80 years after the U.S.S. Texas bombarded the Normandy coast in support of the Allied invasion on D-Day, artifacts from the historic battleship will return to France as part of the commemorations planned on June 6.

In 1944, the U.S.S. Texas provided critical support for the landings at Pointe du Hoc and at Omaha Beach. In 2024, a unique collaboration will pay homage to the Battle of Normandy. The Battleship Texas Foundation and the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), both based in Texas, will send physical components from the ship’s hull to Normandy aboard a vintage R4D aircraft, similar to the C-47 Skytrain responsible for dropping paratroopers and supplies during the D-Day invasion.

The present-day journey to Europe will involve the CAF aircraft being loaded with a roller bearing and a steel figurine of Battleship Texas. The roller bearing, according to a CAF news release, was used as a part of the mechanism to turn and aim one of the U.S.S. Texas’ 5-inch anti-aircraft guns during the battle. The steel figurine was cut from what was one part of the ship’s torpedo blisters.

The artifacts will later be flown over the beaches in Normandy in time for the anniversary.

At 5:50 a.m. on June 6, 1944, the U.S.S. Texas opened fire on Pointe du Hoc, providing cover for the landings of U.S. Army Rangers. According to the Battleship Texas Foundation, the dreadnought fired 255 fourteen inch shells over the next 34 minutes, before moving to a position off Omaha Beach.

“In the week and a half which followed the invasion, she remained off Omaha beach, providing fire support, supplies, and medical assistance for troops ashore,” according to the National World War II Museum.

On June 25, the U.S.S. Texas was relocated to Cherbourg, a critical deepwater port, where it was met with German resistance.

“Texas was struck twice by large-caliber coastal defense guns, causing the only known casualties in action during Texas’ long service,” according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The battleship, commissioned in 1914, also served in World War II at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, before it was decommissioned in 1948.

As a museum ship, Battleship Texas has educated generations of visitors about its storied service record.

Today, the U.S.S. Texas is moored at Gulf Copper Shipyard in Galveston while it undergoes an extensive multi-year repair project before it reopens to the public.

In 2022, it permanently departed its long-time home at the San Jacinto State Historic Site near Houston to begin a $60 million overhaul of its hull, funded by the Texas Legislature.

This March, Battleship Texas left dry dock and work shifted to the vessel’s superstructure, the area above the ship’s main deck. According to the Battleship Texas Foundation, this may include replacing wood decking, repairs to smoke stacks, and restoration and installation of interior spaces. The ship will also get a new paint job, restoring it to a historically accurate color scheme used in 1945.

The Battleship Texas Foundation is currently in negotiations to secure a new permanent home for the ship in Galveston, where it could reopen for touring by late 2025.

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