The famed battleship floated down the Delaware River as the USS New Jersey left its dock in Camden, New Jersey, on its way to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for extensive maintenance work.
The vessel, guided by tugboats, was first headed to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, where it will be balanced to prepare for dry docking and will then go to the navy yard in six days.
The maintenance work is expected to take about two months to complete, officials said. Three major repair projects are planned, including repainting the ship’s hull, fixing the anti-corrosion system underneath the ship and inspecting through-hull openings.
The battleship, which was built in the 1940s in Philadelphia, served for about 50 years before its retirement in February 1991. It has been a floating museum since 2011. The ship was built at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and was launched there on Dec. 7, 1942, the first anniversary of the Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor.
There's a great history of the battleship that's well worth reading here:
A group of Vets and I visited the battleship last year. Spent the day touring and roaming around the ship. What a magnificent vessel.
ReplyDeleteWhen she came down the Juan De Fuca Straits in '69 on the way to Bremerton I flew out from Whidbey Island and took pictures of her. In 2015 I started with a new barber and it turned out he was the Quartermaster on that trip. I was able to give him copies of those pictures.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one for taking the time to watch videos on websites, but that was a very good one. I have always loved the Iowa class ships and USS New Jersey holds a special place. Thanks for posting!
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