Iowa-Class Battleship USS New Jersey Has Almost Completed a Historic 'Comeback'

Summary: The USS New Jersey (BB-62), a former United States Navy Iowa-class battleship from World War II, will return to its home in Camden, New Jersey, after spending the spring in drydock at the Philadelphia Naval Yard for extensive maintenance.

-The historic battleship, currently serving as a museum ship, underwent its first dry docking in over thirty years for crucial hull repairs.

-The vessel is scheduled to leave Philadelphia on June 14, with a brief stop in Paulsboro before its grand homecoming celebration on June 20. Despite delays, the USS New Jersey will be back in time for Fourth of July celebrations, ensuring the preservation of this significant piece of naval history.

USS New Jersey's Triumphant Return to Camden Set for June 20

The former United States Navy's World War II Iowa-class battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) spent much of the spring in drydock undergoing maintenance at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, but in a few weeks time, the historic warship will be back home in the Garden State.

Officials at the Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial announced late last week that preparations are underway for a June 20 homecoming celebration for the battle wagon. The vessel is now scheduled to depart Philadelphia on June 14, and the "Big J" will dock in Paulsboro for six days before making a triumphant return to Camden.

Much Needed TLC

The historic warship, which opened as a museum ship on Oct. 15, 2001, had spent decades in the water and was in need of a major restoration. This marked the battleship's first dry docking in more than three decades, and efforts to preserve the ship focused on hull repairs.

In March, USS New Jersey was carefully guided down the Delaware River en route to the North Atlantic Ship Repair facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, back to the very berth where it was built and subsequently launched on December 7, 1942.

The original plan to preserve the 80-year-old, 887-foot-long, 45,000-ton vessel called for the repairs to be completed in time for Memorial Day. However, the museum and memorial's newly-titled CEO Marshall Spevak told the Courier-Post newspaper last month that work has taken longer than expected as unexpected issues were discovered during the restoration. That included the welding of a steel ring around the outward propeller shafts as part of an effort to prevent future leaks, while ultrasonic tests were conducted to determine the thickness of the steel hull. The biggest task was the application of around 18,000 linear feet of sealant to further stop corrosion and future leaks – and more importantly to ensure that the elements won't win and sink this battleship!

The ship will now be back in time for the Fourth of July celebrations.

"We'll be leaving the Philadelphia Navy Yard on June 14," Spevak told WHYY. "We'll be heading to Paulsboro for a quick pit stop as we did on the way down here. And then on June 20, we’ll be leaving Paulsboro and traveling the six miles upriver underneath the Walt Whitman Bridge again and back to our home court in Camden."

The stopover is needed to remove water in the ballast tanks.

"When we stopped there on the way on the way down to the dry dock, we actually put about almost 500,000 gallons of water in the forward tanks in order to even out the ship," Spevak added. "What we'll be doing when we return is taking that water off. So we'll de-water about 500,000 gallons from the forward tanks at Paulsboro. And then after that, that’s when we'll be ready to return back to Camden."

Home in Camden, N.J. for Battleship USS New Jersey 

The USS New Jersey is the only Iowa-class battleship to be maintained as a museum in her namesake state. Three locations were originally determined to be suitable for the warship, including Bayonne, Jersey City, and Camden.

Several factors came into play – notably the fact that the vessel was already undergoing the necessary preparation in Philadelphia, which was just across the Delaware River from Camden. However, after Jersey City opted not to submit a proposal, Bayonne became the frontrunner and was selected as the site for the museum.

In the end, it was decided that Bayonne was too close to New York City, which was home to the USS Intrepid (CV-11), as the U.S. Navy feared the battleship would overshadow the carrier. In the end, it was decided that Camden would be the future home for the Big J – and perhaps fittingly, BB-62's home is across the river from the Independence Seaport Museum, the home of the protected cruiser USS Olympia (C-6), the oldest remaining steel ship afloat.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

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The main image is from Creative Commons. All others are from the National Interest via Ethan Saunders on seen at the USS New Jersey.