It towered like a skyscraper and stretched away, seemingly for blocks, on either side, hiding the atoll. Looking at the majestic main deck of the New Jersey, the Caines officers see the New Jerseys pelican hook was as big as the Caines main guns; one link of the battleships anchor chain would have stretched across the minesweepers entire bow; and the main battery, the long, long cannons with their turrets, seemed bigger than the whole Caine. The great central citadel of the bridge and stacks jutted out of the deck skyward, a pyramid of metal, nervous with anti-aircraft batteries and radars; the deck dwindled aft beyond it for hundreds of feet. It was an honor and a privilege to serve on-board the USS New Jersey with my fellow shipmates, and to be part of the final decommissioning crew. In August, the New Jersey became Admiral Charles Wellborns flagship for the Second Fleet and NATOs Striking Fleet Atlantic. Both the Harpoon and the Tomahawk launch using a rocket booster and then achieved their long ranges using a jet engine. ARDIE ARVIDSON, MORNING NEWS Ed Spivey is a United States Navy veteran of World. Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History 11th of April please use the following link and you will find the details and all events of this day in the following you will find some of the events. Information contained in this database includes: name, rank, enlistment date, muster date, and station. She provided firepower for freedom, and now a monument to freedom for all. Before the new battleship New Jersey could be built, the slipway in Philadelphia had to launch USS Washington (BB-56) on June 1, 1940. The Battle for Leyte Gulf, by William F. Halsey, Jr., in U.S. Even before Dreadnought was built, the United States had started building all-big-gun battleships, with the first one commissioned in Camden in 1908. Superlatively well done.. USS New Jersey and the Fifth Fleet weathered the most powerful kamikaze attacks of the war, with over 355 kamikazes and 340 other planes attacking on April 6-7, and 185 kamikazes and a hundred or more other planes on April 11-12, 1945. Best ship in the Navy. A carrier airstrike was launched against the Syrian anti-aircraft batteries, but two planes were shot down. The second NEW JERSEY (BB-62) was launched 7 December 1942 by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Edison, wife of Governor Edison of New Jersey, former Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned at Philadelphia 23 May 1943, Captain Carl F. Holden in command. On November 25-26, 1968, she destroyed or heavily damaged over 300 bunkers, tunnels, and other structures. USS New Jersey is a national memorial to her crews and other Americans who served over her five decades. On February 10, 1945, Admiral Spruance led USS New Jersey and the rest of the Fifth Fleet to the Bonin Islands in support of the invasion of Iwo Jima. On the turrets, the armor on the face plate is 17 inches plus 2.7 inches STS, on each side is 9.5 inches, on the back is 12 inches, and on the roof is 7.25 inches. For the Philadelphia-built ship, he chose the name New Jersey to honor his home state. Bush ordered them to the Persian Gulf after Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. She also got two Mark 48 shore bombardment computers and a target-designation system. In the refit, USS New Jersey received electronic countermeasures and four Zuni rocket launchers modified to shoot shredded aluminum foil chaff to fool the radar of enemy missiles. The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navys Finest Hour, by James D. Hornfischer, @ 2004 James D. Hornfischer, Published by Bantam Dell, New York, NY. As the fleet neared Saipan after midnight on June 12, Japanese aircraft dropped flares and launched torpedoes, but the New Jersey shot down an attacking torpedo bomber. USS New Jerseys four propeller shafts attach to four driving propellers. The New Jersey also fired her 5-inch guns in support of the Marines ashore on several occasions. Even before she was launched, the New Jersey began serving her country. Admiral Halsey in the New Jersey led preparatory airstrikes against the Philippines. After triumphantly circling Truk in USS New Jersey, Admiral Spruance ordered his ships to hoist their large Victory Flags, and a victory it was. At Pearl Harbor, the New