Battleship Texas Set To Reopen After Leak Repairs
TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Tomorrow morning the Battleship Texas will reopen to the public. The vessel sprang what was called a "significant leak" and was closed earlier this month.
The ship had taken on so much water that it began to list some 2-degrees to the port side.
Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesman Mike Cox said the leak, near the engine room, was caused by "Corrosive saltwater… the ship has been moored in water there since 1948, except for a repair job that was in the early 90s."
As you would imagine, finding a leak on a battleship isn't as simple as calling a plumber.
Cox said, "We hired a private marine salvage company and they used divers this last week to find what turned out to be a relatively small hole in the hull and got that plugged."
The 100-year-old vessel fought in both World Wars and made history after being taken out of service.
"After World War II it was decommissioned and became the first American battleship to be put on public display as a memorial in the United Sates," Cox said.
Officials with the Battleship Texas State Historical Site say water has been pumped out of the ship and it's been more than two days since it took on any new water.
"The ship has now been pretty much totally drained of the water that had leaked onboard and we're moving forward," Cox said.
Repairs and cleanup aren't completely finished so all areas below the Second Deck will be closed until further notice.
The Battleship Texas was commissioned in 1912 and went out to sea for the first time in 1914.
The Battleship Texas is located at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in LaPorte, just minutes from downtown Houston.
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