What ever happened to the movable coffer dam idea? Seems like that would be cheaper than drydocking and has the advantage of allowing the work to be done on site.....combine that with some dredging work, using a suction dredge system...
It should be possible to use the movable system to go under the hull as well, since it is able to seal against the hull and be pumped out...
The Navy might be willing to put some time in as a training excercise....
Once the hull is reasonably watertight, they could look at dry docking and the structural work as well as moving to a better site....

Legislation is pending at the State level that would provide for the ship’s trip to Alabama and back for repairs. The State will retain ownership of the vessel, but a non-profit organization, Battleship Texas Foundation, will be financially responsible for the ship’s care and operation as a museum. It is not clear as to where she will be displayed upon her return. There is strong opposition to relocating the ship’s display site and to be addressed in the final bill. This should be interesting.

Sorry, folks! The legislature is closed. Moose out front should have told you.

The 2019 session wound up months ago and barring a special session, they won't be around to cause any problems or fix anything until 2021. Any legislation that didn't pass through is dead.

But, apparently the legislature did pass $35 million dollar bill to provide for repairs before the ship is relocated to a new home. The new home has not, apparently, been chosen. The ship closed for visitation in August and it should be about a year before it is ready to move to repair facilities, according to news reports I could find.

The Nuclear Ship Savannah is currently in drydock. She was recently towed from Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore Harbor to Philadelphia for a drydock availability. She is still owned by the U. S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) which plans to decommission her.

Savannah was the worlds first nuclear-powered cargo ship. She was built at New York Shipbuilding which was, of course, in Camden NJ, Port of Philadelphia. Savannah was launched in 1959, entered service in 1962 and deactivated in 1971.

I note this to point out that a much more recent ship than USS Texas (BB-35) needs drydocked now.

A much older ship, USS Olympia (C-6) is also in Philadelphia. She was built in 1892 in San Francisco and was Adm. Dewey's flagship at Manila Bay in the opening battle of the Spanish-American War. She performed the final mission of WWI, returning the Unknown Soldier to the USA in 1921. She was decommissioned in 1924 and held at Philadelphia Navy Yard until 1958, when she became a museum ship in Philadelphia.

The Delaware River at Philadelphia is considered fresh water which has helped in Olympia's conservation. She has also benefitted form hull work using a mobile cofferdam, but she also needs drydocked and estimates are $15 million. Fundraising continues.

Here's a link to the Summer 2019 newsletter of the Battleship Texas Foundation:

https://battleshiptexas.org/wp-content/ ... nought.pdf

Phil Mulligan

Apparently "decommissioning" when it comes to Savannah means removing the rest of the reactor components, taking the ship off of MARAD's books and disposing of her. According the article below (from May, 2019), that could include "donating it, using it for artificial reefing or offering it for recycling." If I recall the history correctly, after failing as a museum ship in the Carolina's, Congress granted funding pay for storage in Baltimore. The current work is expected to take a year with a return to Baltimore until final decommissioning takes place by 2031.

Bob

https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-savannah-decommissioning-20190516-story.html

Here's the MARAD page on decommissioning NS Savannah:

https://www.maritime.dot.gov/nssavannah

Phil Mulligan

My dad took two kids to Galveston when he started med school in 1962; left with four kids and his MD. The Savannah came to town on some sort of exhibition, I remember we got to tour it.

Have been to the Texas many times. Its current location is in a state park, at the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, but it is somewhat off the beaten path. A move to Galveston or Corpus Christi should boost attendance, and create the revenue necessary to keep her in good repair.