This page is dedicated to the ongoing project to complete a six-foot model of the Battleship TEXAS that was begun in the 1960s by Al Escamilla and the members of the Gulf Coast Historical Ship Modelers Society. We are currently raising money for the materials and labor and we have made significant strides in raising what is needed. Our Master Modeler will begin work on this project later this year and we will track her progress along the way!
Battleship TEXAS Model Update
In October 2009, John Escamilla and his family donated his father’s collection of books, models, model kits,and modeling tools and accessories to the Houston Maritime Museum. Al Escamilla had spent a lifetime building models and collecting information on ships, and this donation has already been of great benefit to the staff and patrons of the Museum. One of the items donated was a scale model of the hull of the Battleship TEXAS, BB-35. Though incomplete, this model is of high quality and is constructed with original teak taken from the deck of the warship. Despite the local connection and the significance of the TEXAS to maritime history, the HMM has never had a model of this famous Battleship in their collection. The completion of Al Escamilla’s project will be a tribute to the decades of work and persistence that he and other modelers contribute to the museum and will be an excellent addition to the collection.
The work on this project will be completed by the Houston Maritime Museum’s Lorena Alvarez, a Master Modeler and restoration expert. Her past experience includes model restoration, construction of custom-built cases and frames, navigation equipment restoration, and commissioned model building. She has even restored a model of the Battleship TEXAS! Many of the models on display in the Houston Maritime Museum have been built or repaired by Ms. Alvarez so we have no doubt that our new TEXAS model is in good hands.
We will update her progress on this webpage as we continue to raise money and begin work on this important and exciting project!
The staff of the Houston Maritime Museum would like to offer special thanks to the following “Plank Owners” who have generously contributed to the completion of our first Battleship TEXAS Model for the museum:
The Family of Al Escamilla
William Robb
Dana Rodriguez
Charles Pitt
Jack & Sylvia Ross
Ed McGuire
Henry S. Prime
Burton Reckles
Tom Jameson
The Houston Pilots
Laurence Shallenberger
Bob Webbon
Harry Bounds
David H. Johnston
Gerald & Margaret Davis
Gulf Coast Historical Ship Modeler’s Society
Robert Michonski
Capt. J. Thomas Tray
Tom Johnson
K.R. Archer
Jurgen Schroder, Schroder Marine Services, Inc.
Thank you for your support!
Unfinished hull of the Battleship TEXAS
Overhead view of the deck which is made of teak taken from the original Battleship TEXAS deck in 1968.
The hull is in need of significant work, which will be expertly provided by our Master Modeler/Restorer, Lorena Alvarez.
The aft section will be outfitted with the rudder and propellers.