Jerseys flag quarters were enlarged and updated to be the best in the fleet.. In fourteen months during World War II, she bombarded Japanese bases and landing beaches in Saipan, Tinian, Okinawa, Wake, and other Japanese-held islands in the Marshalls and the Carolines to pave the way for the American advance across the Pacific. She was Fifth Fleet flagship during the mid-February raid on the Japanese base at Truk, where she used her guns to sink one enemy ship and join in sinking another. In 2007, best-selling author Tom Clancy had his 60th birthday party on the fantail of the New Jersey, attended by retired Secretary of State Colin Powell, Sean Connery, and Stephen Spielberg. USS New Jersey is an Iowa-class battleship the ultimate battleships, and the epitome of the gun-armed ships of the line that ruled the sea for almost three centuries. The cover is a little worn ie. On July 27, she left behind Bremerton and the mothballed Missouri. Admiral Halsey decided to take USS New Jersey and the entire Third Fleet to attack the carriers. The Americans lost warships displacing 36,600 tons (a light carrier, 2 escort carriers, 2 destroyers, 1 destroyer escort, 1 PT Boat), about 200 planes, and approximately 3000 men. UNDERWAY! On September 8, 1944, Admiral Halsey on USS New Jersey joined up with the Third Fleets fast carriers. Red Storm Rising hypothesized a Warsaw Pact attack on NATO, starting with a Soviet invasion of Iceland. The Japanese lost warships displacing 305,710 tons (a fleet carrier, 3 light carriers, 3 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 9 destroyers), about 300 planes, and approximately 12,500 sailors and airmen. To browse this image set, select from the options below. Millington, TN 38055-3120. If you contact a Shipmate through HullNumber, your email address is not displayed in the message to your Shipmate. The crew of the New Jersey, flagship of the largest battle at sea in history, visited HMS Victory, flagship of the largest naval battle in the age of sail. Meanwhile, USS New Jersey led Iowa, two cruisers, and four destroyers in a sweep around Truk to engage Japanese vessels attempting to escape. Her design and construction provided work to people from 34 separate states who labored at the Philadelphia Navy Yard or manufactured parts elsewhere. With orders flying from her towering radio mast, she brought Halsey to the Admiralty Islands near New Guinea. If you also served aboard and you remember one of the people below you can click on the name to send an email to the respective sailor. Crew: 1,921: Armament: 3x3x16in(406mm)/50cal Mark 7 guns, 10x2x5in(127mm)/38cal Mark 12 guns, 80x40mm/56cal Bofors AA guns, 49x20mm/70cal Oerlikon AA guns: . However, some criticized Admiral Spruance for guarding the landing force rather than charging after the Japanese carriers a criticism which played a role in the New Jerseys next big battle. HullNumber.com's mission is to provide a means for shipmates to keep in touch with one another. Soon after, the New Jersey received the Pioneer Remotely Piloted Vehicle. Over 33 million records are contained in this database. The Marianas were over 1,000 miles from the nearest American airbase on newly captured Eniwetok, so the carriers escorted by the New Jersey would have to supply all the air support. Although she had been deployed for much longer than planned, she could not be relieved as she was still the only active battleship; Iowa would not be reactivated until April 28, 1984. They were the largest American battleships, and the longest and fastest of all battleships. The Guinness Book of World Records awarded USS New Jersey the title as the fastest battleship in history. Moreover, the museum has exhibits telling the story of the ship from design and construction through final deactivation. On October 23, 1983, terrorist suicide bombers drove two explosive-filled trucks into the barracks occupied by the peacekeepers, killing 58 French paratroopers, 240 U.S. Marines, and a New Jersey sailor helping the Marines. On June 7, 1954, off the Virginia Capes, all four Iowa-class battleships steamed together for the first and only time. Descend to Broadway and walk inside fire and boiler rooms of our nation's largest battleship. At 0707, Admiral Kinkaid sent Admiral Halsey on USS New Jersey an uncoded radio message: ENEMY