Written by Andrew Rossillo
Birth of the Texas Towers
During the Cold War, America began to feel concerned about protecting its vital locations, most of which are positioned along the east coast. An improved monitoring system was desired to provide an early alert in case of an attack. During the summer of 1952, the concept of securing radar platforms to the ocean floor was studied. It was determined that a set of these towers, very similar to oil rigs, would be constructed approximately 100 miles off the east coast.
Design and Planning of the Texas Towers
Next, the painstaking process of design had to begin. Although the 
towers would be used for communication and surveillance, planning the lay out wasnt that simple. People would have to live on the towers for periods of time, so recreational and food preparation facilities had to be included.
Crew size was another concern. 22 to 27 individuals were estimated to keep each tower up and running. This was later increased to 41 then 46. The towers were intended to be spacious enough to accommodate up to 72 individuals. The towers were modeled after offshore drilling platforms located along the coast near Texas, which is the basis for the name Texas tower. On January 11th, 1954, construction was approved on five Texas towers but only three were built.
Building a Tower
Building a structure like the Texas towers so far from dry land is a challenge. The task of transporting materials and components to the site alone can be difficult. In June of 1955, the first Texas Tower platform was floated and prepared for its journey out to sea under the care of the Raymond and De Long companies. They departed on July 12th and two days later arrived at the construction site.
To support the newborn towers, temporary legs were lowered 55 feet into the water. The platform was jacked on top of these while the permanent legs were prepared. The completed legs were more than 160 feet long, with about 48 feet hidden in the sea bed. Another 55 feet were submerged while the remaining 60 feet were visible over the waves. This was intended to keep the actual tower away from turbulent waters.
The End of the Texas Towers
Towers 2 and 3 were demolished after being decommissioned in1963. Tower 4 suffered the most tragic demise. After taking structural damage from Hurricane Donna in September of 1960, the tower eventually fell on January 15th, 1961.The tower took with it the 14 military personnel and 14 contractors trapped inside. This was also one of the most memorable moments in the history of the U.S.S. New Bedford, currently the Seabird.
The ships captain remained close, hopeful that lives could be saved. Although no one was spared by Tower 4, the bravery of the U.S.S. New Bedford and her crew lives on. This rings even truer as the Seabird prepares to move on to the next chapter in her life: as an eco-friendly vessel refitted with clean technology.
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Do not take baths, take showers. You will in average save about half the amount of water that you would if you were taking a bath.
1944: Camano Class Light Cargo Ship was laid down for the US Army as FS-289 at Wheeler Shipbuilding in Whitestone, NY.
1945: Delivered to US Army.
1950: Acquired by the US Navy on July 1, 1950 and placed in service as USNS New Bedford (T-AKL-17).
1954: The movie, Mister Roberts, was made on the USNS New Bedford (T-AKL-17).
1955 - 1963: Used as a cargo supply ship for the Texas Towers, a network of advanced radar stations located off the Eastern Seaboard. In 1957, Capt. Sixto Mangual was commander of the AKL-17 and in 1961 it was rechristened the USNS New Bedford. The New Bedford, sailing out of State Pier, was keeping vigil when Texas Tower No. 4 callapsed off the New Jersey coast during a January 1961 nor'easter.
1963: Reclassified as Miscellaneous Unclassified (IX-308).
1971: The New Bedford (IX-308) served as a Torpedo Test Firing Vessel in the Puget Sound area.
1994: Ceremony in New Bedford.
1995: The ship was struck from the Naval Register on April 4.
2004: The Sea Bird's current disposition is a tuna long liner (fishing boat) out of San Diego, CA.
2006: Design of the Tesla Turbine began on June 11, 2006. The Sea Bird was sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for commercial service.
2007: The Sea Bird was drydocked for renovations.
2008: The Sea Bird setting sail to Sea-Tac in Seattle, WA.
2009 - 2010: The Sea Bird is currently docked at Seattle Sea-Tac.
