USS New Jersey (BB-62): History, Patrols, Crews
Commissioning
The USS New Jersey was a member of the Iowa-class of “fast battleships.” She was the second member of the class to be completed.
The contract to build the New Jersey was awarded to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on July 1, 1939. Her keel was laid down on Sept. 16, 1940; she was launched on Dec. 12, 1942. She was commissioned on May 23, 1943, with Capt. Carl F. Holden in command.
Underway
After completing her shakedown cruise in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, the New Jersey passed through the Panama Canal and headed for the Pacific combat zone in January 1944. By Jan. 29, she was serving as an escort for aircraft carriers launching air strikes against the Marshall Islands of Kwajalein and Eniwetok; she also supported the invasion of Eniwetok two days later. On Feb. 4, Admiral Raymond Spruance, commander of the 5th Fleet, came aboard the New Jersey, making her the fleet’s new flagship, a position she would hold for more than two months.
In mid-February, the New Jersey took part in Operation Hailstone, a two-day operation targeting the Japanese stronghold of Truk in the Caroline Islands. On Feb. 17-18, American ships targeted and sank a number of Japanese ships; the New Jersey sank a trawler and aided in the sinking of the cruiser Maikaze. She also shot down one attacking Japanese aircraft. In a three-week period in March and April, the New Jersey bombarded the island of Mille, attacked shipping in the Palau Island chain and shelled Woleai. She saw substantial action between April 13 and May 4, 1944, as she took part in the invasion of Aitape, Tanamerah Bay and Humboldt Bay on New Guinea on April 22, shelled Truk on April 29 and 30 and bombarded Ponape on May 1, destroying several fuel tanks and a headquarters building as well as doing severe damage to the island’s airfield. In addition, the New Jersey downed two more Japanese torpedo bombers operating from Truk.
The New Jersey arrived in the waters of the Marianas islands on June 11, 1944, to aid in pre-invasion operations against Saipan and Tinian. A day later, she shot down an attacking torpedo bomber; on June 13, she began two days of heavy bombardment in both Saipan and Tinian in preparation for the June 15 invasion. After serving as part of a strong defensive barrier against airstrikes during the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19, the New Jersey bombarded Guam and the Palaus before heading back to Pearl Harbor. She arrived in Hawaii on Aug. 9.
Less than three weeks later, the New Jersey was on her way back into combat, now serving as the flagship of the Third Fleet under the command of Admiral William F. Halsey. In September, the New Jersey escorted carrier task forces attacking the Visayas and the Philippines; in October, she supported strikes on Okinawa and Formosa before heading to the waters off of Leyte for the invasion of the Philippines on Oct. 20, 1944. Still serving as Halsey’s flagship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the New Jersey supported attacks on Admiral Kurita’s center force trying to force its way through the San Bernardino Strait, then quickly sailed north to destroy a decoy fleet of Japanese aircraft carriers. The New Jersey and the rest of Halsey’s fleet quickly reversed course after receiving word that Kurita had turned around and re-entered the now lightly-defended San Bernardino Strait and only had to deal with a few U.S. destroyers and escort carriers before having the opportunity to strike at the American invasion fleet. Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Kurita retreated when the small American force in the strait put up a strong fight and had left the area before the New Jersey arrived.
From Dec. 30, 1944 to Jan. 25, 1945 the New Jersey roamed the waters of the Western Pacific supporting American air attacks. Aircraft carriers under her protection launched attacks against Formosa, Okinawa, Luzon, Hong Kong, Swatow and Amoy and targets in Indochina. On Jan. 27, 1945, Halsey lowered his flag and departed the New Jersey, but the ship became the flagship of Battleship Division 7 when Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger II boarded two days later.
During the invasion of Iwo Jima, the New Jersey provided cover from air attack for the Essex carrier group from Feb. 19-21, 1945. Four days later, she provided the same support for the first major carrier-launched airstrikes against Tokyo. On March 14, the New Jersey arrived in the waters off Okinawa, where it would stay until April 16 performing a number of duties. Her major role was to defend the U.S. fleet against waves of Kamikaze suicide attacks, shooting down at least three Japanese aircraft in the process. She would also assist in the rescue of downed U.S. pilots and struck the Japanese defenses on the island with her 16-inch guns.
After an overhaul at the Puget Sound (Wash.) Naval Shipyard, the New Jersey headed back to the war zone on July 4, 1945. After arriving at Guam on Aug. 14, she became the flagship of the Fifth Fleet under Admiral Spruance for a second time. She arrived in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 17, 1945, after the Japanese surrender, and served as the flagship for a number of U.S. commanders until leaving the area on Jan. 28, 1946. The New Jersey would return to the waters of the Atlantic and remain on active duty for two more years, but massive cutbacks to the size of the armed forces after the conclusion of World War II led to her decommissioning at Bayonne, N.J. on June 30, 1948.
