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USS New Jersey (BB-62) is the most decorated battleship in Navy history, earning distinction in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and conflicts in the Middle East. Battleships trace their lineage back to the ships-of-the-line. Led by the New Jersey, Admiral Spruances ships and planes at Truk sank a total of two light cruisers, four destroyers, three auxiliary cruisers, the armed minesweeper/trawler, two subchasers, two sub tenders, a plane ferry, and two dozen precious transports and tankers; damaged other many other ships; and destroyed over 250 aircraft. Start them north. Orders flashed from the New Jerseys towering radio masts ordering the Third Fleets nine fleet carriers, seven light carriers, six battleships, sixteen cruisers, and twenty-seven destroyers to speed toward Ozawa, leaving no ship to guard San Bernardino Strait. The battle group commander muses that [w]hen his flagship was built, he was sailing boats in a bathtub. He believes that none of the Soviet ships could possibly survive more than two of his sixteen-inch projectiles, and that the Soviets anti-ship missiles would not be able to damage his ship gravely the New Jersey had upwards of a foot of class B armor plate. The Kirovs group retreats to Russia, and war is averted. After she had steamed east over 6,000 of the 8,000 miles to Long Beach, on April 15, 1969, the North Koreans, who in January had seized the intelligence ship USS Pueblo, shot down an unarmed EC-121 Constellation reconnaissance aircraft over international waters, killing 31 Americans. In 2004, USS New Jersey was added to the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. On December 24, 1944, the newly-promoted Nimitz flew in from Pearl Harbor and came aboard the New Jersey the first time the five-star flag of a Fleet Admiral was raised over a Navy warship. https://newtube.app/Gauche357 With barometers setting record lows, Halsey postponed refueling and ordered the fleet to hold a new course, which inadvertently prolonged its ordeal in the typhoon and prevented skippers from maneuvering independently. While preparing for a second Vietnam tour, she was ordered inactivated and decommissioned in December 1969. I consider this the gravest error I committed during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.. The Naval History and Heritage Command does not have custody of crew lists, nor do we have current contact information of former crew members. For membership information or reunion inquiries, visit For best viewing use The designers thus achieved a well-balanced fast battleship, with a higher 33-knot speed, heavier armament, and the same armor protection as the South Dakota class. that was the best duty i ever had.still the greatest warship in the world. Upon returning to Ulithi on January 25, 1945, the New Jersey hosted Admiral Spruance who conferred with Halsey. To counter the Soviet battlecruisers and to quickly build up the size and power of the Navy, Reagans Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, convinced Congress to reactivate the Iowa-class battleships. The New Jersey promptly pitched in on May 19, shelling Kansong just above the Parallel to interdict enemy supplies. America needs the battleship once again to provide firepower for the defense of freedom and, above all, to maintain the peace. President Reagan and 10,000 people then toured the New Jersey. . While USS New Jersey rested in Bremerton, the period of dtente between the superpowers under Presidents Nixon and Ford ended when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, causing President Jimmy Carter to withdraw from the Moscow Olympics. She hosted a Christmas show for crew and troops by actress Ann-Margret and comedian Bob Hope, who joked the New Jersey was so big she was Wake Island with a rudder.. AC. Over 33 million records are contained in this database. Some of the records for personnel on aircraft carriers also include corresponding images of the ship. While her main battery remained unchanged, lighter weapons were frequently added and subtracted. The radio telegram led both Nimitz and Kinkaid to assume Halsey was forming Task Force 34 and leaving it to cover San Bernardino Strait. The mothballing process was reversed, and a new crew trained. It restricted battleships to 35,000 tons and 16-inch main guns and limited the total tonnage of the major fleets. As Admiral Kuritas chief of staff admitted, the battle spelled the collapse of our Navy as an effective fighting force. Japans ships never again tried to challenge the United States Navy in battle. Nishimura encountered torpedo-firing PT boats, and then faced massed torpedo attacks by destroyers. From USS New Jersey, Admiral Halsey saw her gunners hit a kamikaze who nonetheless again crashed into Intrepid, which went through hell. The inboard are two five-bladed 17-feet diameter units mounted in the ships twin-skeg hull while the outboard are two four-bladed 18.25-feet diameter units. As early as the 1970s, the Battleship New Jersey Historical Museum Society and other organizations had been formed to lobby the Navy to return the historic New Jersey to the State for which she was named. As seen from the side, the turret's 0.75" STS backing plates are installed. She carried three Tomahawk versions: land attack with nuclear warheads, land attack with conventional warheads, and anti-ship with conventional warheads. She was launched with SK and SG air and surface search radars, upgraded to SPS-6 and SG-6 respectively by 1952. