The training fleet was westward bound 18 July for exercises in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic. Briggs. Structures destroyed 56 Congratulations to you and hope you enjoy this gorgeous piece of history from the @battleshipnj . Like her sister ships, the USS New Jersey was an awe-inspiring site in 1943 with her 9 x 16 inch Mark 7 series main guns. When reactivated in 1967 New Jersey had her 20mm Oerlikon and 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns removed, and received improved electronic warfare capabilities. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority came a need to protect the growing fleet of allied aircraft carriers, so New Jersey was fitted with an array of Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns. When reactivated in 1982, New Jersey had four twin 5"/38 caliber DP mounts removed. For the next week New Jersey patrolled the waters between Phan Thiet and Tuy Hoa, shelling targets of opportunity along the coast. On 14 February the battleship steamed south of the DMZ to provide support for the 3rd Marine Division, in the process destroying an anti-aircraft site with her big guns. She arrived on the 8th, and began preinactivation overhaul to ready herself for decommissioning. Governor's Award for "Mobilization of Volunteers." To date over 650 ,000 volunteer hours have been. Enemy killed in action (probable) 7, Theabove excerpts are from (Operational Experience of Fast Battleships; World War II, Korea, Vietnam pp 196/197, and from the USS NEW JERSEY Command History dated 17 Dec 1969. The warship boasted four General Electric steam turbines with a top speed of 33-knots. BB-62 Images - Battleship New Jersey 3 16in gun turret (located aft of the superstructure). Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig made the announcement on 20 January 2000,[55] and on 15 October of that year New Jersey arrived at her final resting place on the Camden Waterfront. ex-USS New Jersey | Monitor National Marine Sanctuary The battleships are seen as especially valuable offensive platforms in a nonnuclear conflict with the Soviet Union because of their extraordinary 32-knot speed, 1,500-mile range and exceptional. The road from Philadelphia to Vietnam had not been an easy one. [8], New Jersey was directly engaged in the conquest of Okinawa from 14 March until 16 April. In conclusion, the story of the USS New Jersey sinking an island in 1969 is likely a myth or urban legend with no basis in fact. During the next two summers she crossed the Atlantic with midshipmen on board for training, and during the rest of the year sharpened her skills with exercises and training maneuvers along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean. Family Finds One-Ton Battleship Shell | USS New Jersey in Vietnam New Jersey (SSN-796) is a nuclear powered Virginia -class attack submarine and will be the third U.S. Navy vessel named for the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey, like other battleships in the Iowa-class, was meant to take on the best and biggest warships . Here's What You Need to Remember: USS New Jersey was on the gun line in South Vietnam for 120 days.She participated in the U.S. Navy's Operation Sea Dragon, an effort to disrupt North Vietnam . In December 1945, four months after the official surrender of the Japanese, he was promoted to the rank of, Persistent rumors have suggested that the real reason that, Thompson, p. 140, 165. [10] Unlike the other Iowa-class battleships, New Jersey was named by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to repay a political debt, to then-New Jersey Governor Charles Edison. Reactivated once more in the 1980s as part of the 600-ship Navy program, New Jersey was modernized to carry missiles and recommissioned for service. The next day, Halsey shaped his course north after the decoy force had been spotted. Songjin provided targets 23 April. These were the first 16-inch (406mm) shells fired for effect anywhere in the world since New Jersey ended her time on the gunline in Vietnam in 1969. From that ridge, the Militia gunners could shoot directly downhill at those locations with artillery. [24], At the time of the reactivation the Navy envisioned using New Jersey and her sister ship Iowa to meet sustained global requirements and relieve the strain on the Navy created by an increase in U.S. commitments to the Indian Ocean and Caribbean Sea regions. GUN DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, (1968 -1969 Combined) The last observed mission was fired on the evening of 31 March against an enemy bunker complex three-and-one-half miles northeast of Con Thien. Three destroyersHull, Monaghan and Spencecapsized and sank with nearly all hands, while a cruiser, five aircraft carriers, and three destroyers suffered serious damage. In this span of the Pacific War, fast carrier task forces ranged the waters off the Philippines, Okinawa, and Formosa, making repeated strikes at airfields, shipping, shore bases, and invasion beaches. [8], Between 17 March and 10 April, New Jersey first sailed with Rear Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's flagship Lexington for an air and surface bombardment of Mille, then rejoined Task Group 58.2 for a strike against shipping in the Palaus, and bombarded Woleai. [8] Another highly satisfactory day was 16 October, when the spotter over the Kansong area reported "beautiful shooting every shot on target-most beautiful shooting I have seen in five years." NEW JERSEY remained on station until 0600 1 April (1969) , finishing the deployment where she had begun it more than six months earlier. She arrived at Yokosuka for a two-day visit, sailing for the United States 9 April. Follow up assaults on 30 October destroyed a Communist resupply area and an anti-aircraft site. Carrying on a tradition he had begun in World War II of spending Christmas with U.S. forces overseas, Bob Hope and his troupe of entertainers gave a show on board the New Jersey on 24 December 1983. USS New Jersey (BB-62) - Wikipedia April 6 - Navy The original, BB-9, was decommissioned in 1920 after more than two decades of service. [61][62] Ultimately, nothing came from that effort and the ship remains in Camden. (Article courtesy of The Jerseyman). 1984 Book of General Plans for the U.S.S. She sailed from Norfolk, Virginia 16 April 1951 and arrived from Japan off the east coast of Korea 17 May. Vice Admiral Harold M. Martin, commanding the United States Seventh Fleet, placed his flag in New Jersey for the next six months. . UPDATE! RETURN OF THE BATTLESHIP - The New York Times In 1983, she participated in US operations during the Lebanese Civil War. [52] The cost to fix New Jersey was considered less than the cost to fix Iowa;[28] as a result, New Jersey and Wisconsin were reinstated to the Naval Vessel Register and placed back in the reserve fleet. On 26 December New Jersey returned to the gunline, taking up station off Tuy Ha in support of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam 47th Regiment. MAIN BATTERY [47] New Jersey's final cruise began in 1989 as part of Pacific Exercise '89. Here she destroyed large-caliber guns, bunkers, caves and trenches. Our winner of the beautiful teak flag is Jordan Hartlove !! Many of the ships were caught near the center of the storm and buffeted by extreme seas and hurricane-force winds. [28][32] In addition to saving time, this also made New Jersey cheaper to reactivate since the cost needed to modernize the battleship only included the addition of missile and gun system mounts, electronic warfare suites, and improved radar and gun spotter technology. Laid down in 1940 the USS New Jersey BB-62 was launched on December 7 1942 just a year after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. The last observed mission was fired on the evening of 31 March against an enemy bunker complex three-and-one-half miles northeast of Con Thien. [20], Upon completion of this mission New Jersey steamed south, taking a position off Da Nang and Point DeDe to lend naval gunfire support to the U.S. 1st Marine Division operating in the area. Shadowing American submarines tracked the Japanese fleet into the Philippine Sea as Admiral Spruance joined his task force with Admiral Mitscher's to meet the enemy. On 24 July New Jersey received 16inch shells and powder tanks from Mount Katmai by conventional highline transfer and by helicopter lift, the first time heavy battleship ammunition had been transferred by helicopter at sea (now known as vertical replenishment). Four hundred Marines stationed in Beirut attended the show. During this time the Navy developed several proposals to update their battleships to carry cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, as well as point defense system mounts. On 29 August 1983, two Marines were killed and fourteen wounded, and in the ensuing months the Marines came under almost daily attack from artillery, mortar, rocket, and small-arms fire. Armed with this information New Jersey fired five 16inch shells at the site, but in the darkness spotters were unable to confirm any hits. She was decommissioned at Bayonne 30 June 1948 and assigned to the New York Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. During the next two days, Okinawa was attacked from the air by the same striking force. Mortar sites silenced 6 That afternoon an aerial observer located an enemy artillery position on a hilltop southwest of Cap Lay. The battleship operated near the coast of Korea prior to the opening of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, then departed for Australia to participate in the Australian bicentennial celebrations. [8], At sunrise on 25 July 1953 New Jersey was off the key port, rail and communications center of Hungnam, pounding coastal guns, bridges, a factory area, and oil storage tanks. Vietnam War-Stories.com: Battleship USS New Jersey: Dreadnought vs She arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard on May 4, 1945, commenced unloading ammunition, and the crew began leave. [8] New Jersey fired on coastal batteries and buildings at Kojo 16 April; on railway track and tunnels near Hungnam 18 April; and on gun emplacements around Wonsan Harbor 20 April, silencing them in five areas after she had herself taken several near misses. [56], Shortly after her arrival New Jersey was opened to the public, officially beginning her new career as a museum ship with the name Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial. [8], At Wonsan 1112 July, New Jersey fired one of the most concentrated bombardments of her Korean duty. Just a $50 donation to fire a salute! [42] In his memoir, General Colin Powell (at the time an assistant to Caspar Weinberger) noted that "When the shells started falling on the Shiites, they