USS New Jersey: America’s most decorated battleship sets sail again

Maya Carlin June 21, 2024
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Originally published by The National Interest

The U.S. National Archives
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The Battleship New Jersey, America’s most decorated battleship, is sailing back to its home state after a rigorous refitting at Philadelphia Navy Yard.

-Limited tickets for the return journey are available at $3,000 each. The restoration, costing $10 million, included a new paint job and repairs.

-The USS New Jersey served in WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf, earning 19 Battle Stars. The Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial aims to preserve its legacy for future generations.

Battleship New Jersey Returns After $10 Million Restoration

Following its dry docking at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Battleship New Jersey is sailing back to its home state. Tickets to ride aboard America’s most decorated battleship as it makes the trip have opened up at $3,000 a piece. While spots are limited to a lucky 15 people, USS New Jersey should be fully opened to the public in the near future.

The Battleship New Jersey left port for the first time in more than two decades earlier this year to undergo a rigorous refitting. In March, the famous vessel left for Paulsboro, the first leg of its journey to dry dock. As detailed by Battleship New Jersey CEO Marshall Spevak, “The ship gets ballasted in Paulsboro, which means we are adding about 2,000 tons of water to the ship’s tanks to essentially even the ship out from bow to stern so that when we enter the dry dock in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on March 27th, we’re essentially making sure that the ship and the hull, when it sits down on the blocks at the shipyard, it doesn’t crack the hull in half.”

Thus, in Paulsboro New Jersey began a multifaceted refit that would include a new paint job and repairs of holes, covers, and leaks. The entire restoration project was expected to take up to two months and cost $10 million.

Although the restoration effort comes with a hefty price tag, preserving the battleship’s history is well worth the cost. USS New Jersey served the U.S. Navy honorably for decades, deploying in the Second World War, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and in the Persian Gulf. Built in the early 1940s, New Jersey was equipped with nine 16 inch/50 caliber Mark 7 guns. New Jersey was well suited to protect the growing fleet of allied aircraft carriers. The ship participated in multiple engagements, including campaigns in the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, New Guinea, the Palau Islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Following a brief deactivation after the Korean War, New Jersey was modernized in the 1960s for service in Vietnam. The legendary battleship was decommissioned after Saigon fell and the U.S. officially withdrew from Southeast Asia.

When the Reagan administration strove to field a larger navy in the 1980s, New Jersey was recommissioned. She was formally stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in 1999. With 19 Battle Stars under her belt, she is the most decorated battleship in U.S. Navy history. The Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial’s efforts to preserve the battleship will keep the memory of USS New Jersey alive for years to come.

Maya Carlin
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