Summary: The Battleship New Jersey, an Iowa-class battleship now preserved as a museum, is undergoing its first major restoration in over 30 years.
-Initially expected to be ready for Memorial Day, unforeseen maintenance issues have delayed its return to Camden, NJ, until the Fourth of July.
-The restoration includes significant hull repairs and sealant applications to prevent future leaks.
-Visitors can take Dry Dock Tours at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and a 360-degree virtual tour is available online.
Military leaders today know to live by the statement, " no plan survives contact with the enemy" – and it is understood that adjustments will need to be made. Such is the case with the Battleship New Jersey, the former Iowa -class battleship built during the Second World War, which is now preserved as a museum.
The historic warship is undergoing its first major restoration effort in more than 30 years, and that included moving the battle wagon from her home on the Camden, New Jersey waterfront to the Philadelphia Naval Yard earlier this year. The battle wagon has been undergoing maintenance at Dock #3, the very same dock from which the ship was launched from in 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. As previously reported by Harrison Kass for The National Interest, the timing would have allowed the former USS New Jersey (BB-62) to be ready for the peak tourist season. The warship is a major attraction for the Garden State, drawing 80,000 visitors annually.
However, the plan didn't survive contact with the enemy, which in this case had been time and the elements. Though designed to transit the world's oceans – while still being able to fit through the Panama Canal – the USS New Jersey was constructed of steel and the restoration to her hull required far more attention than was expected.
The museum and memorial's newly-titled CEO Marshall Spevak told the Courier-Post newspaper 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!
As a result of the added workload, the Memorial Day goal won't be met, and instead, the current effort is on track to see the warship returned to Camden in time for the Fourth of July and the July 3 Freedom Festival the county's annual Independence Day celebration in Camden.
Instead of touring the former USS New Jersey from Camden, the delays have allowed the Battleship New Jersey to extend its Dry Dock Tours at the Philadelphia Navy Yard – including one on Memorial Day.
For those unable to see the warship in person, the museum has also released a 360-degree tour of the USS New Jersey in dry dock, recorded by Wildwood Video Archive.
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. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
Main image is Creative Commons. All others are from Ethan Saunders/The National Interest original - all rights reserved.
