The USS Texas is slowly sinking at its berth near Houston, and $25 million of debt approved by voters in 2008 won’t make any difference.
The historic battleship is currently closed for repairs due to a large water leak.
Texas voters approved $25 million of state general obligation bonds for repair ing the ship as part of a $1 billion authorization in 2007.
Proposition 4 of the state’s 2007 bond package stipulated that the proceeds would be used to build a permanent dry-berth facility for the battleship, but did not specify a location.
There are $23 million of unissued but authorized bonds, but Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials said dry-berthing the ship would cost at least $50 million.
The Legislative Budget Board said the bond proceeds cannot be spent on repairs or for any other purpose than dry-docking.
The USS Texas escorted troop convoys to Europe in World War I and supported the invasions of Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
It has been anchored since 1948 at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in LaPorte, about 25 miles from downtown Houston.
