"[49] Following an overhaul at Long Beach which lasted into 1988 New Jersey returned to the Pacific Ocean, this time operating as part of a surface action group. 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. The Navy was to ensure that both of the reinstated battleships were in good condition and could be reactivated for use in the Marine Corps' amphibious operations. NEW JERSEY remained on station until 0600 1 April (1969) , finishing the deployment where she had begun it more than six months earlier. The recommissioning of New Jersey marked a return of the world's last battleships after a 13-year absence from the world's oceans. She was often referred to fondly as "Big J". Her crew celebrated during a seven-day visit at Hong Kong, where she anchored 20 August. 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. [13] Approximately 790 officers and men were lost or killed, with another 80 injured. She was decommissioned at Bayonne 30 June 1948 and assigned to the New York Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. [28], Because New Jersey had been recalled for service in the Vietnam War her modernization differed from her sisters for a number of reasons. She arrived on the 8th, and began preinactivation overhaul to ready herself for decommissioning. New Jersey was recommissioned at Bayonne on 21 November 1950, Captain David M. Tyree in command, and proceeded to the Caribbean, where she welded her crew into an efficient body which would meet the demanding requirements of the Korean War. [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. The pattern again was harassing fire by night, destruction of known targets by day. 3 16in gun turret (located aft of the superstructure). 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. Are The 16in Gun Turrets Welded in Place? Each of the carriers in the Third Fleet had a weatherman aboard, and as the fleet flagship New Jersey had a highly experienced weatherman: Commander G. F. Kosco, a graduate of the aerology course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology who had also studied hurricanes in the West Indies; despite this, none of these individuals or staffs were able to give Third Fleet due warning of the impending typhoon. In 1983, she participated in US operations during the Lebanese Civil War. This five-hour bombardment leveled ten artillery positions, and in smashing trenches and bunkers inflicted some 500 enemy casualties. The @battleshipnj hosted members of the Jackson, NJ VFW for guided tours, lunch in the Officers Wardroom & the shooting of the 5-inch and saluting guns today. New Jersey and its sister ship, USS Virginia, were both sunk in 1923 during aerial bombing tests . [58], New Jersey has been placed on several historic registers. Her 16-inch salvos pounded Ponape 1 May, destroying fuel tanks, badly damaging the airfield, and demolishing a headquarters building. At Pusan two days later, New Jersey manned her rails to welcome the President of the Republic of Korea and Madame Rhee, and American Ambassador Ellis O. Congratulations to you and hope you enjoy this gorgeous piece of history from the @battleshipnj Its a Beautiful Day on the ship for the car show, student day and tours all day - come on out to the show cars are on the pier and in lot one!! She then sailed back to Wonsan for a day-long bombardment 24 June, aimed at guns placed in caves. [8], New Jersey's guns opened the first shore bombardment of her Korean career at Wonsan 20 May. 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. As the carriers prepared for the invasion with strikes there and on Honsh, New Jersey fought off air raids, used her seaplanes to rescue downed pilots, defended the carriers from suicide planes, shooting down at least three and assisting in the destruction of others. The helicopter crew was able to reach friendly territory and were later returned to their ship. This was to allow the Japanese Center Force to enter the gulf through San Bernardino Strait. [47], With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the lack of a perceived threat against the United States came drastic cuts to the defense budget, and the high cost of maintaining battleships as part of the active fleet became uneconomical; as a result, New Jersey was decommissioned for the final time at Naval Station Long Beach, California, on 8 February 1991, with the ship serving a total of 21 years (the most of the four Iowas) in active service. She sailed from Norfolk, Virginia 16 April 1951 and arrived from Japan off the east coast of Korea 17 May. Briggs. Did the USS New Jersey sunk an . She also received hostile fire when North Vietnamese gunners attempted to strike at New Jersey with artillery positioned near Cap Lay. Preliminary modernizations schemes included the removal of four of the ten 5inch gun mounts on New Jersey to make room for the armored box launchers that would be required to carry and launch the BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles. SECONDARY BATTERY New Jersey and her formation shot down two enemy torpedo bombers at Truk. [8], New Jersey rejoined her fast carriers near San Bernardino 27 October 1944 for strikes on central and southern Luzon. U.S.S. On 2 November New Jersey commenced firing operations against nine positions, but the heavy foliage in the area prevented spotters from seeing the results of the shelling. [8], Between 23 and 27 May and again 30 May 1951, New Jersey pounded targets near Yangyang and Kansong, dispersing troop concentrations, dropping a bridge span, and destroying three large ammunition dumps. [61][62] Ultimately, nothing came from that effort and the ship remains in Camden. Battleship NJ Sinks an Island! She arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard on May 4, 1945, commenced unloading ammunition, and the crew began leave. We appreciate the support of everyone who sponsored and bought a ticket to this event. Select from premium Uss New Jersey of the highest quality. USS America's island seen during a 1976 cruise. Every deadline was met and on 30 September, NEW JERSEY took station in a gray dawn off the coast of Vietnam's Demilitarized Zone. Powder lots (an individual production of powder) burn at different rates. A Kara-class cruiser and two Grisha III frigates also shadowed the U.S. ships. She was launched on 7 December 1942 (the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor)[6] and commissioned on 23 May 1943. 