Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-08-29
THE TEXAS A TARGET
Sister Ship Of The Maine Smashed
To Pieces By The Delaware
TEST MADE In TANGIER SOUND
Sixteen Warships See BrOadside Of IL
Inch Shells Poured Into Vessel
Rechristened San Marcos

Twelve thousand men aboard six
teen battleships and cruisers of Rear
Admiral Osterhaus' Atlantic fleet
watched the bombardment of the San
Marcos, formerly the battleship Texas.
in Tangier Sound yesterday.
The battleship Delaware, the dread
naught which represented the United
States at the coronation of King
George of England, poured broadside
of ten 12-inch guns into the historic
old hulk, and left it little more than a
gigantic sieve.
The fleet proceeded Sunday from
Hampton Roads to witness the bonn
bardment, and the test was made in
clear weather. The warships will re-
turn to the roads for coal and other
supplies, and will leave the end of the
week for the Southern drill grounds
off the Virginia coast to take part in
the extensive maneuvers that have
been planned for the early part of
September.
Yesterday was the second time that
the old Texas has been used as a tar
get for an American man-of-war, but
the first time that the vessel had re-
ceived such devasting rain of shells.
1t was the first time likewise for a
United States dreadnaught to figure
in such test. And after the broad
side from the Delaware, which was
the most destructive ever fired in the
history of the American Navy. the
San Marcos was forever put out of
commission, even as target for bat
tleships.
1t was at the battle of Santiago
that the Texas was first under fire,
and then she was commanded by the
late Admiral (then Captain) Jack
Philip. This fact brought fame to
the battleship, the only sister of the
ill-fated Maine. After the Spanish
American War the Texas came home.
but she was even then considered of
obsolete design and equipment. 1t
was not long thereafter that she was
relegated to the reserve line.
About year ago the Texas lost her
name. Congress had voted to build
two dreadnaughts to carry 14-inch,
instead of 12-inch guns. The War
Department decided that it wanted
the name of Texas for one of the new
ships, sister of the New York. So
the old Texas was renamed the San
Marcos. Then the Navy Department
wondered what disposition to make of
the old ship. Last March use was
found for her, for she was designated
to become a target to test the pene-
trating power of the 12-inch shells
used by the Atlantic fleet.
To the battleship New Hampshire
was given the work of firing into
Philips old ship, and the scene of the
bombardment was Chesapeake Bay.
When the sound of the firing had
ceased the San Marcos looked as
though she had weathered much
worse engagement than the one at
Santiago. Her defenseless armor
plate was pierced by great, Jagged
holes, and her military masts were
torn to pices while her deck was piled
| high with a tangle of twisted steel
and debris made by the New Hamp-
| shire's shells.
But the San Marcos was patched
up, for the War Department wanted
to see what the guns of a modern
dreadnaught would do to her armor.
This was determined yesterday, and
while the navy officials are satisfied
with the tests, the erstwhile Texas
| has passed into history.