assumed the American 'referee' had taken sides. [19][22], Her first Vietnam combat tour completed, New Jersey departed Subic Bay 3 April 1969 for Japan. "[43], The accuracy of New Jersey's guns was also called into question. Eventually, the ban was lifted and New Jersey was allowed to use her big guns again. Navy. She knocked out eleven Communist shore guns that day, and four days later destroyed the key observation post on the island of Hodo Pando, commanding the harbor. Vietnam War: Aerial view of USS New Jersey Iowa-class battleship as it passes through the Panama Canal. She was the scene of official receptions at Oslo, where King Haakon VII of Norway inspected the crew 2 July, and at Portsmouth, England. [8], New Jersey provided artillery support for a major air and surface strike on Wonsan 1 May, as 7th Fleet planes both attacked the enemy and spotted for the battleship. . The pattern again was harassing fire by night, destruction of known targets by day. Bunkers destroyed 59 It had been turned back in a stunning defeat when she arrived. [53] The Navy made the switch in January 1999, and on 12 September, New Jersey was towed by the tug Sea Victory from Bremerton, Washington to Philadelphia, for restoration work in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in advance of her planned donation for use as a museum. On the second day of preinvasion air strikes, 12 June, New Jersey shot down an enemy torpedo bomber, and during the next two days her heavy guns battered Saipan and Tinian, in advance of the marine landings on 15 June. logged for tours, renovations and maintenance work. On 14 October New Jersey shifted her gunfire to the coastal artillery sites on Hon Matt Island, destroying one battery on the island. New Jersey took up station off Tiger Island 1 October and fired at targets north of the DMZ before moving south that afternoon to engage Viet Cong targets. New Jersey got underway on the voyage 6 September, departing Long Beach for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. New Jersey screened the aircraft carriers from Japanese attack as planes from Task Group 58.2 flew strikes against Kwajalein and Eniwetok 29 January 2 February, softening up the latter for its invasion and supporting the troops who landed on 31 January. [17], On 16 October New Jersey took up station in support of the U.S. 3rd Marine Division. New Jersey remained in the Persian Gulf for the rest of the year, returning to the United States in February 1990. U.S.S. CREATIVE. Her secondary battery consisted of twenty 5"/38 caliber guns mounted in twin-gun dual purpose (DP) turrets, which could hit targets up to 9 miles (16.7km) away. [8], Assuming command of a ship already earmarked for the "mothball fleet", Captain Peniston and his crew prepared for their task. USS New Jersey(BB-62) USS New Jerseyunderway in January 1985 History United States Namesake State of New Jersey Ordered 1 July 1939 Builder Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Laid down 16 September 1940 Launched 7 December 1942 Sponsored by Carolyn Edison Commissioned 23 May 1943 Decommissioned 30 June 1948 Recommissioned 21 November 1950 Decommissioned . When reactivated in 1968, New Jersey had her 20mm and 40mm AA guns removed and was tailored for use as a heavy bombardment ship. Planes from his carriers sank four of the Japanese carriers, as well as a destroyer and a cruiser, while New Jersey steamed south at flank speed to meet the newly developed threat of the Center force. Its plan for the Battle of Leyte Gulf included a feint by a northern force of planeless heavy attack carriers to draw away the battleships, cruisers and fast carriers with which Admiral Halsey was protecting the landings. The next day New Jersey fired on an enemy rocket site northeast of Con Thien, destroying the facility, then trained her guns on known Communist positions to harass PAVN forces. Purchase your ticket at the Battleship Ticket . [17], On 11 October New Jersey engaged a coastal installation with her guns; however, she shifted her fire when a recon plane spotting for the battleship reported an enemy truck concentration north of Nha Ky. New Jersey gunners quickly retrained the battleship's big guns and managed to inflict heavy damage on six of the vehicles. Powder lots (an individual production of powder) burn at different rates. She anchored at Long Beach 5 May 1969, her first visit to her home port in eight months. She was briefly reactivated in 1968 and sent to Vietnam to support US troops before returning to the mothball fleet in 1969. New Jersey responded by closing on the formation and succeeded in sinking eleven of the craft before they could beach. military flags - battleship new jersey stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. New Jersey encounters the French battleship Richelieu (left) when both ships anchored in Hampton Roads on 7 September 1943, following Richelieu 's defection to the Allies and refit in New York. [5] [6] [7] New Jersey ' s construction reached pressure hull completion in February 2021. The Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial today. Adm. William "Bull" Halsey took Missouri as flagship of the Third Fleet in May. Roads interdicted 26 She returned to this general area yet again 29 August, when she fired in an amphibious demonstration staged behind enemy lines to ease pressure on the Republic of Korea's troops. For the