USS New Jersey (BB-62)

USS New Jersey (BB-62)

USS New Jersey underway 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	21 August 1957
Recommissioned	6 April 1968
Decommissioned	17 December 1969
Recommissioned	28 December 1982
Decommissioned	8 February 1991
Stricken	4 January 1999
Motto	"Firepower for Freedom"[1][3]
Nickname(s)	"Big J"[1] "Black Dragon"[2]
Honors and awards	19 battle stars Navy Unit Commendation
Status	Museum ship Temporarily: Drydock no. 3, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Notes	Most decorated battleship in the history of the US Navy
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Iowa-class battleship
Displacement	49,657 long tons (50,454 t) standard (1943) 58,132 long tons (59,065 t) full load (1943)[4] 60,000 long tons (61,000 t) full load (1968)[5]
Length	887 ft 7 in (270.54 m)
Beam	108 ft 1.375 in (32.95333 m)
Draft	37 ft 9 in (11.51 m) (full load) 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m) aft, 39 ft 0 in (11.89 m) forward (1968)[5]
Propulsion	4 x 53,000 hp turbines powered by 8 x 650 psi m type boilers
Speed	33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement	1,921 officers and men
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPS-49 Air Search Radar AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar AN/SPQ-9 Surface Search/Gun Fire Control Radar
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32 AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Decoy System 8 × Mark 36 SRBOC Super Rapid Bloom Rocket Launchers
Armament	1943: 9 × 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns 20 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns 80 × 40 mm 56 cal. anti-aircraft guns 49 × 20 mm 70 cal. anti-aircraft guns 1968: 9 × 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal Mark 7 guns 20 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal Mark 12 guns 1982: 9 × 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns 12 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns 32 × BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles 16 × RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles 4 × 20 mm/76 cal. Phalanx CIWS
Armor	Belt: 12.1 in (307 mm) Bulkheads: 11.3 in (287 mm) Barbettes: 11.6 to 17.3 in (295 to 439 mm) Turrets: 19.5 in (495 mm) Decks: main 1.5 in (38 mm) second 6.0 in (152 mm)
Aircraft carried	1943: 2 catapults 3 Vought OS2U Kingfisher Floatplanes 1950s: Sikorsky H-5 1968–1969: Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH drone 1982: Deck for up to 4 helicopters but replaced with 1 RQ-2 Pioneer UAV

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 U.S. state of New Jersey. She was often referred to fondly as "Big J". New Jersey earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other three completed Iowa-class battleships, and was the only US battleship used to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.

During World War II, New Jersey shelled targets on Guam and Okinawa, and screened aircraft carriers conducting raids in the Marshall Islands. During the Korean War, she was involved in raids along the North Korean coast, after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets, better known as the "mothball fleet". She was briefly reactivated in 1968 and sent to Vietnam to support US troops before returning to the mothball fleet in 1969. 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. In 1983, she participated in US operations during the Lebanese Civil War.

New Jersey was decommissioned for the last time in 1991 after having served a total of 21 years in the active fleet. During her career she earned a Navy Unit Commendation for service in Vietnam, and 19 battle and campaign stars for combat operations during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanese Civil War, and service in the Persian Gulf. 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.