Special Feature:
San Jacinto Battleground State Park
Battleship Texas Hard Hat Tour
La Porte (Houston), Texas
January 18, 2003
Electrical Spaces
Forward Distribution, Forward Dynamo
Assembling at the forward end of the 3rd deck (up against a bulkhead separating the 3rd deck from the forward half-deck), enter an access trunk and go down one level. From that landing, you can see down into the forward dynamo room (and from there, through the hatch into the forward condenser room) or enter forward distribution. There are compartments open to either side, and from there you'll also climb a ladder behind the distribution board that leads to Central Station. Even today, the distribution board has hot circuits that still route electrical power through the ship. The dynamo room was the next-to-last stop for steam coming from the boilers, turning generators to produce the ship's power. The distribution board appears to be original 1914 equipment, as it still bears labels (for switches removed decades ago) calling attention to the torpedo tubes the Texas carried in her early years.
The Photos
(click on thumbnails to open the photo in a new window)
Forward Distribution
Forward Dynamo
For More Information:
San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park
USS Texas Volunteers Hard Hat Tour Information
USS Texas History and Information