TAMPA, Fla. — Texans who have rallied behind Maine’s contested Ron Paul delegates took their message outside the convention hall and onto the street on Thursday, hawking special T-shirts inspired by Maine’s fight and talking to passers-by.

For $15, anyone could pick up a T-shirt in a variety of colors declaring “Texas Remembers the Alamo … and the Maine,” as well as four other states where skirmishes about Paul delegates played out before or at the Republican National Convention. Those representing the five states — Maine, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Oregon and Massachusetts — could snag one for $10, which one Texan said was basically at cost.

The idea behind the shirts came to Lauren Landivar of Arlington, Texas, sometime on Saturday while she was on her way to Tampa. A few hours later, Rob Hinojosa had come up with a design. By the next day, members of Texas’ large and highly visible delegation were wearing the first version.

They’ve since printed about 180 of the shirts plus “Remember Maine 2012” stickers, typically worn on the front brim of the white cowboy hats that everyone from the Texas delegation has been sporting all week.

“We really support all of those states,” said Jorge E. Landivar, Lauren’s husband and a Texas delegate. “We think that they got the raw deal and we want to help them.”

Navy to honor Maine war hero

Top Navy brass will pay a visit to Maine’s North Woods on Sunday to honor a war hero and the area in which he grew up.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is expected to visit Millinocket as part of a naming ceremony for one of the service’s newest Joint High Speed Vessels, the USNS Millinocket, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office announced Thursday.

This is the second ship being named in honor of East Millinocket native Stephen W. Groves, a pilot who was killed during the infamous Battle of Midway during World War II. Groves was part of a fighter squadron that defended Navy ships against fierce Japanese attacks. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

The USNS Millinocket is the Navy’s third Joint High Speed Vessel, a type of shallow-draft transport ship. A guided-missile frigate already bears Groves’ name.

“I am incredibly proud that the Navy will continue to honor the service of Ensign Groves, which is representative of the service of tens of thousands of Mainers, many from the Millinocket and East Millinocket region, who have served our nation in harm’s way for more than 200 years,” Collins said in a statement. “As the USNS Millinocket travels the globe in service to the United States, it will carry a connection to Maine with it, and tens of thousands of people will learn about this special community’s rich history of hard work, determination, and perseverance.”