Sept. 2 1999
Paul,
I just found the USS Texas Web Page, and I think it's great! I never
served aboard her, but I designed her ship's crest, which contains the
slogan, "Proud Heritage, Proud Purpose." I don't know if it's
contained anywhere in the ship's records, but this came about as a result
of a contest opened by the Texas Navy League. They wanted a Texan to
design the logo, so they offered a cash prize and a trip to the
commissioning ceremonies at Newport News. I entered and won the contest.
The morning of January 16, 1976, Captain "Pete" Fiedler called
me to tell me I had won. My husband, daughter, and I attended the
commissioning on Sept. 10, 1977, and were at Galveston the following
spring when she made her first visit to Texas.
I was sad to learn that she had been decommissioned, but am excited that
there will be a new ship with the same name. (Wonder if there'll be
another contest). All the elements in it are symbolic, and are there
for a purpose. I would love to attend a reunion, and get to see some of
the crew members I met during some of those times. Please include me on
your mailing list if you have one. My e-mail address is mavbell@aol.com.
Martha Bell
Austin, Texas
 CREST OF THE USS TEXAS
The official crest of the USS TEXAS was designed by
Martha Bell, a freelance graphic designer from Austin. The colors (red,
white, and blue) represent the colors of the State Flag of Texas. The
anchor and line symbolize the Navy, while the Lone Star symbolizes the
state of Texas. The atoms and orbits within the Lone Star symbolize the
nuclear power characteristics of the ship, while the three stars at the
bottom represent the previous three United States ships named for the
state of Texas one of which served in the Texas Navy. Finally, ''Proud
Heritage; Proud Purpose,'' symbolizes the proud tradition of all those
ships named TEXAS and their proud purpose to defend our country.
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