USS Texas, BB-35

USS Texas, BB-35. Awarded Five Battle Stars for World War II Service. The second battleship to bear the name, USS Texas was laid down at Newport News, Virginia, on 17 April 1911, launched on 18 May 1912, and commissioned on 12 March 1914, with Captain Albert W. Grant commanding. Without benefit of a shakedown cruise, she stood out for Mexican waters in response to the "Tampico Incident," and subsequently joined the Atlantic Fleet. During World War I Texas served with the Grand Fleet and at war's end rejoined the Atlantic Fleet. Between the wars she also served with the Pacific and Scouting Fleets. Her entry into major combat occurred off North Africa in Operation Torch. In April 1944 she began training for D-Day. , , Carrying ten 14-inch, six 5-inch, and nearly a hundred antiaircraft guns, Texas set course for Normandy as part of the gunfire-support group for Omaha Beach. At 0550 on 6 June 1944, she and USS Arkansas began a bombardment of Pointe du Hoc, delivering more than 600 rounds between them. Lifting her fires as the 2nd Rangers assaulted the cliff, Texas carried out another four shoots before midday, which helped neutralize the German defenses at the Vierville exit and supported attacks on Longueville and Formigny. Perhaps none of those shoots was more important or dramatic than this impromptu fire mission recalled by Rear Admiral Carleton F. Bryant, commander of gunfire-support group: , ,

The beach was a most alarming sight. Tanks were burning, ships were burning, and every so often a large explosion would indicate a hit on an ammunition dump... At about the middle of our sector was a gully up which our men and equipment were to go to get inland. But nothing was going up it. A mass of men were huddled at the sea, and nothing moved. I finally obtained permission from Rear Admiral Alan Kirk, our senior naval commander on the scene, to fire a few 14-inch shells from the Texas up the gully. The ship fired perhaps half-a-dozen rounds, and they had immediate effect. Soon we could see Germans coming down the gully with their hands up. Then our men, guns, trucks, and so forth began to move up the gulch.

, On D+1 and D+2, the guns of the battleship were seldom silent. Her fires to clear enemy strong points in and around Trévières and Insigny propelled the Allied drive inland. So great was the volume of fire delivered by the Texas that she sailed for England on 9 June to replenish her ammunition. Two days later she was back on line, her guns ablaze in support of the inland advance of V Corps. Addressing the contribution of USS Texas , Rear Admiral John L. Hall Jr., Commander of Assault Force 0, minced no words: "The support of the 14-inch guns of Texas was invaluable." , , In tribute to the Hon. Elmont T. Gray, VMI 1946, who served in the Pacific Theater during World War II aboard USS Reform , Am-286, and USS Surfbird , Am-383, and in the Senate of Virginia from 1972 through 1992. Given by Col. and Mrs. William A. McIntosh.