Local interest in bringing the Battleship Texas to Galveston is mounting as a rresident-led committee prepares to release a report outlining recommendations on where to berth the historical ship.
The Galveston County Daily News reports Seawolf Park on Pelican Island and Pier 21 on Galveston’s harbor have emerged as the top favorites, though there’s been no final decision about where the vessel might dock. And whether the World War I-era ship comes to the island at all depends on which Galveston site local officials agree upon and whether they agree at all.
The Texas Legislature earlier this year announced it would no longer fund maintenance for the ship after it pays $35 million to float it to a shipyard for repairs.
All future maintenance will have to be paid for with admission fees to the ship, and that means the Battleship Texas, which now makes its home near the San Jacinto Battle Monument in La Porte, needs somewhere with higher visitation, said Bruce Bramlett, executive director of the Battleship Texas Foundation, which raises money for the ship and promotes it to visitors.
“It’s not going to be Seawolf Park,” Bramlett said. “That would be a worse location than what we’re in.”
Bramlett wants the ship in Galveston, but doesn’t think the park gets enough visitors to keep the Battleship Texas financially afloat, he said.
