The Battleship Texas

Images of America: Texas

by Mark Lardas

The USS Texas was built when dreadnought battleships were kings of the seas. It was the world s most powerful battleship when first commissioned in 1914, and for over a century it fought many battles. Some took place while the Texas served as a warship in the US Navy in World Wars I and II. Since becoming a museum ship and war memorial in 1948, it has fought a longer and more difficult struggle as it combats the ravages of time for its very survival. Throughout its existence, the Texas has made history, leaving a wealth of fascinating stories in its wake."

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2016

About the author

Mark Lardas holds a degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, but spent his early career at the Johnson Space Center doing Space Shuttle structural analysis, and space navigation. An amateur historian and a long-time ship modeller, Mark Lardas is currently a freelance writer in Palestine, Texas. He has written extensively about modelling as well as naval, maritime, and military history.

Reviews

[Richard Buro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short version first . . .

There are many things that are “unique” in the Great Lone Star State of Texas. One of the more unique of our State’s claims to fame is our Battleship Memorial Park associated with the San Jacinto State Park near Houston. The Battleship Texas Memorial pays homage to the crews and the actions in which the Battleship Texas participated in its long life as a United States Navy warship, and its longer position as a significant memorial for US Navy officers and seamen who served in both World Wars I and II as well as their families. The Battleship Texas participated in naval battles and action during both World Wars, a unique status for any memorial naval ship of the United States. Texas served in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters of Operation in World War II. Nearly 40 years of service in the United States Navy is one of the things that make the Texas unique. The original design of Texas was that of a “dreadnought” or all big gun battleship, meaning a ship that has a main battery of rifles with a shell and bore larger than 12” in diameter. Texas was unique in having 5 turrets of twin 14” naval rifles which could fire 140,000 pounds of ordnance in one broadside, employing all 10 of the main battery guns. There are many more unique features of Texas, and many of them are described and adorn the pages of this small monograph devoted to Texas.

The book is part of the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing, and it is one of many naval themed issues which the author, Mark Lardas, has penned. His approach to organization was unique in that he looked at naval history of Texas, its position as one of the older ships that serve as memorial and museum ships in American waters, and which ends with a pictorial tour of the main features of Texas, a pictorial tour that gives the reader a taste for the richness that has been preserved for the viewing public as well as areas still underway to be available in future tours during Texas’s second century of service (it’s centennial was celebrated in 2014).

The images are all monochrome as that was the principal means of making images during Texas’s service in the US Navy. The same features are maintained throughout the work to provide a consistent look and feel to the book, leading to a continuity and method that allows us to see the history and the story in contrast to the writing, helping the reader remember that this is a vessel of long-standing, historic, significance.

The work is replete with clear notations on all photographs about their original source. The bibliography was complete and of complete credibility. All photographs were secured from either the Library of Congress, The United States Navy History and Heritage Command, the author’s own collection of images, and the United States National Archives. The chronology was preserved throughout with the events following closely the established timeline for the events of historical significance. The writing was superb with no issues of grammar, spelling, or other grammatical concerns or issues. The text was written at a level where just about any middle school student or older would have not problem with understanding the words on the pages, especially when tied with the associated image which made most of the writing an embellishment on what had already been pictorially presented. It was easy to read, and (if your family had remembrances about Texas, a magnifying glass might come in handy. For example, my dad was on the Decommissioning Crew for Texas in 1948, and his image was discernable in the appropriate image in the book, something which he would have personally enjoyed a lot. He still had his uniform he wore during that decommissioning event.

Recommendations:

Clearly, this work earns its 5 stars, without question. The image selection, supporting captions and information, was all of historic significance directly related to the operations of Texas throughout her career in the U.S, Navy, as well as during her museum and memorial secondary and tertiary careers as well. The language is easy enough for most upper elementary and higher school students as well as all adults interested in history of significance to their State of residence. I noticed a large number of similar titles for many of the more remarkable areas of Texas in the list of titles from the publisher. Clearly a read to consider on a variety of levels. If you are interested in history, or in old history attributed to a specific vessel or crew, you can find the information on Texas here or in the research areas denoted in the book’s conclusion. It was an eye-opening story for me, and I thought I knew a fair bit of the information presented in this monograph. It was most especially worth my time. I think it might also be worth a bit of yours.


Review of Mark Lardas' The Battleship Texas by Richard W, Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30094816-the-battleship-texas .
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http:// www.arcadiapublishing.com /us/sales-and-rights/subsidiary-rights.

[Steve Digby · Rating 5 out of 5]

very informative

The pictures help explain the complexity of the ship from the barber shop to battle stations. The bunk arrangement for sleeping displays the accommodations for more than 1,600 personnel,

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing in Texas I really love is the USS Texas. Picked up this on my latest visit as it was one book on the ship I didn't have so needed to add to my shelves. The Images of America series is one I've always enjoyed and this is probably one of my favorites now. Brought back many memories of my first times on the battleship with my father and seeing many of the historic images was a joy. Recommended for any naval or Texas history fan.