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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Galveston in Galveston County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

SS Selma

 
 
SS Selma Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Anderson, December 16, 2018
1. SS Selma Marker
Inscription. Steel shortages during World War I led the U.S. to build experimental concrete ships, the largest of which was the SS Selma, today partially submerged in Galveston Bay and visible from this site. It was built in Mobile, Alabama, and named to honor Selma, Alabama, for its successful wartime liberty loan drive.

The ship was launched on June 28, 1919, the same day Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, officially ending World War I. As a result, the 7,500-ton ship never entered the war, but instead was placed into service as an oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico.

In Tampico, Mexico, on May 31, 1920, the SS Selma hit a jetty, ripping a hole in its hull about 60 feet long. After attempts to repair the ship in Galveston failed and efforts to sell the ship proved unsuccessful, U.S. officials decided to intentionally scuttle the ship. A channel 1,500 feet long and 25 feet deep was dug to a point just off Pelican Island's eastern shoreline where on March 9, 1922, the ship was laid to rest.

The Selma has since been the object of failed plans to convert it for use as a fishing pier, pleasure resort, and oyster farm. Long a source of curiosity and local legend, it remains important to scientists who continue to study aspects of its concrete construction. In 1993, the SS Selma was designated a
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State Archeological Landmark, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, and has been designated as the Official Flagship of the Texas Army.
 
Erected 1995 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 11567.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is June 28, 1919.
 
Location. 29° 20.199′ N, 94° 46.677′ W. Marker is in Galveston, Texas, in Galveston County. Marker can be reached from Seawolf Parkway. Marker is located within Seawolf Park, which requires an admission fee to enter. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Seawolf Park Boulevard, Galveston TX 77550, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Galveston: Gateway to Texas (within shouting distance of this marker); Galveston Quarantine Stations (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); U.S.S. Seawolf Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Galveston Island (approx. 0.7 miles away); Galveston, C. S. A. (approx. 1.3 miles away); Fort San Jacinto (approx. 1˝ miles away); Galveston Medical College (approx. 1.7 miles away); "Old Red" (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Galveston.
 
Additional keywords.
SS Selma Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Anderson, December 16, 2018
2. SS Selma Marker
The SS Selma is visible, partially submerged in the Bay, to the right of the marker.
SS Selma
 
SS Selma image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Anderson, December 16, 2018
3. SS Selma
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 20, 2018. It was originally submitted on December 20, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas. This page has been viewed 570 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on December 20, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas.

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Mar. 29, 2024