Over the past seventy years, millions of dollars have been spent by the Texas government to keep BB-35 afloat as she struggles with corrosion of its hull leading to the influx of water that made the ship to tilt to one side.
Several attempts have been made by different organizations to salvage the sinking ship.
The Battleship Texas Foundation has is one of the numerous organizations that has expressed concern about the rot of the BB-35.
To match actions with words, they have been doing a lot within their power to find a lasting solution to the incessant water leaks into the last WWI-era dreadnought.
Influx Of Water Into The Battleship Texas Worsened By Flooding
The flooding of June 10, 2017 led to a rise in the water level. This flooding increased the influx of water into the ship causing it to sink. As the ship sank deeper into the water, leaks that were earlier above the water became submerged leading to more influx of water into the ship.
Several non-government organizations have been advocating the removal of the ship from water considering that over 40 million dollars have been spent on its repair and maintenance so far.
If the ship should be allowed to sink, the government would have to spend another $30 million to scrap it. Statistics show that around fifteen percent of what dry berthing will cost has already been spent on managing leaks.
A Creative Partnership To Save The Sinking Battleship
No doubt, the Texas BB-35 is still afloat thanks to the sustained patching up and pumping out of the water. More than once, the now museum ship has been closed to the public for repairs but the repairs are becoming more frequent suggesting that a new path should be taken.
The Battleship Texas Foundation recently launched a partnership with Baron Engravings to raise funds to save Battleship Texas.
The idea of the partnership is to build a commemorative 1911 Colt. The newly designed 1911 feature silver and gold-plated engravings of the Texas Battleship.
The executive director of Battleship Texas Foundation, Bruce Bramlett explained that there will be a tax-exempt on each of the purchase since the foundation has a non-profit status, 501c.
The pistol is a limited edition and each of the purchase will be accompanied by a serial number that tallies with the order.
The Gains Of The Partnership
Baron Engravings is a reputable company and they will handle the manufacture of the customized 1911 Colt. Each of the collector’s edition pistols was available for purchase from May 31, 2018. Collectors will have to pay $1,799 to own one of the pistols.
In addition to the pistol and as a way of thanking the collections towards permanent dry-berthing of the ship, Battleship Texas Foundation will be giving out paperweight made from the steel removed from the ship during the last round of repairs to the collectors. The paperweight is valued at $150.
The Special Feature Of The 1911 Colt Special
Holding the 1911 Colt pistol, the collector will certainly feel like they have a piece of history. This is because Texas BB-35 is gold-plated unto the pistol.
Baron Engravings employs hand-engraving technique with modern techniques to create a limited edition pistol that is totally epic and perfectly honors the Battleship Texas.
The foundation is optimistic that this partnership would be more successful than the first.
The first partnership to raise funds for permanent dry-berthing of the ship earlier initiated by the foundation sold approximately 1,200 pistols.
The Future Of Battleship Texas
Recently, the battleship was shut down from the public for another round of repairs which is expected to take 18 months to complete.
Whether Battleship Texas will remain in the waters after the repairs or taken to land is dependent on the number of funds available.