10/07/2026
Chief Turret Captain Taylor Paul Gonzales (left) was born in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1911. He enlisted in the Navy on October 15, 1928. January 23, 1939, he was transferred from USS ROPER (DD-147) to USS TEXAS (BB-35). He reported aboard as a Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class and worked his way to Chief Gunner’s Mate by 1942. Shortly after Operation Torch in November 1942, he changed ratings to Chief Turret Captain. In this role, he was the senior enlisted man in 3rd Division, and he was directly in charge of about 60 men and most of the operations of Turret #3 (the midship turret). Unlike the other four turret captains onboard, he had the extra responsibility of the aircraft catapult. Because of this, he developed a close working relationship with the ship’s Aviation Detachment, who helped train him on that aspect of his job.
Gonzales served onboard TEXAS throughout the entire Second World War, almost all of it as Turret #3’s turret captain. Most enlisted men will be reassigned every one or two years, but Gonzales served on TEXAS for seven years in total. This meant that Gonzales carried forward important skills and knowledge that would otherwise be lost.
In 1946, TEXAS went into reserves and Gonzales was transferred to USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41, later AG-128) in July to oversee training of gun crews for major caliber turrets. Gonzales retired from the Navy in 1954 and passed away in 1972 at the age of 61.
📸: Gonzales (left) with an unknown officer (right) resting on a vent next to turret #3 on TEXAS in 1945. Both men are smoking and Gonzales has a coffee mug resting on the turret watershed behind him. Parts of the aircraft catapult are visible above them. Courtesy of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
