Today in 1982, in the Port of Long Beach, California,

The USS New Jersey (BB-62) was pulled out of the mothball fleet, refurbished and updated, and recommissioned into the US Navy to provide support for US air and ground forces in Beirut, Lebanon.
 

 

Referred to by her crew as the “Big J” and built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and launched December 7, 1942, just a year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the New Jersey was actually the second ship to be called “NEW JERSEY”, the first being BB16, a turn of the century (19th century) battleship. The first Battleship New Jersey (BB-16) was a Virginia class pre-dreadnought that served from 1906 until she was sunk as a bombing target in 1922. She sailed with the Great White Fleet and served her country in World War I as a training vessel.

During World War II, the New Jersey shelled targets on Guam and Okinawa, and screened aircraft carriers conducting raids in the Marshall Islands. During the Korean War, she was involved in raids up and down the North Korean coast, after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets, better known as the "mothball fleet". She was briefly reactivated in 1968 and sent to Vietnam to support US troops before returning to the mothball fleet in 1969. Reactivated once more in the 1980s as part of the 600-ship Navy program, New Jersey was modernized to carry missiles and recommissioned for service. In 1983, she participated in US operations during the Lebanese Civil War.
 

The New Jersey was decommissioned on February 8, 1991 in Long Beach, California and later towed to Bremerton, Washington where she resided until heading home to New Jersey. She was officially stricken from the Navy list on February 12,1995 but was then ordered reinstated by an order of congress as a mobilization asset under Bill 1024 section 1011.

On January 4, 1999, the New Jersey was again stricken from the Navy list and IOWA replaced her as a mobilization asset.
 

 

On September 12, 1999, the New Jersey began her Final Voyage home from Bremerton, where she had rested in mothballs for the last 8 years. On November 11th, she arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Since that time, she has been restored, opened and established as an educational museum and a tribute to the brave sailors who served on her during her long and distinguished career.

The Battleship New Jersey opened as a Museum and Memorial in October 2001 and may be visited throughout the year.  She sits permanently at anchor in the river waters across from the city of Philadelphia.

[December 28, 1982]