Voyage of the Battleship New Jersey

Here are two websites, that will take you on a journey of the most decorated Battleship in Navy History....


http://www.battleship-newjersey.org/

http://www.battleshipnewjersey.org/index.cfm



USS New Jersey Fact Sheet



USS New Jersey Ship’s Data
Launched, December 7, 1942

Commissioned, May 23, 1943

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

Battleship (BB) Class: IOWA

USS Iowa (BB-61), USS New Jersey (BB-62), USS Missouri (BB-63),

USS Wisconsin (BB-64)

Displacement: 45,000 tons standard, 54,889 tons to waterline

Length: 887-feet 7-inches

Beam: 108-feet 1-inch

Draft at full load: 38-feet

Speed: 33+ knots

(Amendment: Retired Rear Admiral J. Edward Snyder, Captain of the USS NEW JERSEY from April, 1968 to August, 1969, informs us that for a time in 1968, BB-62's displacement varied between 60-65,000 tons, and her full load draft was 41 feet.)

Boilers: Eight Babcock & Wilcox express type, steam pressure 634 lbs.per sq.in.

Turbines: Four Westinghouse

Propellers: all four manufactured by Philadelphia Navy Yard

Total Shaft Horsepower: 212,000

Righthand inboard: five blades - 53,000 shaft horsepower

Righthand outboard: four blades - 53,000 shaft horsepower

Lefthand inboard: five blades - 53,000 horsepower

Lefthand outboard - four blades 53,000 horsepower

Armament:

- Nine 16-inch/50caliber guns in three triple turrets

- Twenty 5-inch/38 caliber dual purpose guns in ten twin mounts
Armament (cont'd):
- Sixty-four 40-mm. anti-aircraft guns in 16 quadruple mounts, later increased to eighty guns in 20 mounts until all were removed in 1967-68 modernization

- Forty-nine 20-mm. anti-aircraft guns, increased during WWII to fifty-seven, all but a few removed during 1947-48 inactivation, and all removed in 1952

Anchors: Each anchor is the stockless bower type weighing 30,000 pounds; each chain is 187 fathoms (1,122 feet) long, including the outboard swivel shot

Aircraft:

1943-45: Three Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes

1945-47: Two Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk floatplanes

1951-53: One Sikorsky HO3S-1 helicopter

1983+ : One Kaman SH-2 Seasprite helicopter

Modernization During 1981-82

Eight armored box launchers for 32 Tomahawk cruise missles

Four quadruple canister launchers for 16 Harpoon anti-ship missles

Four Vulcan/Phalanx weapon systems for aircraft/missle defense

Advanced commnications systems, air-search radar

Aviation facilities: enlarged helicopter landing area on fantail, control booth. Removal of stern crane to avoid interference with helicopters Conversion of engineering plant to burn Navy distillate fuel in place of black oil

Satellite navigation and communication antennas

Fuel Capacity: 2,500,000 gallons

Ship’s Company WWII: 120 Officers, 3,000 Enlisted

Ship’s Company Vietnam: 80 Officers, 1,556 Enlisted

Sempers,

Roger

The Battlship New Jersey (BB-62) cruises under the Delaware Memorial Bridge enroute to the Atlantic Ocean for sea trials following her overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Yard prior to re-activation and deployment to Vietnam, May 25 1968.

http://www.state.nj.us/military/phot...embridge75.jpg


USS NEW JERSEY BB-62 fires a salvo from her 16"/50 guns, during a deployment off the coast of Lebanon, on 9 January 1984.

http://www.state.nj.us/military/phot...-lebanon75.jpg

2 November 2001 I was aboard the NJ to receive the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal on behalf of my grandfather who was a PFC in the Army during WWII. This is a medal that is awarded to all Veterans from NJ. I will be awarded this medal 25 July 2002 for my service in Vietnam. I took the tour of the ship after the ceremony. What a huge ship. I spoke to several Marines that served aboard the NJ. They are now volunteers on her that give the tours.

Semper Fi