New Jersey (BB 62) - Naval Cruise Book

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, ,f -........,,. -2 L Q, vi, v K, Hmm. W., yy 5 g A ' , .,,... 17, ' ' f X ,L,, t New Jersey lights the night during WestPac '86. The battleship underwent a seven month drydock period afterward. X5

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In the 1980s, the experts were proved wrong. The high speed and fire that served New Jersey well in World War II was needed again. Development of the cruise missile and the Navy's requirement to get them to sea meant a new role had developed for the battleship. As a missile carrier she would have a strike weapon with a long lethal reach and still be a capable heavily armored artillery platform New Jersey s modernization began at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in August 1981 The battleship was outfitted with Tomahawk and Harpoon cruise missiles the close in weapons system ffor short range anti air defensel modern electronic warfare gear radars boilers were converted to burn Navy distillate fuel For the first time in almost forty years the President commissioned a Naval ship The most decorated ship in the Navy New Jersey was commissioned for the fourth time by President Reagan on December 28 1982 The President said that being aboard the battleship reminded him of being on the set of Operation Hellcat then echoed the decommissioning words of New Jersey's last commanding officer before placing her in commission for the fourth time. Her shakedown cruise began in June, 1983. International tensions dictated that it would be much more than a trial run. I-Ier deployment- was diverted from the Western Pacific to Central America and then the Mediterranean to provide a presence there She remained on station off the coast of Beirut for the next six months supporting Marines serving as a contingent of the multi national peace keeping force On three occasions New Jersey fired her 16 inch guns in their defense On February 8th 1984 she fired 288 rounds into the surrounding hills Her presence in tandem with aircraft couldnt be countered Conventional measures against the ship would meet with extremely heavy armor plating and as it is generally thought merely bounce off or cause superficial damage Her rounds were not flown in by vulnerable pilots in expensive Jets and a one ton bullet could hardly be deterred from its target New Jersey finally came home to Long Beach in May 1984 eleven months after , - , Q . . , . , . . . 7 ' ' . . . , -. . , , . - . , , . , . . . and communication equipment, and the carrier groups was significant in that it 1 7 D . . . , . . 1 ' 1 y - . . u , . , . u u if . I V 77 . 7 7 7 departing on what was to be a three month tour. New Jersey's next deployment was to be significant for another reason. lt would be the first deployment of a battleship battle group since the Korean War. As centerpiece of the battle group, New Jersey and her escorts operated from Hawaii to Thailand as the only United States Naval presence in that area from May to October, 1986. The battleship battle group included anti-air and anti-submarine warfare capable cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and support ships. It is not intended to replace an aircraft carrier battle group, however in areas of lesser enemy air and submarine threat it complements the carriers with the great and unique, fire power of her missiles and 16-inch guns. As a result of New Jerseyfs deployment, the battleship battle group concept and the battleship modernization program was validated and is alive and well in today's Navy - evidenced by the active presence of her New Jersey's three sisters. Cn July 9th, 1988, New Jersey practiced a new concept, that of the Surface Action Group. And so it begins . . ,

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Tl-IE BATTLESI-HP TODAY The preparations for our deployment began with a seven month extended yard period at Naval Shipyard, Long Beach. While in drydock, the massive size of New Jersey was easily seen. What an incredible feeling to stand beneath 58,000 tons of fighting ship! lt took a lot of work to upgrade the ship's condition but we were successful. Now she was mi? fs D. I. K -gully tested and certified ready for sea. Below right, New Jersey is moored pierside at Garden Island Naval Station, Sydney, Australia. 6 ,,.W, ,,,,. .. i 64 -,-if vm K ,Leahy f,-,, Vx! J ZZ: jx ,'.' i r I l r I l K l