New Jersey (BB 62) - Naval Cruise Book

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in the Multi-National Defense Force. On three occasions, she fired her 16-inch guns in their defense. On February 8, 1984, she fired 288 rounds into the surrounding hills to effectively knock out Syrian anti-aircraft missile sites. The accuracy of the guns was questioned by some critics, but the mission was clearly accomplished. Toward the end, volunteers began relieving many of the crewmembers, but in May, 1984, eleven months after departure, NEW JERSEY returned home. NEW JERSEY proved herself during that deployment. Her presence in tandem with aircraft carrier groups was significant in that it couldnit be countered. Her rounds were not flown in by vulnerable pilots in ex- pensive jet aircraft, and a one-ton bullet could hardly be deterred from its target. Had the Syrians had the capability, conven- tional countermeasures against the ship would meet extreme resistance, and if not shot down, they would meet with armor over a foot thick in many places. It was gen- erally thought that an Exocet missile of the type which split the HMS SHEFFIELD during the Falklands War, would merely bounce off battleship armor, causing the ship to conduct Msweepersf' While this may seem far-fetched, it does make a significant point: short of a direct nuclear hit, a battle- ship is likely to sustain relatively significant damage and keep on operating. The history of battleships supports this. Battleship Battle Group NEW J ERSEY's next deployment was to be significant for another reason. It would be the first deployment of a battle- ship battle group since the Korean War. As centerpiece of the battle group, NEW JERSEY and her escorts operated from Hawaii to Thailand as The battleship battle group included anti-air and anti-sub- the only United States Naval presence in that area from May marine warfare capable cruisers, destroyers, frigates and support to October, 1986, relieving a portion of the much-strained carrier ships. It was not intended to replace an aircraft carrier group. commitment. However, in areas of lesser enemy air and submarine threat NEW JERSEY fires a Harpoon missile during tests.

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M NEW JERSEY fires a broadside off the coast of Korea. service again. Museum societies prepared to accept and pre- serve the battleships. The Carter administration opposed New Jerseyis recommissioning. 4th Commissioning But in 1982, NEW JERSEY was commissioned by one of her greatest fans, President Ronald Reagan, who said the Navy gala reminded him of a film he acted in called Operation Hellcat. He said he had to confess that while he was still in love with his leading lady, Nancy, he was developing a great respect for the leading lady in these ceremonies. Sheis gray, she's had her face lifted. but she's still in the prime of her life, a gallant lady: The NEW JERSEY. It was the first time a President had commissioned a ship in over 40 years. Secretary of the Navy John Lehman was also there to sup- port the 514th of his 600 ship Navy. After much congressional deliberation, NEW JERSEY had been the first ofthe IOWAS to be recommissioned for a price of S326 million, on time and far under budget, in fact, for about the price of a new frigate. The battleship was inundated with requests to serve by over 4,000 volunteers. Only 1,550 men were chosen, 300 in crit- ical ratings: a far cry from the 2,500 men who served in World War II. The battleship was reconditioned with capabilities for car- rying 32 Tomahawk missiles: the most ad- vanced of naval missiles and four times the num- ber carried by any ship at that time. She also carried 16 Harpoon anti-surface missiles, four Vulcan-Phalanx close-in gatling-guni' weapon systems for de- fense against incoming aircraft or missiles, a modern electronic countermeasures sys- tem, a cruiser-style NEW JERSEY lies at anchor with the fleet at Ulithi. File Photo -EKMQW communication system, aviation facilities and operating sta- tions for SH-60B helicopters, updated air and surface radars, and conversion of the fuel plant to burn Navy distillate fuel. Beirut NEW JERSEY was on a three-month Shakedown cruise off Southern California when there were political flare-ups in Central America that demanded her attention. Then, the Beirut crisis began. She transited the Panama Ca- nal, having been designed to do so with a clearance of approx- imately two feet. The battleship remained on station with the Sixth Fleet for six more months in support of U. S.fMarines W Y In , g 5 mlfifll wr as , -f Y af., Mtv File Photo CAPT Peniston departs the ship after decommissioning in 1969. Modern Dreadnought i File Photo 5 V Y Y -l

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