050121 - Battleship Texas

050121 - Battleship Texas

After a restful and relaxing 8-day stay at lake Conroe, we ready and eager to hit the open road.

With the Battleship Texas as our target for the day, we made a quick stop for groceries at one of the many Wal-Mart’s along the way.

We had the route planned and printed by our capable computer mapping program by Microsoft, and were fully prepared and knowledgeable about our destination.

We were excited about going aboard such an historic ship, but were unaware that it would not be the only “ship” we would be on this day.

As our faithful GPS program directed us to our goal, we noticed a sign indicating a ferry ahead. Upon more intense scrutiny of our map, it specified that there was a “free ferry” in our path. As we approached the ferry landing – from which there was no escape – we became a bit perturbed.

In the first place, the ferry wasn’t much bigger than the Beast itself, holding a maximum of 15 cars – squeezed together quite tightly packed.
I was expecting Huck Finn to arrive with a pole to captain it across the bay.

Secondly, when we arrived, there were at least 10 cars already loaded, and the crewman kept waving cars behind us to come aboard, leaving us to watch as it sailed away.

There was no one to talk to or ask questions of, and turning around appeared to be out of the question without assistance, but as quickly as the ferry departed, another, having left the opposite shore, arrived in its place.

After it was quickly offloaded, I was waved aboard first, and encouraged to get as close to the leading edge as possible without rolling off. Since we sit higher than cars, out view was better, but it was not very comforting. I kept thinking that we might be too heavy for this frail craft, and since we were higher, we might roll over in a good wave.

As we left the dock, we could see across the bay our counterpart ferry coming toward us in a rounding maneuver. The entire ride was only about 10 minutes, but very nerve racking. Peter, of course, showed no emotions whatsoever.

From the landing, it was about a 5-minute drive to the Battleship Monument, and as we pulled into the parking lot, we were quite impressed by its appearance and stature. Besides the beast, there were only about 5 cars in the parking lot. I assumed that because it was a Friday - there would be light attendance, but I am figuring, how many cars could get across the ferry in one day to make it crowded?

Our first surprise was that this massive ship, which was built in 1911 and commissioned in 1914, was painted a dark blue, almost black – not the usually battleship gray we are accustomed to. This color was chosen during the war (WW-II) as a means to confuse enemy aircraft and radar. I don’t know how effective it was, but it sure made the ship look more formidable and threatening.

Once aboard, the aura and magnitude of the vessel overcame us. Armament was everywhere – small machine guns along the perimeter, larger guns embedded behind barriers, projecting out of gun ports, and of course those 14” long guns, with barrels 20 feet long, capable of firing shell weighing as much as Volkswagens, 21 miles inland.

Looking up, the massive superstructure rose to overt 100 feet at some points.

Its history indicates that in 1945 it put into the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs and refitting, so I am pretty sure that my dad would have been assigned to work on her.

We strolled the main deck, absorbing as much info as we could. The lower decks were available for touring, but I chose not to chance the treacherous stairs and ladders and bulkheads. I suggested that Peter go below with the camera, but he also declined.

Our return ferry ride was just as trepidous as our first, but we made it across without mishap and journeyed on to our park de jour.

At first glance, this park, just off the interstate, seemed shabby and uninviting, but the manager placed us in a spot further off the highway, alongside a pond on a grassy site which is quite picturesque as well as comfortable for Peter. We were happy.

We did notice the presence of mosquitoes in the area and also in our cabin – probably from standing water in the pond. I will have to find our bottle of mosquito repellant. I once read that the sheets of fabric softener (like Bounce) repel mosquitoes, but I don’t recall it working in the past. Perhaps we’ll try it again. I really hate mosquitoes.

We took a brief walk around, hooked up just electric – our fresh water tank ¾ full – and settled in for the night.

It was a good day,