The Lone Star State

Chapter 6.5: The Last Dreadnought (Short Side Story)

Galveston Drydocks Deck of USS Texas
June 21st, 13:05 hours
Jack Schneider looked at the request from the military official handed to him. The repairs were just finished and now they were to work with military engineers to upgrade Texas's engine and Radar systems. With a budget of a billion dollars which was way higher than his initial budget of 35 million.

"I can get her seaworthy with potentially five hundred million of this billion dollars. Sadly with 35 million we were only able to get her float worthy but we could get her seaworthy by the end of the year with the current manpower we have. The Upgrades could only begin several days after that." Jack said.

"We don't have six months, how many more engineers do you need?"

"A couple thousand more potentially I could make do with a few hundred more if I do 3 shifts." Jack explained.

"Alright you get two thousand engineers, we want her seaworthy by August and her engines and Radar fully upgraded by December." The military official ordered, 'Jesus Christ that's like a fifth of all the engineers in Texas' Jack thought.

The official was about to leave before Jack asked.

"Before you leave, what happened in Austin? I heard the military started a coup or something and Abbot is dead along with his cabinet and potentially some members of the House and Senate."

"The official government response is that no coup happened, a gas line leading to the Capitol Building was leaking, the gas was ignited by a security guard who lit a cigarette leading to the building catching fire. Currently Mayor Ron Niremburg is going to the oath of office of the US president. All you need to know is to make Old T modernized by the end of the year." The much younger female military official said sternly.

"Also when are the new engine, Radar, and guns coming by?" Jack asked.

"They should be coming in by the guns should be in by the 15th of August from Texas Instruments. They're the most modern heavy naval armaments we have on hand right now. The Radar systems will be in by the 10th of August as the Radar Systems have to be built from scratch. The engines should be in by the 15th of August. Make sure the old engines are out by then."

"Yes ma'am." Jack said the official left the dry dock and Jack turned around towards his team "alright you heard the lady let's make sure Texas is ready for her new engines and Radar systems!"

The engineers got to work. They first started by doing check ups on the Main Guns and Radar Dish. They then grabbed the manual towards the guns and began making preparations to remove them. Followed by then cutting into the armor to begin removing the ancient engines.

They also removed the Radar dish. The Guns were removed on the first of August, While the Radar Dish was removed on 25th of July. The Armor was slowly cut into to make way for the engines to be removed. Texas was technically sea worthy by August but they began to make way for the upgrades. During that time her crew began to arrive to begin training on the dry docked ship.

When August came by the Radar systems arrived first and they were installed. They were the most advanced piece of tech on the entire ship. It was so powerful in fact that they detected dozens of aerial and maritime violations which were met with the ever growing fleet of F-35s and F-16s. Texas's guns were installed by the 20th of August, the crew began to show off her guns to the public as she sank an old commercial ship that was being decommissioned.

The anti-air guns were replaced with more modern anti air with higher fire rate. They even "successfully shot down" several dozen fighters in a simulation. Even annihilated the entire air group with pinpoint accuracy.

By the end of August Texas was more powerful than all of the ships of World War II. Although in theory Texas has many problems still and wasn't exactly battle ready by September but was sea worthy.

Texas wasn't the only one getting modernized USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier from World War II was also getting modernized the exact same way Texas was but for a carrier. Lexington arrived at the Galveston dry docks by July 5th and immediately underwent dry docking.

The two ships began exercises together in August in a simulated battle with newly commissioned Destroyers Caroline, Lil Missy, Jenny, Jackline, Missile Destroyers San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin and Missile Corvettes Bexar, Trinity, and Dallas in late September.

Old T and Blue Ghost Lexingtons nickname were finally back in action ready to spread democracy. Plane and shell combined.