The New Jersey’s retirement would be short-lived, as the Korean War would bring her back into active service. On Nov. 21, 1950, she would officially be recommissioned and by May 1951 she was in the waters off the east coast of Korea. Shortly after her arrival, the New Jersey became the flagship for the Seventh Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Harold Martin, a position she would hold for the next six months. On May 20, the New Jersey’s guns fired on a Korean target for the first time, striking at targets near Wonsan. Enemy fire from the shore hit the New Jersey during this mission, killing one sailor and wounding two others. They would be her only combat casualties of the war.
From May 23-27, the New Jersey repeated attacked targets near Yangyan and Kansong, hammering communist troops, destroying three ammunition dumps and wrecking a bridge. After Yangyang was abandoned by enemy forces, the New Jersey struck at Kansong again, seriously damaging its railroad facilities.
On June 4, the New Jersey bombarded Wonsan again, this time with Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet Arthur Radford and Commander Naval Forces Far East on board. She struck at Kansong once more two days later, causing damaging to enemy artillery concentrations. She would bombard the area yet again between July 4 and 12 as United Nations forces pushed communist troops out of the area. At Wonsan on July 18, the New Jersey gave communist gunners a bit of payback for her lost crewmember, when her guns destroyed five communist artillery emplacements with five direct hits.
When South Korean troops were attacked by communist forces on Aug. 17, 1951 at Kansong, the New Jersey came to their aid. She bombarded enemy positions for four consecutive days, helping to break up attacks on South Korean positions. On Aug. 30, she began a three-day bombardment of Changjon, which ended with severe damage to enemy buildings, warehouses, roads and rail depots. When the U.S. X Corps attacked Kansong in late September, the New Jersey provided fire support, damaging enemy troop concentrations, artillery emplacements, mortar positions and ammunition dumps.
From Oct. 1-6, the New Jersey attacked enemy positions in and around Kansong, Hamhung, Hungnam, Tanchon and Songjin, destroying trains, an oil refinery and several shore batteries. In mid-October, the New Jersey spearheaded a multi-national strike on Kojo, attacking with HMS Belfast and receiving aerial spotting from aircraft launched from HMAS Sydney. A five-hour bombardment around Kansong a short time later destroyed 10 enemy artillery emplacements and killed or wounded more than 500 enemy soldiers. From Nov. 1-6, the New Jersey hit sites up and down the coast of North Korea, including Wonsan, Tanchon, Iowon, Songjin and Chongjin. A week later, she left the Korean theater and headed for Norfolk for a six-month overhaul, which began with her arrival on Dec. 20.
The New Jersey’s second tour of duty in Korea began on April 12, 1953, when she destroyed a communications building at Chongjin with seven direct hits in seven minutes. After playing host to South Korean President Syngman Rhee on April 14, the New Jersey attacked coastal batteries at Kojo on April 16, rail lines near Hungnam on April 18 and artillery positions around Wonsan Harbor on April 20. Another attack on Wonsan came on May 1, when the New Jersey knocked out 11 gun emplacements. Four days later, she destroyed the communist observation post on the island of Hodo Pando.
The New Jersey attacked Wonsan once again on May 27-29 and took heavy enemy fire, but knocked out the offending gun emplacements with shots from her five- and 16-inch guns. On June 7, she provided direct fire support for U.N. forces at Kosong, hitting several gun positions and an observation post. Another attack on Wonsan on July 11-12 led to one of the most furious barrages unleashed by the New Jersey in her history. She fired for nine hours on July 11 and seven more the following day, striking gun positions at Wonsan and Hodo Pando. At least 10 enemy gun positions were wiped out and a number of others damaged. A day later, she destroyed a radar station at Kojo, then provided fire support for South Korean troops near Kosong from July 22-24. After one final strike at Wonson on July 26, 1953, the New Jersey’s operations during the Korean conflict were stopped by the signing of a cease-fire. A little more than four years later, she returned to Bayonne and was decommissioned again, on Aug. 21, 1957.
A decade later, the war in Vietnam led to the return of the New Jersey to active service. After an overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, she was recommissioned on April 6, 1968. Now the only active battleship in the world, the New Jersey arrived off the coast of Vietnam on Sept. 30, firing 29 rounds against communist positions in the Demilitarized Zone. On Oct. 1, 3 and 4, the New Jersey attacked communist positions in and around the DMZ, destroying bunkers, supplies, an anti-aircraft site and killing a number of enemy troops. On Oct. 7, she bombarded a small fleet of enemy ships near the mouth of the Song Giang River, quickly sinking 11 of them.
On Oct. 11, the New Jersey struck an enemy shore battery and a truck convoy, destroying at least six enemy vehicles. The next day, she shelled the Vinh caves, destroying several enemy positions and sealing one cave. After destroying coastal artillery sties on Hon Matt Island on Oct. 16, the New Jersey provided direct fire support for the U.S. 3rd Marine Division two days later, wiping out an enemy platoon moving through the DMZ. On Oct. 20, she destroyed a Viet Cong command post and nine bunkers while supporting the 173rd Airborne Brigade, operating 50 miles north of Nha Trang.
