Nearly six months after the Port of Galveston’s board of trustees appointed a special committee to work with the Battleship Texas Foundation to find a long-term home for the historic warship, the endgame could be nigh.
Wednesday morning, Jeff Patterson, a committee member and vice chairman of the wharves board, told Chron that the three-member Battleship Texas Ad Hoc Committee met Tuesday and unanimously recommended mooring the USS Texas at Pier 15. The full board will vote on the committee’s recommendation at its March 4 meeting.
Originally something of a dark-horse location, Pier 15’s profile has steadily risen over the past month or two as better-known locations—including the Landry’s-controlled Pier 20-21 area and Seawolf Park on Pelican Island—have fallen by the wayside for, it turns out, similar reasons.
According to Patterson, during Tuesday’s meeting the committee had “a really good discussion” with three organizations whose approval is essential for any long-term lease between the port and the foundation: the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Galveston-Texas City Pilots, which helps steer cargo freighters, cruise ships, and other large vessels into and out of the port.