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, 23-26 October 1944, by Thomas J. Cutler, @ 1994 Thomas J. Cutler, Published by HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. New York, NY. The submarines sank two cruisers, and warned Admiral Halsey on USS New Jersey. After the Communists broke off talks in August 1951, the New Jersey provided naval gunfire support for the U.N. troops ashore near Kansong. Army Chief of Staff Omar Bradley and Far East Commander Matthew Ridgeway came aboard to confer with Admiral Martin on October 1, 1951. Stop by the @battleshipnj booth to win a free family membership, a coupon for a free tour with the purchase of a tour and information on upcoming events and programs. She was christened at her launching by Carolyn . Beginning in the 1880s, armored, turreted battleships became the capital ships of the worlds major naval powers. The heavy powder bags were dropped onto the ramps and rammed behind the shells. Volume VII, Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, June 1942-April 1944, @ 1951 Samuel Eliot Morison. From USS New Jersey, Halsey led the Third Fleets fast carriers, fast battleships, and other frontline combatant ships. Recognizing that an American capture of Okinawa would enable the invasion of its Home Islands, Japan launched an all-out offensive against the invasion fleet on April 6, 1945. Organization for Veterans is The USS New Jersey BB-62 Veterans, Inc. During her tour, USS New Jersey made resupply and liberty visits to the Philippines, Japan, and Singapore. When the Communists launched a major offensive, the New Jersey returned to the east coast. Her remaining sixteen twin 20mm mounts were removed, and a Navy librarian removed any books from her library that might be deemed subversive in the McCarthy era. To save money, only a minimum amount of work was performed. On February 10, 1945, Admiral Spruance led USS New Jersey and the rest of the Fifth Fleet to the Bonin Islands in support of the invasion of Iwo Jima. While the aircraft carrier remains the foundation of American naval power, the battleship will today be the sovereign of the seas. For the first time, a major enemy base was beaten down without the aid of land-based air power or amphibious invasion. The assault led by the New Jersey prevented Japan from ever again using Truk as a fleet base, stopped it from interfering with the assault by Marines and Army troops on Eniwetok on February 17, and kicked open the door to further American advances in the Central Pacific. The New Jersey resumed escorting carriers but spent most of her time in the Sea of Japan bombarding the east coast of North Korea, destroying coastal batteries, communication facilities, train tracks, bridges, and tunnels, and other targets at Kojo, Chongjin, Hungnam, Songjin, and Wonson. During World War II, USS New Jersey carried a complement of up to three observation floatplanes, initially OS2U Kingfishers and then Curtiss SC Seahawks. Her unique round bridge was replaced by the same squared off bridge that had been installed on Missouri and Wisconsin during their construction and on Iowa during a refit. Finally, American scout planes spouted Ozawas lead ships at 1540 and his carriers at 1640. That morning and afternoon, Halseys carriers, guarded by the New Jersey, launched repeated airstrikes against Kuritas force in the Sibuyan Sea, sinking the worlds heaviest battleship Musashi with 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs, and damaging several other ships. Individuals have had success in locating former and retired military personnel by placing advertisements or reunion notices in military-oriented periodicals or websites. Most had left by February 26, when the New Jersey fired thirteen 16-inch shells after U.S. reconnaissance planes were fired upon. She was visited by more than 21,000 people. Add to Mailing List. The USS New Jersey continued to blast targets until April 1969. The crew practiced transferring 16-inch shells from an ammunition ship at sea by highline and for the first time by helicopter. At 2022 Admiral Halsey sent a radio telegram from USS New Jersey to Admirals Nimitz and Kinkaid stating he was PROCEEDING NORTH WITH 3 GROUPS TO ATTACK CARRIER FORCE AT DAWN. Nimitz and Kincaid believed this referred only to Halseys three carrier groups and not to Task Force 34, which they again assumed was guarding San Bernardino Strait. Starting around 1890, the United States built its own battleships (designated BB). For RATING SHIRTS - Click on your Rating Abbreviation below: AB. Truk was Japans main fleet base outside of the Home Islands, had been fortified against naval and air attack, and was known as the Gibraltar of the