America’s most decorated warship, the USS New Jersey, is back in the water

One of the most iconic battleships in American history, the Battleship New Jersey, is returning to its home state after a complete renovation at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

USS New Jersey (BB-62), America’s most decorated battleship, has a rich and varied history spanning decades of service and numerous conflicts. USS New Jersey was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned in 1943 and noted for her strong armor, speed, and firepower. During the Pacific theater, the ship fought in several battles, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Okinawa, when the 16-inch guns proved an invaluable asset to the Navy and ground forces.

• A limited number of $3,000 round-trip tickets are available. The $10 million makeover included repairs and new paint.

Warship New Jersey Returns After $10 Million Restoration

As the Battleship New Jersey returns to its home state from the Philadelphia Navy Yard, it has completed its dry docking process. Tickets to board the most decorated warship in American history have risen to $3,000 per person. Although limited to 15 passengers, the USS New Jersey will soon be fully accessible to the general public.

Earlier this year, the Battleship New Jersey left port for the first time in nearly 20 years for a complete overhaul. The legendary ship left for Paulsboro in March, beginning a journey to dry dock.  decorated battleship New Jersey CEO Marshall Spevak, “The ship is ballasted in Paulsboro, which means we’re adding about 2,000 tons.Water is added to the ship’s tanks to effectively level the ship from bow to stern. This will ensure that, on March 27, when the ship enters dry dock at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the hull will not split in two as it rests on the shipyard’s blocks.

A comprehensive renovation that included a new coat of paint and fixes for holes, casings and leaks began in Paulsboro, New Jersey. The full restoration process was estimated to cost $10 million and take two months.

Preserving the heritage of warships is a significant financial outlay for a restoration project. During World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Persian Gulf, USS New Jersey provided distinguished service to the United States Navy for many years. Nine 16-inch/50-caliber Mark 7 guns were installed in New Jersey in the early 1940s. Protecting an expanding fleet of Allied aircraft carriers was a good fit for New Jersey. Among the many actions in which the ship took part were expeditions the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, New Guinea, the Palau Islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

The New Jersey was updated in the 1960s during the Korean War, to serve in Vietnam. After the fall of Saigon and the formal withdrawal of the United States from Southeast Asia, this legendary warship was decommissioned.

In the 1980s, New Jersey was decommissioned when the Reagan administration tried to build up its fleet. In 1999, she was officially removed from the Naval Vessel Register. She is the most decorated battleship in US Navy history, having earned 19 battle stars. The preservation efforts of the USS New Jersey Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial will live on in the memories of future generations.

About the Author: Maya Carlin 

Maya Carlin is a national security writer for The National Interest. She was previously an Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel and is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy. Her byline has been used by numerous publications such as The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel.

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