USTS ''Texas Clipper'', a 473 foot long ship, served as a merchant marine training vessel with the

Texas Maritime Academy Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students enrolled at Texas A&M University at Galveston, known affectionately as 'Sea Aggies', ...

Texas A&M University at Galveston Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students enrolled at Texas A&M University at Galveston, known affectionately as 'Sea Aggies', ...

for 30 years beginning in 1965. Her name is reflective of

clipper ship A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century Merchant ship, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were gen ...

s of old, both designed with a characteristic rounded stern. Prior to her service as a training vessel, ''Texas Clipper'' had served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as an

attack transport Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from the Merchant navy, merchant fleet &ndash ...

vessel named USS ''Queens''. Following the war, in 1948, ''Queens'' was converted into the trans-atlantic ocean-liner SS ''Excambion'', a member of the quartet of ships referred to as the post-war " 4 Aces" for

American Export Lines American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines, New York, was the leading US-flag shipping company between the U.S. east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo ship and passenger ship services, until it declared bankruptcy and was ...

. ''Excambion'' carried passengers and cargo on a regular sailing route from New York to various Mediterranean ports. Following service as a training ship, the ''Texas Clipper I'' was moored at the

Beaumont Reserve Fleet The Beaumont Reserve Fleet, was established by act of Congress in 1946, as a component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF). The fleet is located in Beaumont, Texas, Beaumont, Texas. History In 1946, the US Government excavated 24 million ...

from 1996–2006. In 2006, '' Texas Clipper'' was transferred to the

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitat (ecology), habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state park, state's parks and historical ar ...

(TPWD) Artificial Reef Program to be turned into an

artificial reef An artificial reef (AR) is a human-created freshwater or marine benthic structure. Typically built in areas with a generally featureless bottom to promote Marine biology#Reefs, marine life, it may be intended to control #Erosion prevention, erosio ...

. This transfer allowed the ship to not be scrapped.

History

The ''Texas Clipper'' was initially used by the

US military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

as a

troop transport Troop transport may be: * Troopship * Military Railway Service (United States) * Military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military aircraft, military-owned transport aircraft used ...

vessel USS ''Queens''. During the 1950s, the ship was converted to a commercial

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

carrying passengers, principally across the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, but also with trips to

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. The ship subsequently became a training vessel for maritime cadets. ''Texas Clipper'' was launched in September 1944, and used in the latter stages of

as an

vessel named USS ''Queens''. In 1948, ''Queens'' was converted into the trans-atlantic ocean-liner SS ''Excambion'', a member of the quartet of ships referred to as " 4 Aces" operated by

. ''Excambion'' carried passengers and cargo on a regular sailing route from New York to various Mediterranean ports. SS ''Excambion'' was the site of a major scandal in 1957 in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

when the ship was found to be carrying 20 kg of heroin for the

French Connection The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Indochina through Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada. The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and was dismantled in the 1 ...

. Before the demolition process began in the 2000s to prepare the ship for sinking as an artificial reef, a large 11-panel mural by

Saul Steinberg Saul Steinberg (June 15, 1914, Rm. Sărat, Romania – May 12, 1999, New York City) was a Romanian-born American artist, best known for his work for ''The New Yorker'', most notably ''View of the World from 9th Avenue''. He described himself ...

was discovered inside the ship. Created for the ship's conversion from attack transport ''USS Queens'' to

cargo liner A cargo liner, also known as a passenger-cargo ship or passenger-cargoman, is a type of merchant ship which carries general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the 19th century, and eventually gave way to conta ...

''Excambion'', it was serendipitously discovered beneath wallpaper above the bar in the ship's aft lounge. Saul Steinberg, a cartoonist and illustrator, well known for his many "

New Yorker New Yorker may refer to: * A resident of New York: ** A resident of New York City and its suburbs *** List of people from New York City ** A resident of the New York (state), State of New York *** Demographics of New York (state) * ''The New Yor ...

" magazine cover drawings, created the large murals for ''Texas Clipper'' and the other "4 Aces" ships. ''Texas Clipper'' was the subject of a Texas Parks and Wildlife Departmen
video
that provided an account of the mural's discovery prior to sinking the ship as an artificial reef off Brownsville, Texas. When asked to estimate the value of unusually large (22 ft.) mural, — according to Dale Shively, Artificial Reef Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife — the Steinberg Foundation responded, "not millions of dollars, but it's probably at least six figures". The mural was removed for restoration and preservation.

Artificial reef

While being prepared from November 2006 to early November 2007 to become an artificial reef, ''Texas Clipper'' was docked at the Port of Brownsville for cleaning of hazardous materials, and modifications for marine life and diver safety. The conversion, cleanup and sinking cost over 4 million dollars. The ''Texas Clipper'' was sunk on November 17, 2007, approximately northeast of

South Padre Island South Padre Island is a barrier island in the U.S. state of Texas. The remote landform is located in Cameron County, Willacy County, and accessible by the Queen Isabella Causeway. South Padre Island was formed when the creation of the Port Ma ...

, TX. It was placed in of water. The top of the ship has reached depths as shallow as . The TPWD used careful consideration during the conversion of the ship into an artificial reef to preserve the ship's appearance. All masts and kingposts that were cut to meet

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

clearance requirements being secured to the deck of the ship to add interest for divers and increase complexity for wildlife. At in length, ''Texas Clipper'' was one of the largest vessels (in 2006) serving as an artificial reef off Texas. The SS ''V. A. Fogg'', which sank during a mishap off

Freeport, Texas Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, located on the Gulf of Mexico, founded in 1912. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 10,696, down from 12,049 in 2010, where Hispanic (U.S. ...

, was in length. Twelve other World War II era ships are also part of the TPWD Artificial Reef Program. Unfortunately, when it hit the ocean floor the vessel tipped onto its side, blocking access to its interior for fish and divers. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman Aaron Reed said it was unclear what caused the ship to tip. He said the state might ask the company that prepared the ship for its sinking to correct its position. The sinking of the ship cost the state about . The Texas Clipper (midship) rests at Lat. 26° 11' 24.695"N Lon. 96° 51' 40.238"W.

References

External links

Texas Clipper project page
Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife

Old Texas A&M Ship Becomes Artificial Reef

{{Authority control Transports of the United States Navy Ships built in Sparrows Point, Maryland Ships of American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines 1944 ships Ships sunk as artificial reefs

History

Artificial reef

See also

References

External links