Sent at 0944 on October 25, the radiogram read: TURKEY TROTS TO WATER GG WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY-FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS. She steamed to Bremerton and was decommissioned next to Missouri on December 17. 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. They were also the only ships for which nuclear projectiles were designed. At 1236 Kurita abandoned penetration of Leyte anchorage, and headed back to San Bernardino Strait. Halsey and the New Jersey led the fast carriers in airstrikes all over the Philippines, destroying hundreds of aircraft and dozens of warships. This shaft horsepower is sufficient to produce a speed of 33 knots at normal displacement. On July 31, she returned to Long Beach to ready for her second tour of duty to Vietnam. On March 24, 1945, USS New Jersey bombarded Okinawa in preparation for the April 1 invasion by four Army and three Marine divisions. The captains gig and other ships boats are in place. Korean Summer/Fall Offensive, and 4. Admiral Carney rushed over and grabbed his arm, saying: Stop it! She was towed to Bremerton, where she served as a part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Army Chief of Staff Omar Bradley and Far East Commander Matthew Ridgeway came aboard to confer with Admiral Martin on October 1, 1951. EN RU CN DE ES. Moreover, the destruction of all major hostile surface navies, the coming of peace, and the advent of nuclear weapons reduced the need to maintain the largest fleet in history. Victory at Sea, World War II in the Pacific, by James F. Dunnigan & Albert A. Nofi, @ 1995 James F. Dunnigan & Albert A. Nofi, Published by William Morrow & Co., Inc., New York, NY. USS New Jersey was commissioned for the second time on November 21, with Admiral Halsey speaking and breaking out his five-star flag. What the hells the matter with you? The New Jersey headed back to her homeport of Norfolk via Long Beach and the Panama Canal. Admiral Halsey eats Thanksgiving dinner with the crew of the USS New Jersey (BB-62) 30 November 1944. After the Battle for Leyte Gulf, USS New Jersey picked up downed fliers and Japanese sailors in the water. Before the new battleship New Jersey could be built, the slipway in Philadelphia had to launch USS Washington (BB-56) on June 1, 1940. Nishimura encountered torpedo-firing PT boats, and then faced massed torpedo attacks by destroyers. Japan committed to the attack all its modern battleships, including for the first time its treaty-busting battleships, Yamato and Musashi, with displacement exceeding 64,000 tons and 18.1-inch guns both the largest ever for a battleship. Through Ancestry's Immigration Collection, select the database New York Passenger Lists. Though he never interfered with commanders on the spot, the worried Nimitz eventually told his staff to send a message to Halsey on the New Jersey asking, Where is Task Force Thirty-Four? Hearing Nimitzs emphasis, his staff repeated the Where is. An encoding officer added nonsense phrases and double consonants at either end to confuse any Japanese efforts to decode the message. They first came aboard at Pusan on April 14, 1953. She made port calls in Italy and France, crossed the Panama Canal, and arrived at Long Beach on May 5. USS New Jerseys electronics systems also evolved, sprouting different antennae on her superstructure over time. USS New Jersey is also the museum battleship most open to the public. If Admiral Halsey had left Task Force 34 behind to guard San Bernardino Strait, or perhaps immediately sent it south at Kinkaids first call for help, its battleships would have encountered Kuritas battleships on October 25. Even before she was launched, the New Jersey began serving her country. There on April 12, 1954, she hosted the Atlantic Fleet change of command ceremony, presided over by now-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Carney. By the end of their second war, the Navy decided to replace them. On Aug. 12, 1945, days after atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, the Donnors received an official telegram at their home in Big Rapids, Mich. Their son, U.S. Navy Radio Technician 2nd Class. Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy, by Craig L. Symmonds, @ 1995 by Craig L. Symmonds, Published by Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. Some of the records for personnel on aircraft carriers also include corresponding images of the ship. The USS NORTH CAROLINA had a crew of 2,300 men. To buy tickets, visit battleshipnewjersey.org/purchase. The destroyers, cruisers, and battleships obliterated Nishimuras two battleships, his heavy cruiser, and three of his four destroyers. By contrast, Admiral Kuritas more powerful force debouched from San Bernardino Strait at 0035, expecting a fight but finding no ships guarding the strait. The Korean War brought New Jersey back into commission in November 1950. Her design and construction provided work to people from 34 separate states who labored at the Philadelphia Navy Yard or manufactured parts elsewhere. Her introduction led to the major powers building great fleets of ever more powerful dreadnought battleships. It involved about 200,000 sailors and airmen, almost a thousand aircraft, nearly three hundred major warships, and hundreds of other ships. From USS New Jersey, Admiral Halsey saw her gunners hit a kamikaze who nonetheless again crashed into Intrepid, which went through hell. There he conferred with General MacArthurs staff and finalize plans for the next big operation: the landing at Leyte Island to begin the liberation of the Philippines, then an American Commonwealth occupied by Imperial Japan early in the war. The New Jersey rendered more active service than any other Iowa-class ship. In reality, USS New Jersey became the leader of the first battleship battle group in January 1986. Marianas Operations, 4. As Admiral Halsey turned my back on the opportunity I had dreamed of since my days as a cadet, taking the New Jersey and Task Force 34 south, smaller Third Fleet ships kept going north to attack Admiral Ozawas battered force. New Jersey was one of the Iowa-class "fast battleship" designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Construction and Repair.She was launched on 7 December 1942 (the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor) and commissioned on 23 May 1943. Thousands of civilians visited her, and 6,000 active and reserve Navy sailors volunteered to serve in her 1,500-man crew. BB-62 - USS New Jersey - Booklet of General Plans, 1984, Iowa Class, bb62.pdf (10 MB PDF) . The escort carriers planes relentlessly attacked Japans armored behemoths with whatever weapons they had, including depth charges, small bombs, rockets, and machine gun bullets. New Jersey ranged far and wide from 30 December 1944 to 25 January 1945 on her last cruise as Admiral Halsey's flagship. The New Jersey continued to bombard targets in southern North Vietnam both day and night, harassing enemy troops, destroying bunkers, interdicting enemy logistics, and sinking eleven coastal supply ships. It was a serious blow to Japanese morale, and a boost to American spirits approaching that of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. She also conducted fleet exercises with the Seventh Fleet. Search for a command's Crew List| In the darkness at Surigao Strait, Admiral Nishimura had to run a gauntlet set up by Admiral Kinkaids Seventh Fleet. From the New Jersey, Spruance commanded all naval forces in Japanese waters. President Ronald Reagan asserted a stronger response was necessary, including building a 600-ship Navy. The New Jersey returned to Ulithi on March 5, but even that remote atoll was the target of a night kamikaze attack on March 12. USS New Jersey was commissioned into the Navy on May 23, 1943. The nine 16-inch guns of the New Jersey and Iowa could fire 2,700-pound shells almost 24 miles. She went to the Atlantic in 1947 and made one midshipmen's training cruise to Europe before decommissioning in June 1948. USS New Jersey was the only battleship recalled to duty during the Vietnam War. Because the Philadelphia Yard finished the New Jersey nine months ahead of schedule, freeing up many skilled workers, the Wisconsin ultimately was launched and commissioned before the Missouri even though she had a higher hull number. Almost the entire ship is open for tours, including her main turrets, bridge, flag bridge, some of her engineering spaces, main deck and helipad, bunks, and her central corridor so long it was called Broadway. In the fall, she trained reservists. Wouks novel first gave a vivid description of the New Jersey when minesweeper Caines Lieutenants Maryk and Keefer (played by Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray in the movie) come aboard at Ulithi before the typhoon to seek help with their troubled Captain Queeg (played by Humphrey Bogart in the movie) from Admiral Halsey on the imposing New Jersey (played by a carrier in the movie, filmed when USS New Jersey was busy fighting in the Korean War). This database is an indexed collection of the draft cards from the Fourth Registration. Four quadruple Mark 141 Launchers were mounted on the superstructure to fire sixteen RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, each with a warhead of almost 500 pounds. USS New Jersey steamed 200,000 miles during the war. Please keep in mind that this list does only include records of people who submitted their information for publication on this website. The basic armor scheme