On Oct. 29, the New Jersey destroyed 30 enemy buildings and three underground bunkers as well as an artillery position near Cap Lay. On Nov. 2, she arrived off Da Nang and provided fire support for the 1st U.S. Marine Division and completed a similar mission in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade near Phan Thiet two days later. On Nov. 25, the New Jersey took aim at Viet Cong storage facilities near Quan Ngai and destroyed more than 200 structures and demolished several tunnels in the span of two days.
The New Jersey would spend most of January and February 1969 firing ground support missions for U.S. and allied forces. On Feb. 14, she destroyed an anti-aircraft site south of the DMZ with her 16-inch guns; a day later, she destroyed a rocket site northeast of Con Thien. On Feb. 22, she fired her five- and 16-inch guns for six consecutive hours in support of a U.S. outpost near the DMZ under heavy enemy attack; eventually, the New Jersey’s firepower helped repel the assault. She would continue to shell enemy targets along the DMZ for the rest of February and into March before leaving the area on April 1. On Dec. 17, 1969, the New Jersey would be decommissioned once more.
She would be recalled to active duty again 13 years later after President Ronald Reagan ordered a massive expansion of the Navy. During a massive modernization program, four of the New Jersey’s five-inch guns were removed and replaced with Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Tomhawk cruise missile systems. She also received eight RQ-2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, which would replace helicopters as the New Jersey’s artillery spotters. On Dec. 28, 1982, the New Jersey was formally returned to active duty.
In 1983, the New Jersey was ordered to the waters off of Lebanon after several terrorist attacks against U.S. military forces—who were attempting to serve as peacekeepers in the midst of a brutal civil war—killed hundreds of Americans. On Sept. 25, 1983, the New Jersey anchored off the Lebanese coast; on Dec. 14, she fired her 16-inch guns for the first time in 14 years, against Syrian/Druze anti-aircraft positions that had fired on U.S. reconnaissance flights. On Feb. 8, 1984, she fired nearly 300 shells against Druze militia and Syrian Army positions in the Bekaa Valley, killing the commanding general of the Syrian Army in Lebanon and a number of high-ranking subordinates.
Though the New Jersey would serve for another six years on active duty, she would not see action again. Still, she would retire the most decorated battleship in naval history.
Decommissioning
The New Jersey was decommissioned for the last time on Feb. 8, 1991; she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in January 1995. An active of Congress in 1996 reinstated the New Jersey to the reserve fleet, but in 1999 she was removed from the reserves and struck once more. She now serves as a floating museum at Camden, N.J., and has been on the National Register of Historic Sites since 2004.
Characteristics of the USS New Jersey (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):
Class and type: Iowa-class battleship
Displacement: 45,000 tons (45,722 tonnes)
Length: 887 ft 3 in (270 m)
Beam: 108 ft 2 in (32.9 m)
Draft: 37 ft 2 in (11.3 m)
Speed: 33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement: 151 officers, 2637 enlisted
Armament: 1943:
9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
20 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
80 x 40 mm 56 cal. anti-aircraft guns
49 x 20 mm 70 cal. anti-aircraft guns
1984:
9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
12 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
32 x BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles
16 x RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles
4 x 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: 19.7 in (500 mm)
Decks: 7.5 in (190 mm)
Aircraft carried: floatplanes, helicopters, UAVs
Aviation facilities: none
Career:
Ordered: 1 July 1939
Builder: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Laid down: 16 September 1940
Launched: 7 December 1942
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
Struck: 4 January 1999
Nickname: “Big J”
Honors and awards: 19 battle stars
Status: Museum ship
Notes: Most decorated battleship in Naval History
Timeline:
July 1939: USS New Jersey ordered
September 1940: Keel of USS New Jersey laid down
December 1942: USS New Jersey launched
May 1943: USS New Jersey commissioned
January 1944: USS New Jersey sees first combat action in World War II
October 1944: USS New Jersey takes part in Battle of Leyte Gulf
March-April 1945: USS New Jersey takes part in invasion of Okinawa
June 1948: USS New Jersey decommissioned
November 1950: USS New Jersey recommissioned
May 1951: USS New Jersey sees first combat action in Korean War; loses one sailor to enemy fire
August 1957: USS New Jersey decommissioned
April 1968: USS New Jersey recommissioned
September 1968—March 1969: USS New Jersey takes part in Vietnam War
December 1969: USS New Jersey decommissioned
December 1982: USS New Jersey recommissioned
1983-84: USS New Jersey supports U.S. forces involved in Lebanese peacekeeping operations
February 1991: USS New Jersey decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS New Jersey:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS New Jersey can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=63
Brian Showells (served 1984—87): ”Served on 3 ships in the navy, but the best was the biggest BB-62!!! There is no sailor like a battleship sailor!!! Serving on this ship makes all my shipmates who came before me and after me a part of history, that noone can change!!”
Steve Sweet (served March 1984—December 1984): “MET SHIP OFF COAST OF BEIRUT.”
Michael Dwyer (served June 1984—June 1988): “Assigned to M division EMO4,It always a pleasure to see a picture of the Big “J”. I could not have been on a better ship than her for one term! Fire Power for Freedom!”
Links:
http://www.ussnewjersey.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_New Jersey_(BB-62)