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. Learn how steam , Thank you sponsors and ticket buyers! Big J's Volunteers were awarded the 2003. New Jersey's modernization was unique in that she was to be the only reactivated Iowa-class battleship to lose a gun turret. Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, a van carrying a 2,000 pound load of explosives, slammed into the U.S. embassy in West Beirut, killing 63, a catastrophic explosion in her No. When reactivated in 1982, New Jersey had four twin 5"/38 caliber DP mounts removed. Another original gun barrel is located in Camden, next to USS New Jersey, and a third is on display in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. New Jersey was recommissioned on April 6 1968 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where she had been . Two days later, she learned of the truce. 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. [8], Aside from a brief break in firing 23 September to take aboard wounded from the Korean frigateApnok(PF-62), damaged by gunfire, New Jersey was heavily engaged in bombarding the Kansong area, supporting the movement of the U.S. X Corps. 1968 - USS New Jersey (BB 62) is recommissioned for shore bombardment duty at Vietnam. Aerial view of a tomahawk launch. The next day New Jersey leveled 30structures, destroyed three underground bunkers, and shelled a Viet Cong trench line. (See The Jerseyman,p.5., 2Q-2006.) 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. New Jersey was one of the Iowa-class "fast battleship" designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Construction and Repair. The next day she answered eight call for fire support missions from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, in the process destroying eight Viet Cong bunkers and five structures. May 8, 1945 welcomes in VE Day, "Today the war in Europe came to an end!" [8], After west coast operations and a normal overhaul at Puget Sound, New Jersey came home to Bayonne, New Jersey, for a rousing fourth birthday party 23 May 1947. [56], This article is about the battleship commissioned in 1943. [51], New Jersey remained in mothball fleet until the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 passed through the United States Congress 18 October 1998. Visitors marvel at the 16" guns. 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. Immediate Past Chairman Marshall Spevak Trustees Joseph Azzolina, Jr. Food Circus Supermarkets, Inc. Brian Bauerle Cooper's Ferry Partnership Captain Joseph Benton III Battleship USS New Jersey BB-62 Index Page. She sailed north that afternoon, firing at rail lines and railroad tunnels as she made for Tanchon, where she launched a whaleboat in an attempt to spot a train known to run nightly along the coast. Historical Naval Ships Association (HNSA) Digital Collections, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_New_Jersey_(BB-62)&oldid=1145439104, Most decorated battleship in the history of the US Navy, 37ft 9in (11.51m) (full load) [8], Shaping her course via the Panama Canal, Long Beach, and Hawaii, New Jersey reached Yokosuka 5 April, and next day relieved Missouri as flagship of Vice Admiral Joseph H. Clark, Commander 7th Fleet. Present were Governor Alfred E. Driscoll, former Governor Walter E. Edge and other dignitaries. [8], In September the targets were in the Visayas and the southern Philippines, then Manila and Cavite, Panay, Negros, Leyte, and Cebu. [17] 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. (rebellionresearch.com) . The USS New Jersey (BB-62) was an Iowa-class battleship that entered service in 1943 and saw combat in World War II and later fought in Korea and Vietnam. Vietnam War: View of USS New Jersey Iowa-class battleship during Family Day at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. 1776. The task force returned to the Marshalls 19 February. During his time in the Navy department, Edison pushed to build the Iowas, and to build one at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which secured votes for Roosevelt in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the 1940 presidential election. That afternoon New Jersey's 5inch guns shelled enemy buildings, destroying 15structures and inflicted heavy damage on 29others. [39] Some 30 of these massive projectiles rained down on a Syrian command post in the Bekaa Valley east of Beirut, killing the general commanding Syrian forces in Lebanon[40] and several other senior officers. 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. The problem was apparently resolved after the Navy was able to locate additional powder supplies which had not been remixed. Two days later, the force came under suicide attack. Now New Jersey prepared and trained for her second Korean tour, for which she sailed from Norfolk 5 March 1953. On 22 February New Jersey responded to an urgent request for fire support from the besieged Oceanview observation post near the DMZ. The maneuver, according to the command history, "marked the first time a U.S. battleship had operated in the Soviet Navy's backyard. Both teams submitted plans to operate and maintain the battleship as a museum. 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. During a similar action 25 November three Japanese planes were shot down by the combined fire of the force, part of one flaming onto the flight deck of Hancock. The ship was complete by 1942, and after sea trials, was commissioned in 1943. This loss of trained pilots and aircraft was equaled in disaster by the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carriers Taih and Shkaku by the submarines Albacore and Cavalla, respectively, and the loss of Hiy to aircraft launched from the light aircraft carrier Belleau Wood. On 11 November New Jersey departed Vietnamese waters to replenish; she returned to the gunline 23 November and relieved USSGalveston, taking up position in support of the U.S. Army's Americal Division. 