USS Battleship New Jersey Ghost Hunt, Camden, NJ

History

The USS New Jersey stands apart from other naval vessels not just for her impressive combat record, but for her remarkable adaptability across decades of evolving warfare. Unlike her Iowa-class sisters, New Jersey served as a technological bridge between different eras of naval combat.

The Political Birth of a Battleship

What’s rarely emphasized about New Jersey is her political origin story. While most battleships were commissioned purely for military needs, New Jersey was specifically named by President Roosevelt to repay a political debt to New Jersey Governor Charles Edison, who had secured crucial votes for Roosevelt in the 1940 election by advocating for battleship construction at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

The Admiral’s Ship

New Jersey developed a unique reputation as the preferred flagship for high-ranking admirals. Both Spruance and Halsey chose her during WWII, giving her a front-row seat to strategic decision-making that other battleships rarely experienced. This positioning meant New Jersey was often at the command center of major Pacific operations rather than serving as just another gun platform.

The Technological Chameleon

What truly distinguishes New Jersey’s history is her remarkable evolution. She began as a traditional battleship in WWII, transformed into a specialized shore bombardment platform in Korea, became a precision firing platform in Vietnam, and finally emerged as a missile-equipped modern warship in the 1980s. Each transformation represented not just equipment changes but fundamental shifts in naval doctrine.

The Controversial Lebanese Deployment

The most contested chapter in New Jersey’s history came during her 1983-84 deployment off Lebanon. Her powerful shells were directed at Druze and Syrian positions, with over 300 shells fired in a single day during February 1984. This massive show of force proved divisive – while it demonstrated American resolve, many critics argue it fundamentally shifted the U.S. from a neutral peacekeeper to an active participant in the conflict, potentially contributing to anti-American sentiment in the region.

The Speed Record Holder

In 1968, during her recommissioning sea trials, New Jersey achieved 35.2 knots and maintained this speed for six hours – setting a world record for battleships that still stands today. This exceptional speed gave her operational capabilities beyond what naval planners had originally envisioned for battleships.

The Perpetual Return

Perhaps most fascinating is New Jersey’s repeated cycle of decommissioning and recommissioning – three complete cycles compared to the typical single lifecycle of most naval vessels. She developed an almost mythical quality of returning whenever the nation faced a new conflict, adapting to each era’s challenges with different weapons, electronics, and missions.

The Third Turret That Survived

During her 1980s modernization, New Jersey narrowly escaped having her aft 16-inch gun turret removed to accommodate additional missile systems or aircraft facilities. This conservation of her original design, which was actively considered but ultimately rejected, preserved her historical integrity and fighting capability.

New Jersey’s story isn’t just about combat statistics or technological specifications. It’s about her remarkable adaptability across five decades of naval warfare, her political origins, her controversial deployments, and her persistent returns to service when needed. These elements make her not just the most decorated American battleship but perhaps the most historically significant one as well.