Inspiration for Texas of the South Pacific

Texas of the South Pacific began as a plein air at the Port of Pensacola. The ship hails from the island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. On this particular day, it certainly found itself far from the tropical paradise of those latitudes! Gray clouds hung low over Pensacola, and if my memory serves, the air blew chill. The sky rather mirrored the feeling of the boat as a whole: heavy, rugged, and sullen. I feel that gray skies often create the most appropriate setting for industrial grunge.

Living Up to Its Name?

We receive some of the strangest-looking vessels in my hometown because of its proximity to the Gulf oil fields. Ships serving all sorts of functions in the oil-production system dock here for maintenance and resupply. This vessel, the Texas, is surprisingly not the biggest ship I’ve ever seen my life, despite its name. In fact, for an oil ship, it’s rather average. I’m sure residents of that state will feel rather slighted when they find out, haha!

Tech Specs of the Texas

The Texas is an offshore tug/supply ship built in 1983 and currently sailing under the flag of Vanuatu. The vessel has a 103 meters length overall and a beam of 19 meters. Her gross tonnage weighs in at 4759 tons.