next three days New Jersey pounded the area with her 16in shells in an effort to eliminate the Viet Cong presence in the region. New Jersey smashed radar control positions and bridges at Kojo 13 July, and was once more on the east coast bombline 2224 July to support South Korean troops near Kosong. It was on this first such mission at Wonsan that she received her only combat casualties of the Korean War. That day and the next would cripple Japanese naval aviation; in what would become known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot", the Japanese lost some 400 planes for less than two dozen American aircraft in return. View of USS New Jersey Iowa-class battleship firing shell from the She was outfitted with four Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) mounts for protection against missiles and aircraft, and eight Armored Box Launchers and eight Quad Cell Launchers designed to fire Tomahawk missiles and Harpoon missiles, respectively. Enemy killed in action (confirmed) 136 New Jersey license plates ", "USS New Jersey (BB 62) of the US Navy - American Battleship of the Iowa class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net", "Battleship New Jersey: Frequently Asked Questions", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "Historian details the role politics played in battleship's creation", "Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey, Jr", "Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon, 18 December 1944", "Third Fleet in Typhoon Cobra, December 1944", "Narrative 1968 History of USS New Jersey (BB-62)", Fastest speed recorded for a battleship | Guinness World Records, "1969 Narrative History of USS New Jersey (BB-62)", "Update of the Issues Concerning the Proposed Reactivation of the Iowa class battleships and the Aircraft Carrier Oriskany", "Update of the Issues Concerning the Proposed Reactivation of the Iowa Class Battleships and the Aircraft Carrier Oriskany", "Launch your own missile from Battleship New Jersey: Warship Museum Prepares New 'Interactive' Combat Control Center", "The Lebanese War, Lebanese Civil War (subsection:The Israeli Defense Forces Withdrawal and the Mountain War)", "At Sea/Lebanon: USS New Jersey Shells Beirut Hills/Amal Fighters Take Over West Beirut", "U.S. warship stirs Lebanese fear of war", A Glimpse of Hell: The Explosion on the USS Iowa and Its Cover-Up, "National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1996 (Subtitle B-Naval Vessels and Shipyards)", "Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 (Subtitle B-Naval Vessels and Shipyards)", "SECNAV announces the Battleship New Jersey donation", "Letter to the USS New Jersey Battleship Commission", NAVSOURCE Photo Gallery: Numerous photographs of USS, Battleship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station. Ryan Szimanski, curator of the USS New Jersey and Executive Director of the Historical Naval Ships Association, explores the storied ship's history. She called at Lisbon, participated in NATO exercises off Scotland, and paid an official visit to Norway where Crown Prince Olav was a guest. With the eyes of the world on her, at 0730, the battleship unleashed the first 16-inch barrage fired in anger in over 15 years. [8] This invasion brought on the last great sortie of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Section 1011 required the United States Secretary of the Navy to list and maintain Iowa and Wisconsin on the Naval Vessel Register, while Section 1012 required the Secretary of the Navy to strike New Jersey from the Naval Vessel Register and transfer the battleship to a not-for-profit entity in accordance with section 7306 of Title 10, United States Code. A gun emplacement on tiger island decided to try their luck and lob a shot at us. The helicopter crew was able to reach friendly territory and were later returned to their ship. This was the heaviest shore bombardment since the Korean War. [8], With Admiral Arthur W. Radford, Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, and Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy, Commander Naval Forces Far East aboard, New Jersey bombarded targets at Wonsan 4 June. Panama Canal Zone 6/4/1968. Select from premium Uss New Jersey of the highest quality. Overview of the USS New Jersey (BB-62) Nation: United States Type: Battleship Shipyard: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Laid Down: September 16, 1940 Launched: December 7, 1942 Are The 16in Gun Turrets Welded in Place? [64] Among other awards, she received the Navy Unit Commendation for Vietnam service, the Presidential Unit Citation from the Republic of the Philippines, and the Presidential Unit Citation from the Republic of Korea. As part of the ongoing Operation Magic Carpet New Jersey took aboard nearly a thousand homeward-bound troops, with whom she arrived at San Francisco 10 February. [18], New Jersey, then the world's only active battleship, departed Philadelphia 16 May, calling at Norfolk and transiting the Panama Canal 4 June before arriving at her new home port of Long Beach, California, 11 June. Meet The USS New Jersey: 57,350 Tons of Battleship Power [8], New Jersey ranged far and wide from 30 December 1944 to 25 January 1945 on her last cruise as Admiral Halsey's flagship. All proceeds go to the on-going , Big Guns Cornhole Tournament on the Battleship! [16] In August 1967 the Secretary of