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. Here president Rhee came aboard on 16 September to present the Korean Presidential Unit Citation to the 7th Fleet. [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". Purchase your ticket at the Battleship Ticket . They are younger, better educated, and more individualistic than the men I knew as a Junior Officer on the Battleship PENNSYLVANIA 25 years ago. Therefore, remixing the powder lots could cause the guns to fire inconsistently. 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. [17], On 28 October New Jersey steamed south to engage Communist targets. [17], On the night of 23 October New Jersey steamed north to rearm before taking up position in support of the 3rd Marine Division 25 October. According to the New Jersey museum website, the battlewagon destroyed more than 1,000 targets . a cargo ship and other ships. Near the 17th parallel on 30 September, the battleship fired her first shots in battle in over sixteen years, expending a total of 29 sixteen inch rounds against People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) targets in and near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel. With renewed attacks on Kansong and near the Chang-San-Got Peninsula 11 and 13 November, New Jersey completed her first tour of duty in Korea. She arrived at Yokosuka for a two-day visit, sailing for the United States 9 April. [7] She was christened at her launching by Carolyn Edison, wife of Governor Charles Edison of New Jersey, himself a former Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned at Philadelphia 23 May 1943, Captain Carl F. Holden in command. She also hit a target that flamed spectacularly: either a fuel storage area or an ammunition dump. "[43], The accuracy of New Jersey's guns was also called into question. 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. Navy. New Jersey also fired on an enemy aircraft that attacked her formation. 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. USS New Jersey, an Iowa-class battleship, was reactivated to provide naval gunfire support for American and allied forces fighting in South Vietnam. 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 On the 15th, while New Jersey was still at sea, North Korean jet fighters shot down an unarmed EC-121 Constellation electronic surveillance plane over the Sea of Japan, killing its entire crew. BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE HOME PORT ALLIANCE FOR THE USS NEW JERSEY, INC. Chairman Dennis Levitt Vice-Chairman Lisa Conti Treasurer Tom Reilly Secretary Robert DelSordo, Esq. 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. [8], As the crisis eased, New Jersey was released to continue her interrupted voyage. Artillery sites neutralized 2 [47] New Jersey's final cruise began in 1989 as part of Pacific Exercise '89. The aerial observer reported seven bunkers destroyed. At the time the Navy made the announcement plans were underway to remove New Jersey's No. The second Wisconsin was authorized on July 6, 1939 and laid down at the Philadelphia Navy Yard beginning in 1941. On 13 March the battleship departed the gunline bound for Subic Bay. 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. Many of the ships were caught near the center of the storm and buffeted by extreme seas and hurricane-force winds. She was briefly reactivated in 1968 and sent to Vietnam to support US troops before returning to the mothball fleet in 1969. Vietnam War: Aerial view of USS New Jersey Iowa-class battleship as it passes through the Panama Canal. Main battery rounds expended during NEW JERSEYs deployment to Vietnam were only 1,500 short of the total she fired in World War II, two cruises to Korea, and several midshipman cruises. [47] Although in command of her own Battleship Battlegroup New Jersey did sail with the aircraft carriers USSRanger(CV-61) and USSConstellation(CV-64) and USSThach(FFG-43) while deployed in 1986. Here she destroyed large-caliber guns, bunkers, caves and trenches. The original, BB-9, was decommissioned in 1920 after more than two decades of service. Aided by spotter aircraft from the aircraft carrier USSAmerica, New Jersey engaged enemy targets, setting several enemy positions on fire and sealing one cave. 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. 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. [25][33], Since the Tomahawk missile system had not yet been adopted for use during New Jersey's original update, the Navy announced plans to divert assets from two of their Spruance-class destroyers to install the necessary Tomahawk launchers. 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. [8], New Jersey's mission at Wonsan, the next day, was her last. [11], New Jersey completed fitting out and trained her initial crew in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. In 1997, while the ship was still in the mothball fleet, the New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites recommended that it "be listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, contingent upon the transfer of the battleship to New Jersey waters. New Jersey sailed for Europe once more 27 August as flagship of Vice Admiral Charles Wellborn Jr., Commander United States Second Fleet. 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. Just a $50 donation to fire a salute! 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. [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. Eventually, the ban was lifted and New Jersey was allowed to use her big guns again. Although New Jersey performed her job expertly during the intervention in Lebanon some have criticized the decision to have New Jersey shell Druze and Syrian forces. The decision to decommission New Jersey robbed the battleship of the chance to participate in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, a military campaign to forcibly remove Iraqi invasion troops from Kuwait. The Kojo area was her target 16 October as she sailed in company with HMSBelfast, pilots from HMASSydney spotting. [35] United States Navy warships shelled Druze positions and helped the Lebanese Army hold the town of Suk El Gharb until a cease-fire was declared on 25 September, on which day the battleship New Jersey arrived on the scene.