first hand through living history at the San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship TEXAS.
Construction HistoryPhoto courtesy of Battleship TEXAS Archives
 1914 Picture of Battleship TEXAS in it's original configuration. The TEXAS is the last of the battleships, patterned after HMS Dreadnought, that participated in World War (WW) I and II. She was launched on May 18, 1912 from Newport News, Virginia. When the USS TEXAS was commissioned on March 12,1914, she was the most powerful weapon in the world, the most complex product of an industrial nation just beginning to become a force in global events.
In 1916, TEXAS became the first U.S. battleship to mount antiaircraft guns and the first to control gunfire with directors and range-keepers, analog forerunners of today's computers. In 1919, TEXAS became the first U.S. battleship to launch an aircraft. In 1925, the TEXAS underwent major modifications. She was converted to oil-fired boilers, tripod masts and a single stack were added to the main deck, and the 5" guns that bristled from her sides were reduced in number and moved to the main deck to minimize problems with heavy weather and high seas. Blisters were also added as protection against torpedo attack. The TEXAS received the first commercial radar in the US Navy in 1939. New antiaircraft batteries, fire control and communication equipment allowed the ship to remain an aging but powerful unit in the US naval fleet. In 1940, Texas was designated flagship of US Atlantic Fleet. The First Marine Division was founded aboard the TEXAS early in 1941. April 21, 1948 the Texas was decommissioned. The TEXAS holds the distinguished designation of a National Historic Landmark and a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark. Naval History
After being commissioned the TEXAS proceeded almost immediately to Mexican waters where she joined the Special Service Squadron following the "Vera Cruz Incident." She returned to the Atlantic Fleet operations in the fall of 1914, after the Mexican crisis was resolved. After the US entered WW I, she spent the year 1917 training gun crews for merchant ships that were often attacked by gunfire from surfaced submarines. TEXAS joined the 6th Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet early in 1918. Operating out of Scapa Flow and the Firth of Forth, TEXAS protected forces laying a North Sea mine barrage, responded to German High Seas Fleet sorties, fired at submarine periscopes observed by multiple ships and helped prevent enemy naval forces from interrupting the supply of Allied forces in Europe. Late in 1918 she escorted the German Fleet en route to its surrender anchorage and escorted President Wilson to peace talks in France. In 1919, she served as a plane guard and navigational reference for the first transatlantic flight by the seaplane NC-4, after which she transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Among other notables, she embarked President Coolidge for a trip to Cuba in 1928. In 1941 while on "Neutrality Patrol" in the Atlantic, TEXAS was stalked unsuccessfully by the German submarine U-203. TEXAS escorted Atlantic convoys against potential attack by German warships after America entered into WW II in December, 1941. In 1942, TEXAS transmitted General Eisenhower's first "Voice of Freedom" broadcast, asking the French not to oppose Allied landings on North Africa. The appeal went unheeded and the TEXAS provided gunfire support for the amphibious assault on Morocco, putting Walter Cronkite ashore to begin his career as a war correspondent. After further convoy duty, the TEXAS fired on Nazi defenses at Normandy on "D-Day," June 6, 1944. Shortly afterwards, she was hit twice in a duel with German coastal defense artillery near Cherbourg, suffering one fatality and 13 wounded. Quickly repaired, she shelled Nazi positions in Southern France before transferring to the Pacific where she lent gunfire support and antiaircraft fire to the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. General Ship DataClass - New York Class Battleship Armament
Restoration of the TEXASPhoto courtesy of Margaret Hooper
 Through the private donations and efforts of the people and businesses of the State of Texas, in addition to State funds, the ship underwent dry dock overhaul in 1988-90 and systematic restoration was begun. Instead of peacetime gray, the TEXAS was painted Measure 21 blue camouflage, which she wore during service in the Pacific in 1945. Nearly 350,000 pounds of steel plating were replaced that were previously removed by the Navy and structural repairs were made to the masts and superstructure of the ship. Following the removal of the non-historic layer of concrete on the main deck, work began on the installation of a new wooden decking. The work of saving the TEXAS in late 1980s has been a great source of pride throughout the state. The restoration would not have been possible if it had not been for the efforts of thousands of people including many school age children who "gave their pennies to save the TEXAS." While the ship officially reopened to the public on September 8, 1990, her restoration is not complete. During the last 10 years, many compartments and work areas on the ship have been carefully refurnished to portray life on a warship in 1945; however, plans have already begun for the next renovation of the TEXAS for the fall of 2005. While the search goes on for a suitable dry dock facility that will handle the weight and configuration of the battleship, the Texas legislature has already budgeted $12.5 million in funding for this renovation. Battleship Texas FoundationThe Battleship Texas Foundation (battleshiptexas.org) was created to assist ongoing preservation and educational efforts aboard this historic ship. Your membership in the Foundation helps ensure that the "Mighty T" continues to tell the story of those who fought for freedom on both sides of the globe. The Foundation engages in fundraising efforts to assist the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with education, restoration, and maintenance efforts aboard the Battleship TEXAS. They also operate a Youth Education Program (Y.E.P.) to give youth group participants an opportunity to spend the night aboard ship and learn about Navy life in general.
