My first big-gun battleship visit was back in 2016 — the mighty USS New Jersey (BB-62). I loved it. The team on board has done a fantastic job with the preservation and presentation; she feels like she’s still in commission, ready to get underway at a moment’s notice, a true icon of naval history and an unforgettable museum experience.
Brief snapshot of the ship’s career.
USS New Jersey (BB-62) was an Iowa-class battleship of the United States Navy, commissioned in 1943 and renowned as one of the most decorated warships in American history. Nicknamed "Big J", she served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and even during the Lebanon crisis in the 1980s, giving her an extraordinary service span of over 50 years. Reactivated in the 1980s under President Reagan’s 600-ship Navy program, she was modernised with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, combining WWII firepower with Cold War technologcommissioned for the final time in 1991, New Jersey became a museum ship in Camden, New Jersey, where she remains today as a testament to American naval power and the enduring legacy of the battleship era.