from the South Dakota class was already proof against 16-inch/45-caliber projectiles at expected battle ranges, so that armor scheme was applied to the longer hull. Admiral Halsey knew the location of Japans two surface-ship pincers Admiral Kuritas large force and Admiral Nishimuras smaller force but his staff repeatedly pounded the New Jerseys chart table exclaiming: Where the hell are, they, those goddam carriers? Unbeknownst to Halsey, Admiral Ozawa was to the north sailing his decoy carrier fleet to the Philippines Cape Engao Cape Deception in English trying to be discovered. She deployed to Mediterranean and European waters twice in 1955-56 and was placed out of commission in August 1957. Starting around 1890, the United States built its own battleships (designated BB). After winning the Spanish-American War with these battleships, America built new battleships (BB-5 through BB-25) with greater endurance and displacement up to 16,000 tons. Try the Ship's Store. The Iowa Class Battleships, by Malcolm Muir, @ 1987, Professor Malcolm Muir, Published by the Dorset Press, New York, NY. In 1955, after a shakedown cruise to Cuba and the Dominican Republic, USS New Jersey took the midshipmen on a summer cruise to Spain, England, and Cuba. I was the last Dental Officer on the USS New Jersey BB 62. The State of New Jersey agreed to back whichever group could win approval from the Navy. Battleship New Jersey Historical Museum Society Information usually available on these records includes: The rolls may also list passengers aboard naval vessels, and officers may be found among passengers on troop transports. New President Richard Nixon declined to retaliate, and four days later, the New Jersey was ordered home, arriving at Long Beach on May 5, after an eight-month cruise. 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. Contrary to their assumption, USS New Jersey and the other ships earmarked for Task Force 34 were still part of the three carrier groups and were sailing north with Admiral Halsey. It truly was an awsome ship, it was an honor to be a part of the decom crew. The seizure of Kwajalein, the worlds largest coral atoll and the heart of Japans bases in the Marshalls, was the beginning of the successful island-hopping campaign that seized key island airfields and anchorages while bypassing other Japanese-held islands, leaving them isolated and unsupplied. However, on July 24, the New Jersey was ordered to steam off Central America to provide a naval presence due to Communist arms shipments to the new Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. The U.S.S. Those landings had been so bloody as to cast doubt on Americas ability to sustain an offensive through Japans many Pacific island strongpoints, which it had had decades to fortify. To avoid the weather, Halsey moved the fueling rendezvous south. The shell hoist, several radio rooms, ships horn, television studio, and other equipment have been reactivated. Thereafter, the Communists made peace overtures but resumed ground attacks. 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. However, these battleships had a maximum speed of only 27-28 knots, could not keep up with the fast carriers or the Japanese fast battleships, and were no match for the bigger treaty-busting battleships reportedly being built in Japan. From August 1944 through January 1945, the New Jersey was Admiral Halseys first fleet flagship, leading the Navys main fleet during the Battle of Formosa, the invasions of Peleliu, Leyte, Mindoro, and Luzon, and its sweep through the South China Sea. However, the Nixon Administration had begun to reduce American troop levels in favor of Vietnamization, the plan to shift combat duties to the South Vietnamese. Expert researcher and WWII historian Bill Beigel will conduct a thorough search of deck logs, squadron after action reports, and other records, concerning units and individuals who served in the Navy in World War II. Shame my time on her was so short. Miss the Big J. The next two ships Missouri (BB-63) and Wisconsin (BB-64) were to be built in the New York and Philadelphia Navy Yards respectively alongside the Iowa and the New Jersey. Back to the USS New Jersey (BB 62) page|Crew List main page| Okinawa Operations. The New Jerseys shells straddled the hidden destroyer at around 35,700 yards (21.3 statute miles) the longest-ranged straddle in history. All Rights Reserved. Please keep in mind that this list does only include records of people who submitted their information for publication on this website. She shelled coastal artillery on Hon Matt Island, blasting part of the island into the sea, prompting the newspaper headline: The New Jersey Sinks an Island. North Vietnamese artillery fired back but fell short, and the New Jersey