Because of the ever increasing costs of repairing the old dreadnought, plans to build a dry berth around the ancient Battleship Texas have been moved to the back burner - for now.  The old ship's future -- if it even has one -- is now in serious doubt.

The ship's managers are spending all the money they're getting from the state just to fix all the leaks and keep her afloat in her mooring at the San Jacinto Battleground State Park.

 

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Texas voters passed a $25 million dollar bond issue in 2007 to pay for the dry berthing project, but that's not going to happen because the total cost is now closer to $75 million. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department official supervising the project says they'll spend what's left of the $25 million they have just to keep the ship safe for visitors.

So what's going to happen to the last surviving Dreadnought Class battleship in the world?  A ship that helped win two world wars?  Unless another fifty or sixty million dollars comes in from somewhere, she will continue to decay and be unsafe for tourists.  Just patching the leaks is a battle they won't win.

Friends of the Battleship Texas say as long as there is a hope of finding the money they need to save the ship, they'll never give up on her.

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