USS New Jersey returns to her place of birth

Devil Doc

Devil Doc

Teufel Doc
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The article has a few good pics and a video. The New Jersey is underway (dead stick of course) for the first time in 25 years. The Moran tugs took her to Philly were she was built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and commissioned on 7 Dec 1942. The ship will rest in dry dock and receive much needed repairs.


Edit: I guess you have to click on the link. It's a good one.
 
... yes, I remember this place, Battleship New Jersey in Camden Waterfront. We used to take DS there when he was a toddler. There's also an aquarium (not sure if it's still there) with a nice cafeteria. Across the river is Penns Landing, Philadelphia. The WWII submarine USS Becuna and the Spanish-American War-era cruiser USS Olympia are anchored. The Olympia was Admiral Dewey's flagship during the Battle of Manila on 1May1898. Interesting in the ship were original photographs from the Spanish-American War.
 
We toured that ship! When Army Navy game was played there. They hosted some of the Patriot Games.

We found an older gentleman wearing a hat who was taking to a few people. And he spent over an hour with us showing us so much. We learned about how the steel is highly sought out for these old ships bc it was made before the atomic bomb (so no radios? Something like that). We learned about the value of the teak decking wood. For sure a top ten historically interesting day.

Glad she is getting attention.
 
On my second ship out of Pearl Harbor we steamed with her about four-ish days after the 1982 recommissioning. We UNREPed with her and did various exercises and maneuvers and seeing it so close was crazy impressive.
 
severn said:
... yes, I remember this place, Battleship New Jersey in Camden Waterfront. We used to take DS there when he was a toddler. There's also an aquarium (not sure if it's still there) with a nice cafeteria. Across the river is Penns Landing, Philadelphia. The WWII submarine USS Becuna and the Spanish-American War-era cruiser USS Olympia are anchored. The Olympia was Admiral Dewey's flagship during the Battle of Manila on 1May1898. Interesting in the ship were original photographs from the Spanish-American War.
Click to expand...
Had dinner last week aboard an old cargo ship turned restaurant which is next to the Olympia and Becuna. Had a great view of the Big J and of the Aquarium as night fell. I had an opportunity to attend the New Jersey's sendoff ceremony though a Veterans Organization but it was a teaching day for me so had to skip it.
 
... so I was fortunate enough to be assigned in Philadelphia for 3 years as a college recruiting officer. My office was in 2nd & Chestnut Street, one block from Penns Landing. Every 4th of July Independence Day was a very serious affair with full of festivities. The descendants of the Declaration of Independence Signers would ring the Liberty Bell. Then there's a parade with the Colonial Army and Fifes and Drums followed by America Celebration concert. In Washington Park, there's a mass gravesite where thousands of unknown Revolutionary Soldiers were buried, a Retreat is conducted simultaneously with fighter jets flyover.
 
Devil Doc said:
The article has a few good pics and a video. The New Jersey is underway (dead stick of course) for the first time in 25 years. The Moran tugs took her to Philly were she was built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and commissioned on 7 Dec 1942. The ship will rest in dry dock and receive much needed repairs.


Edit: I guess you have to click on the link. It's a good one.
Click to expand...

Battleship New Jersey has a wonderful YouTube channel which I cannot recommend enough to naval history enthusiasts.

https://www.youtube.com/battleshipnewjersey

It's presented by the ship's curator, Ryan Szymanski. He does lecture-type deep dives and also takes the camera into parts of the ship that you would be surprised are even accessible! All around, lots of good stuff.
 
I remember when I was like 5 or 6 my family went and toured the USS New Jersey and I was just not having it. In typical young bratty kid fashion I was throwing a fit about how I was hungry the whole time and just wanted to get out of there lol 😂. Now a decade later here I am seriously considering a career in the Navy! Funny how life works.
 
smokey% said:
I remember when I was like 5 or 6 my family went and toured the USS New Jersey and I was just not having it. In typical young bratty kid fashion I was throwing a fit about how I was hungry the whole time and just wanted to get out of there lol 😂. Now a decade later here I am seriously considering a career in the Navy! Funny how life works.
Click to expand...
... same with DS (USNA '26) as a toddler. We always rushed to the Aquarium and ate in the cafeteria.
 
This article caught my eye because of the reference to New Jersey flying the WETSU flag. I said, Waaaiit a minute. My second ship escorted the New Jersey to the WESTPAC in 83-84ish and I didn't see a WETSU flag and I took numerous photos. We were flying OUR WETSU flag then. I read on and my anxiety calmed with a quote from R.D. Tucker, former CO of my ship. He took command of the New Jersey after his tour aboard my ship where he introduced WETSU. We spent 110 days straight at sea and I remember when the seas were calm and the sun bright, seeing the WETSU flag on the yardarm jolted morale and made me feel I could stay a day longer.

www.military.com

This Navy Battleship Just Flew Its 'WETSU' Battle Flag for the First Time in 30 Years

When the USS New Jersey left the pier for the first time in two decades at the end of March, it did so in style -- with the warship's unusual yellow battle flag flying in the wind.
www.military.com www.military.com
 
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