Texas provided fire support off Okinawa while Japanese aircraft and kamikazes subjected the fleet to sustained attack. The ship claimed one aircraft destroyed and three assists while escaping damage herself. Her crew remained at general quarters for fifty straight days, living largely on crackers and K-rations with showers and changes of clothing only every three days. During the campaign, Texas fired 2,019 14-inch shells, 2,643 five-inch shells, 49 three-inch shells, 3,100 rounds of 40-millimeter ammunition, and 2,205 rounds of 20-millimeter ammunition. The figures show that endurance depended on both the people and the ship's entire layered armament.
Chapter ยท 1:14:23-1:15:56
Fifty days at general quarters off Okinawa
At Okinawa, Texas combined immense ammunition expenditure with fifty continuous days of air-alert strain for her crew.