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Many fond memories . . . thanks.
Heh heh heh.
The Washington Monument is 555 feet tall.
The San Jacinto Monument is 570 feet tall.
Great kids :-)
This reminds me of my time in scouting.
I was a scout and then a scout-master for - well - about 10 years.
Nice thread. The FReeper Foxhole hasn't been around lately, where you been? :) I'm glad to see it's alive and well, thanks for the ping.
| April 12, 2006
The Hidden Rattler
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When I was a boy, our family lived on a farm. One spring, we killed 13 rattlesnakes in a brief period of time.
A rattler can be easily destroyed if you know where it is and how far it can reach when it strikes. So my brothers and I never worried about the snakes we could see. We were genuinely concerned, however, about stepping on one whose presence we had not detected.
King Hezekiah was subtly "bitten" by a hidden temptation, not seduced by a gross and obvious evil. He allowed a measure of pride and self-reliance to blight his career. He should have put his full trust in the Lord for protection from his enemies, but instead he sought safety through an alliance with idolatrous men (2 Chronicles 32:25,31).
It's too bad that this otherwise good king marred his reign by this sin. We need to be on guard lest we allow pride to build up in our hearts until we, like Hezekiah, succumb to the wiles of the enemy. We may be prepared to stand against obvious invitations to sin that would besmirch our name, but we may not be ready for life's subtle temptations.
Beware of "hidden rattlers"—they're the most dangerous of all! —Herb Vander Lugt
If you want to master temptation, let Christ master you.
That is so cute! Thanks Feather.
You're welcome.
I thought since PE and Peanut Gallery's kid's put this thread up, another kid should come along.
I agree, that pic really says alot.
The crew examines some 40mm AA rounds for defects.
Cool thread. Thanks spiderboy and bittygirl. I think it would have been neat to stay all night! You are so lucky!
Wonderful lessons. And now they can keep calling you and old salt. lol.
lordy, that's one hugh statue!
The statue is 77 ft tall. The docent said that that Sam Houston was 6'7", but to maintain proportions I think she meant 6'5". Not sure about that one. I will have to verify.
This F-O-G is way cool!!!
Now I gotta let the rest of these pics appear so I can check out this whole thread!!! :-)
Hey there! As you can see lots of fun was had over the weekend. So much fun, in fact, that we had to take a day off from our weekend in Monday.
With the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!" the Texans charged. The enemy taken by surprise, rallied for a few minutes then fled in disorder. The Texans had asked no quarter and gave none. The slaughter was appalling, victory complete, and Texas free! On the following day General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna, self-styled "Napoleon of the West," received from a generous foe the mercy he had denied Travis at the Alamo and Fannin at Goliad.
Glad ya'll had such a wonderful time and saw so much! It was a big thing for me to make sure I took my kids to see those things so they'd have those memories in their childhood as I did. I'm thinkin' it will make a difference someday to Spiderboy and even BittyGirl to have gone on this and other trips. I know, those trips are multiple threads in the fabric of who I have become as an adult.
On a funny note. Was talking to a friend from one of them northern states today. He was ribbing my Texas pride. Pointed out that Texans didn't invent boots. They existed long before Texas. I had a rare brainstorm. Told him us real Texans prefer to be barefoot 100% of the time but a lot of the old northern immigrants had brought in boots to Texas cause they just couldn't stand the cactus spines in their feet. I 'bout dropped the guy to the floor with that one.
~shining nails on blouse~
Texas Pride. It's an uncontrollable thing.
ROFL! that's good. can I use that one?
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