If you're anything like our Camden DWI lawyers, you love learning about American history. One of the perks of living in the mid-Atlantic is the wealth of historical sites and tourist attractions scattered throughout the region. We think it's important to take advantage of these various pieces of American history. A trip to a site like Battleship New Jersey makes for an educational field trip the whole family can enjoy. Some of our lawyers recently took our family's on an overnight experience at the world-famous Battleship New Jersey, where we live a simulated sailor experience and learned all about the legendary ship.
Our Overnight Experience
We stayed overnight with a group of about 200 people. The size of the ship was awe-inspiring and took our breath away. We took our time exploring the decks, which stretched the length of about three football fields. After a chowline dinner, our guide took us on a tour of the ship's various areas - including the ship's 16-inch gun turrets, the Combat Engagement Center (where we participated in a simulated launch of a Tomahawk missile), the Captain's and Admiral's cabins, and the Officer's Wardroom.
We bunked overnight just like the sailors did over the course of four major wars, before waking up at 7:00 a.m. the next day. We took a self-guided tour and made sure to get in some good photos before checking out the museum and picking up some souvenirs to bring home.
History of the USS New Jersey
First launched in December of 1942, the USS New Jersey was used in four major wars until it was decommissioned for the final time in February of 1991. These wars included:
- World War II - The battleship was first used during World War II in the Pacific arena. It was primarily used to shell targets on Guam and Okinawa, along with conducting raids in the Marshall Islands. After the war, she returned home to Bayonne, New Jersey and was given a fourth birthday party on May 23, 1947. Between June 7th and August 26th of that year, the ship was part of the first training squadron in Northern European waters since the beginning of WWII. She was eventually decommissioned at Bayonne in June of 1948.
- Korean War - After North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, President Harry S. Truman ordered U.S. forces stationed in Japan into South Korea. The USS New Jersey was recalled from the mothball fleet and sent to provide seaborne artillery support for the U.N. and South Korean troops. After participating in raids along the North Korean coast, the ship was decommissioned into the mothball fleet again.
- Vietnam War - After being decommissioned for about a decade, the battleship was reactivated for use in 1967 for use in the Vietnam War. She was sent to Vietnam to support US troops in the region for a brief period, before being deactivated again in 1969.
- Lebanese Civil War - The ship was reactivated for the final time in 1983 for use in U.S. operations during the Lebanese Civil War. She was also modernized to carry missiles during this time.
The battleship was used in a few more operations as part of the Pacific Fleet in the 1980s, before being decommissioned for the final time in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. In 2004, the State of New Jersey officially designated the ship as an historical place. It was added to the National Register of Historical places later that year. The ship has remained in Camden.