B[ATTLESHIP]S AND CRUISER REPORTED FIRING ON Taffy 3. The New Jersey carried three different types: the BGM-109A Tomahawk Land Attack Missile Nuclear (TLAM-N) with a W80 nuclear warhead; the RGM/UGM-109B Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile (TASM) with a 1,000-pound warhead; and the BGM-109C Tomahawk Land Attack Missile Conventional (TLAM-C) with a 1,000-pound warhead. He was the only sailor ever killed in action on the New Jersey throughout the many conflicts in which she participated over her four commissionings. Taffy 3s few destroyers and destroyer escorts exhausted their torpedoes in desperate charges and then closed to point-blank range to use their 5-inch guns against the impenetrable armor of the powerful Japanese ships. Meanwhile, Navy reconnaissance flights had been fired on over Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon. The initial American response to these escalatory measures was to resume construction of battleships displacing 35-38,000 tons with nine 16-inch/45-caliber guns, but with greater speed and endurance. This was the first time an American battleship had operated in the Soviet Unions backyard. 15 Nov 1945 : Captain Edmund Wooldridge stepped down as the commanding officer of USS New Jersey. Moreover, forty-nine single Oerlikon 20-millimeter guns were distributed throughout the lower five levels of the superstructure and main deck, with a firing rate of up to 450 rounds per minute and a range of 4,800 yards. She was docked at Bremerton until early 1947, when she returned through the Panama Canal to the Atlantic. Just as Admiral Sprague expected his ships to be annihilated, Kurita ordered his ships north to reorganize at 0911. The Navy does not keep track of anyone once they have left the Navy. For length of service, combat service, shore bombardment, fleet leadership, and decorations, USS New Jersey is second to none. The ceremonies were limited by security concerns after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Accordingly, the Japanese Navy sought a decisive battle to stop the Fifth Fleet. USS New Mexico (BB-40) was a battleship in service with the United States Navy from 1918 to 1946. In 1934, Imperial Japan indicated its intent to terminate the treaty. The New Jersey returned fire and quickly obliterated the shore battery. Day after day, kamikaze and conventional planes would attack. A Kaman Seasprite helicopter was based on the New Jerseys helicopter landing pad to provide over-the-horizon targeting information. At 0705, Halsey replied from the New Jersey: NEGATIVE. Great job, tough work but was proud of that ship more than any other command I was on. Register and add yourself to the Crew List of the USS New Jersey (BB 62), Report an offensive or inappropriate entry, I was part of the the decmission crew. Including the New Jersey and six other fast battleships, eight heavy cruisers, thirteen light cruisers, and sixty-nine destroyers, the fast carrier task force had the greatest tonnage of any single naval formation ever to go to battle. The New Jersey shot down at least one of the hundreds of planes downed by American ships and planes. The weather was unsettled, but on the New Jersey the barometer was normal and Halseys aerologist, a weather expert, did not think it would worsen. On June 6, 1944, the New Jersey, Iowa, and the 642 smaller ships of Admiral Spruances Fifth Fleet sailed from Majuro for the Marianas. These missile batteries gave the New Jersey long-range strike capability against naval and land targets. That same day, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died. Arriving in Scotland, the New Jersey was greeted by the British Home Fleet. merced toyota 1 Jul 1945 While USS New Jersey was away, the Korean truce talks had broken down, and new President Dwight D. Eisenhower had go[ne] to Korea to find a way to peace. Franklin Ship's Company 6 Men Lost via Accidents 1944-1945 55 Men Lost October 13, 15, 30, 1944 631 Men Lost March 19, 1945 Marine Detachment Nimitz spent Christmas conferring with Halsey on the New Jersey. Starting around 1890, the United States built its own battleships (designated BB). On November 22, 1951, as delegates at Panmunjom agreed that the current battleline would be the truce line, USS New Jersey was relieved by the newly arrived Wisconsin (later relieved by Iowa).