USS Texas Deliberately Flooded Herself

Nine days after D-Day, the crew of USS Texas intentionally flooded part of the battleship so it could continue providing fire support to Allied troops advancing inland. By June 15, 1944, the troops had reached the edge of the ship's normal gun range, leaving its final target too far inland for its guns to reach. The crew flooded the starboard torpedo blister, causing the battleship to list by two degrees and giving its guns enough additional elevation. This improvised tilt allowed it to complete its final fire-support mission before the fighting moved beyond the reach of its guns the following day.

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