Defense made the decision to recommission a battleship "for employment in the Pacific Fleet to augment the naval gunfire support force in Southeast Asia". Saturday, May 13 Keystone State Cornhole Association will again hold a tournament on the decks of the Battleship! Food and bar service will be available. Here president Rhee came aboard on 16 September to present the Korean Presidential Unit Citation to the 7th Fleet. We were off the coast in December on patrol between the coast and tiger island. [9], The main deck was 53,000 square feet of teak. Air spotters reported Yangyang abandoned at the end of this action, while railroad facilities and vehicles were smashed at Kansong. At Kansong two days later she fired her main battery at an artillery regiment and truck encampment, with 7th Fleet aircraft spotting targets and reporting successes. Operations around Japan and off Formosa were carried out for the remainder of her tour, which was highlighted by a visit to Pusan. New Jersey took station in the protective screen around the carriers on 19 June 1944 as American and Japanese pilots dueled in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Her crew celebrated during a seven-day visit at Hong Kong, where she anchored 20 August. [21], For the remainder of February and into March New Jersey shelled targets along the DMZ. [17], On 25 November New Jersey launched the most destructive shore bombardment of her Vietnam tour. Two days later New Jersey returned to action along the west coast at Chinampo to knock out harbor defense positions. On her first mission, she completely destroyed two gun positions, an observation post, and their supporting trenches, then stood by on call for further aid. Over two thousand United States Naval Academy and NROTC midshipmen received seagoing experience under the command of Admiral Richard L. Connolly, Commander Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, who broke his flag in New Jersey at Rosyth, Scotland 23 June. She accounted for six bunkers, a supply truck and an anti-aircraft site that day; additionally, she helped rescue the crew of a Marine spotting plane forced down at sea by anti-aircraft fire. 1968 Narrative - USS NEW JERSEY On 3 October New Jersey fired on targets south of Tiger Island, and on 4 October the battleship fired on a Communist troop concentration and destroyed several bunkers. On 12 April New Jersey returned to action by shelling Chongjin; in seven minutes she scored seven direct hits, blowing away half the main communications building there. She returned to Norfolk 7 January 1956 for the spring program of training operations. 2 gun turret, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, List of broadsides of major World War II ships, "An Act providing for the issuance of Battleship U.S.S. New Jersey destroyed a trawler and, with other ships, sank the destroyer Maikaze. After a brief retention in the mothball fleet, she was donated to the Home Port Alliance in Camden, New Jersey, and has served as a museum ship there since 15 October 2001. [8], New Jersey sailed to the aid of troops of the Republic of Korea once more 17 August, returning to the Kansong area where for four days she provided harassing fire by night, and broke up counterattacks by day, inflicting a heavy toll on enemy troops. Big J's Volunteers were awarded the 2003. [8] New Jersey returned to the key task of direct support to troops at Kosong 7 June. [17] Early on the morning of 12 October New Jersey trained her guns in anticipation of shelling the heavily fortified and well protected Vinh caves. [35] After this attack the Marines began returning fire. USS New Jersey (BB-62) is an Iowa-class battleship, and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after the US state of New Jersey. Our winner of the beautiful teak flag is Jordan Hartlove !! [28], Because New Jersey had been recalled for service in the Vietnam War her modernization differed from her sisters for a number of reasons. During the Korean War, she was involved in raids up and down the North Korean coast, after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets, better known as the "mothball fleet". 10 to 2 pm. Following an overhaul at Long Beach which lasted in to 1988 New Jersey returned to the Pacific Ocean, this time operating as part of a surface action group. [34], On 18 April 1983 a van carrying a 2,000 pound load of explosives, slammed into the U.S. embassy in West Beirut, killing 63. [8] New Jersey's tenth birthday, 23 May 1953, was celebrated at Incheon with President and Madame Rhee, Lieutenant General Maxwell D. Taylor, and other dignitaries on board. VIETNAM - 40 Years ago " NEW JERSEY remained on station until 0600 1 April (1969) , finishing the deployment where she had begun it more than six months earlier. [51] Due to Iowa's damaged Turret 2 the Navy selected New Jersey for placement into the mothball fleet, even though it was claimed that the training mechanisms on New Jersey's 16-in guns had been welded down (when in fact it was only the turret locking pins). At the opening of the battle, planes from the carriers guarded by New Jersey struck hard at both the Japanese Southern and Center Forces, sinking a battleship 23 October. The next day New Jersey maneuvered into the waters of the Baie de Van Fong to fire at Viet Cong command posts, but poor visibility of the target area prevented any damage estimates.