Pacific. Spruance hoped to catch Japanese ships fleeing the attack, and he knew the New Jersey with her 33-knot speed and 16-inch guns would be at the center of the action. On March 31, President Lyndon Johnson announced he would enter negotiations, drop his bid for re-election, and halt bombing north of the 19th Parallel thus shielding much of North Vietnam (including the Thanh Hoa bridge) from bombardment by the New Jersey. I recall Captain Tucker being one of the best Commanding Officers I've had. The United States was still recovering from the Great Depression. The escort carriers planes relentlessly attacked Japans armored behemoths with whatever weapons they had, including depth charges, small bombs, rockets, and machine gun bullets. The four Iowa-class were the only battleships fast enough to keep up with the fast carriers in World War II. Admiral Spruance was cerebral and thorough; Admiral Halsey was emotional and impulsive. He was told Yes, yes, we have that information by a staff officer on the New Jersey. For oral history. USS Pollux AKS-4 was a Castor-class general stores issue ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. Commissioned in May 1943, she spent the rest of that year in the western Atlantic and Caribbean area. That night and the next day, the New Jersey, the battleline, and the rest of the Fifth Fleet sailed toward the Japanese fleet. Admiral Halsey in the New Jersey led preparatory airstrikes against the Philippines. With several destroyers dangerously low on fuel and high in the water, Admiral Halsey ordered refueling to continue. Return of the Battleship, by William H. Honan, Published 4/11/1982 by New York Times. On March 23, 1944, she led the fleet 2,000 miles west, deep in Japanese waters. As USS New Jersey led the entire Third Fleet north that night, some of Admiral Halseys subordinates were concerned that San Bernardino Strait was totally unguarded. During her return trip to Majuro, the New Jersey protected carriers striking the base at Woleai in the Caroline Islands. They hit Taffy One and Taffy Three, sinking Spragues escort carrier St. Most of them were scrapped or expended as targets in atom bomb tests. Design work for the Iowa class was premised on the recent South Dakota class and the calculations that a ship 108 wide and 860 long at the waterline would make the fastest possible hull form that could fit through the 110-wide Panama Canal. The Navys General Board approved the design. Over her career, the New Jersey fired more shells in combat than any other battleship ever built. She fired continuously for hours when Marine outposts were surrounded and attacked by Communist troops, including on February 22-23 and March 31, 1969. Her original barrels were relined and went on to be preserved at locations around the country. The catapults that had launched her Seahawk floatplanes were removed to make room for landings on the fantail by a new Sikorsky HO3S-1 helicopter. After fighting fascism, communism, and terrorism, she was decommissioned for the final time in February 1991. The next day, the New Jersey headed for Ulithi, Pearl Harbor, and Seattle. As the Fifth Fleet flagship, USS New Jersey was a frontrunner to be the site for the Japanese surrender. It was a serious blow to Japanese morale, and a boost to American spirits approaching that of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. At Long Beach, the New Jersey received overhauls that had been postponed during her rapid reactivation, including her first 16-inch barrel replacement since 1954. Yamatos nine 18.1-inch guns, the largest ever on a ship, could fire 3,219-pound shells over 25 miles. Ship images have been indexed, but the shore images have not been indexed. For the Philadelphia-built ship, he chose the name New Jersey to honor his home state. Visiting the @acboatshow this weekend? The New Jersey led battleships into the missile age, being the first warship to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile, and the first battleship to fire a Harpoon missile, the anti-ship version of the Tomahawk, and the Phalanx anti-missile gun. The anti-ship Tomahawk had a range of 240 miles or more and used active-radar homing to hit ships far beyond the horizon. Armament: 9 16", 20 5". World War II at Sea, A Global History, by Craig L. Symonds, @ 2018 Craig L. Symonds, Published by Oxford University Press, New York, NY. Over 33 million records are contained in this database. This site is privately funded and maintained, it has no official sponsorships or American dreadnought battleships (BB-26 through BB-44), built just before and during the First World War, grew in armament from eight 12-inch guns to twelve 14-inch guns, in displacement from 16,000 to 32,000 tons, in speed from 18 to 21 knots, and in propulsion from coal-fired expansion engines to oil-fired turbines. The New Jersey was the only ship to serve as a flagship for both of Americas greatest fighting admirals in World War II: Raymond Spruance and William F. Bull Halsey, Jr. She is the only surviving flagship of Admiral Spruance, who commanded the Navys main fleet from the New Jersey twice, from February