Case Study: Battleship Relocation
Overview
- WWI and WWII Battleship
- Disassembly
- Long-distance Delivery
- Storage
- Crating
Introduction
The historic Battleship Texas was built in 1914 and was actively used during both World War I and World War II. It was decommissioned in 1948, having earned a total of five battle stars for service in World War II. The ship was then docked in Houston, Texas where it became a fixture for tourists to experience a piece of American history. As the last remaining battleship that participated in both World War I and World War II, preserving the integrity of such a significant ship remains an integral mission of the Texas Wildlife Department. The Texas Wildlife Department knew to call on the trusted relocation experts at Armstrong Relocation – Houston for a job of this size and scale.
Our Role
Armstrong Relocation – Houston has a long history of helping local government entities with unique relocation jobs that require a custom approach. When the Texas Wildlife Department approached the Houston team with a need to disassemble, crate and ship historically significant components from the Battleship Texas, the team was ready to offer industry-leading expertise to complete the project to the client’s satisfaction.
Project Challenges
The project called for disassembly of rigging and machinery throughout the more than 32,000-ton battleship — including the ship’s compass and several battleship guns — requiring an extremely delicate approach. In partnership with a specialized rigging company, Armstrong made a carefully outlined schedule for the disassembly with an expected timeline of two days.
In order to remove the historic machine gun turrets, Armstrong had to get innovative. The Armstrong team first had to saw through the bolts securing the machine guns to the floor of the battleship. The team used a lift gate to bring the guns out of the ship, then begin loading them into several flatbed trucks at the dock. Armstrong then had to carefully remove the ship’s compass from the highest point of the ship. This required carefully maneuvering the compass through every floor until it reached the bottom where it could be loaded into a truck.
Throughout this process Armstrong teams dealt with unexpected downpours and often had to pause the project to protect these extremely delicate items.
Once the historic items had been removed from the Battleship Texas, Armstrong crated and shipped them to a military surplus station in Richmond, Virginia where they were unloaded into a cargo hangar to be refurbished to their former state so they could be unveiled in a museum setting once again.
Client Values & Results
Despite unforeseen weather challenges and one-of-a-kind project needs for disassembly, crating and shipping, the Armstrong team was able to deliver on the two-day schedule, exactly as the client anticipated.
High-Quality Capabilities
As the largest, asset-based commercial services provider in the U.S. with more than 2.9 million sq. ft. of U.S. domestic, company-owned warehouse space, Armstrong Commercial Services is able to provide disassembly, crating, storage, and delivery services to government entities in Houston and across the country. Armstrong Relocation – Houston’s flexibility within any industry means it can meet unique and specific project — no matter the size.