to April 1944 for the first attack on Truk, and from August to November 1945 to enforce Japans surrender as his last seagoing assignment. A battleship could have knocked out the Thanh Hoa bridge that I was bombing at the time I was shot down [in 1965]. Free shipping for many products! Admiral Halsey had to abandon the strikes on Mindoro and bring USS New Jersey and the battered fleet back to Ulithi. Or click below to visit their website: I held the American Flag in the ceremony. Johnson, Richard S.How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military: Armed Forces Locator Guide. The USS New Jersey Battleship Commission sought to bring the ship to northern New Jersey near New York City. In summer 1956, she conducted the midshipman cruise to Norway, Great Britain, and Cuba, returning July 31. USS New Jersey remained in commission until June 30, 1948. ARDIE ARVIDSON, MORNING NEWS Ed Spivey is a United States Navy veteran of World. After over two months at sea, the New Jersey finally headed to Eniwetok and then to Pearl Harbor, arriving August 9, 1944. After a refit, USS New Jersey was once again the flagship of a midshipmens summer cruise, this time to San Francisco, Tacoma, San Diego, and Hawaii, where her crew listened as man first walked on the moon. Admiral Carney rushed over and grabbed his arm, saying: Stop it! Even the stable New Jersey pitched and rolled, hanging near the point of no return. With only the Missouri still active, a call went out for more battleship support, and USS New Jersey was the first to answer. Navy cruise books are yearbook-style books assembled by volunteers on board ship to commemorate a deployment. Admiral Halsey and his staff, known as his Dirty Tricks Department, conferred on the New Jersey. The Battleship USS New Jersey, From Birth to Berth, by Carol Comegno, @ 2001, Published by Pediment Publishing, Canada. The nine 16-inch guns of the New Jersey and Iowa could fire 2,700-pound shells almost 24 miles. This required a greater displacement of over 45,000 tons, the adoption of a lighter turret design, and the use of special treatment steel (STS), a high tensile steel with armor properties comparable to heavier Class B armor, to replace armor and structural steel in some areas. The Army was able to land at Lingayen Gulf on January 9, 1945, and eventually liberate Manila and the rest of Luzon. Additionally, her interior spaces were air-conditioned and reconfigured for greater crew comfort as befitting a ship serving in the new era of an all-volunteer military. USS New Jersey headed into the Yellow Sea and shelled Chinnampo on North Koreas west coast on May 25. Search crew members| Inert gas ejected scraps of the silk propellant-bags out of the muzzles to clear the bores, then the breeches opened and loading ramps unfolded into place. The 55,000-square-foot teak deck will soon be completely restored. The New Jersey rendered more active service than any other Iowa-class ship. After joining the Third Fleet for wargames, USS New Jersey departed Long Beach on June 9, 1983, for what was scheduled to be a three-and-a-half-month deployment to the Far East. scuff ". Spruance used the New Jersey as his flagship until April 10. On August 1, during the Republican National Convention, General Norman Schwarzkopf, victor of Desert Storm, gave a nationally televised address to veterans from the deck of this great battleship New Jersey that made so much history and witnessed so much heroism.. The ship was built in 1921 by the New York Shipbuilding Corp., of Camden, New Jersey, as SS Blue Hen State, but was renamed President Garfield in 1923 and then SS President Madison in 1940 for service with American President Lines. Select the period (starting by the reporting year): precomm 1956 She fired eleven 16-inch shells 16-18 miles into Lebanon. With an airstrike scheduled for December 19, Halsey ordered the fleet to refuel at sea on December 17. She twice attacked Truk, Japans Gibraltar of the Pacific, and with Iowa sank fleeing Japanese warships the only surface combat by the Iowa-class ships. USS New Jersey tried to refuel the destroyer Spence, but Spence rolled so wildly that the fuel lines parted, and she almost collided with the New Jersey. From only 60 miles off the Japanese coast, Fifth Fleets planes blasted airfields and aircraft plants. Visitors can visit (and sleep overnight in) crew berthing spaces, and tour exhibits in other, converted berthing spaces. * Click Slade D. Cutter) torpedoes and sinks YAWATA MARU. She became the flagship of the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean fleet commanded by Admiral Richard Close-In Conolly, who had supported amphibious invasions in the Atlantic and Pacific. After conferring on USS New Jersey with carrier commander Admiral Marc Pete Mitscher, Pacific battleship commander Admiral Willis Ching Lee, and amphibious commander Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner on February 11, 1944, Spruance in the New Jersey directed five fleet carriers and four light carriers the largest carrier concentration of the war so far 1,000 miles west to attack Truk on February 17 and 18.