ranged freely along the North Vietnamese coast. From August 1944 through January 1945, the New Jersey was Admiral Halsey's first fleet flagship, leading the Navy's main fleet during the Battle of Formosa, the invasions of Peleliu, Leyte, Mindoro, and Luzon, and its sweep through the South China Sea. Halsey arrayed the Third Fleet east of the Philippines and dispatched search planes. After visiting Portugal, Scotland, and Norway, she led NATO exercises north of the Artic Circle. The New Jersey also received new search radars to scan for hostile planes and ships, a new electronic countermeasures system, and an improved super blooming chaff dispenser, to confusing enemy radar-guided missiles. Secretary Lehman used the New Jersey to test the concept of a battleship being the center of its own battle groups, accompanied by cruisers, destroyers, and frigates to help with anti-air and anti-submarine protection. These rifled guns could fire a 2,700 lb. The planes then had to make the long trek back to the Fifth Fleet in darkness. The Japanese main fleet had already fled, but Spruances carrier planes pounded the atoll and the remaining ships in its lagoon. Two turrets are forward, and one is aft. Looking for US Navy memorabilia? From January 25 to February 4, the New Jersey protected carriers striking the Japanese bases on Kwajalein and Eniwetok atolls, enabling the Army and Marines to invade Kwajalein and Majuro atolls. The Fleet at Flood Tide, America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-45, by James D. Hornfischer, @ 2016 James D. Hornfischer, Published by Bantam Books New York, NY. These were later replaced by three Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk floatplanes in the spring of 1945. However, kamikazes hit several carriers, including Franklin, the most heavily damaged carrier to be saved in the war. Navy cruise books are yearbook-style books assembled by volunteers on board ship to commemorate a deployment. She bombarded Wonson multiple times over the next two years, silencing any shore batteries that fired back. On August 21, the New Jersey was notified that she would be decommissioned again as a cost-cutting measure. Spruance, raised in New Jersey, had led American forces to victory in the Battle of Midway in 1942 and was the commander who retook Tarawa and Makin. In the early part of 1951, U.N. forces again had liberated Seoul and pushed back above the 38th Parallel. Now, he shifted his flag to USS New Jersey because he was leading Operation Hailstone, a bold attack on the Japanese Combined Fleet base at Truk atoll in the Caroline Islands. After the Communists broke off talks in August 1951, the New Jersey provided naval gunfire support for the U.N. troops ashore near Kansong. The New Jersey then passed through San Bernardino Strait; the same strait through which Japanese battleships fled from the New Jersey in the Battle for Leyte Gulf. The troops were often ambushed by Communist forces, and needed quick, accurate, overwhelming fire support. On October 20, 1944, over 160,000 Army troops landed on Leyte, a large island in the center of the Philippines. Judging After triumphantly circling Truk in USS New Jersey, Admiral Spruance ordered his ships to hoist their large Victory Flags, and a victory it was. In fire-control fingers depressed the keys and the breeches surged backwards once more. From USS New Jersey, Halsey led the Third Fleets fast carriers, fast battleships, and other frontline combatant ships. Retired in 2001. This still left the New Jersey with twelve 5-inch guns gunpower unmatched by any ship in the Navy other than the other Iowa-class ships. Kamikazes from Japan eventually struck the fleet off Iwo Jima, sinking an escort carrier, the last carrier sunk in the war. For membership information or reunion inquiries, visit Typhoon Cobra and USS New Jersey were immortalized in Herman Wouks Pulitzer-prize-winning novel The Caine Mutiny, which was made into a movie. On April 6, 1953, after passing through the Panama Canal and stopping in Long Beach, Hawaii, and Japan, USS New Jersey again became Seventh Fleet flagship, this time for Admiral Joseph Jocko Clark, who led carriers in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and was the first Native American admiral in the Navy. During World War II, due to her increasing anti-aircraft armament, her complement eventually peaked at over 2,700. She was reactivated to fight in the Korean War, and again to fight in the Vietnam War, when she was the worlds only operating battleship. Before she was put to sleep, Part of the Last Decommissioning crew of 1991. ft. deck is covered by 2 inches of teak on top of 1.5 inches of STS. Would you like to have such a crew list on your website? These missile batteries gave the New Jersey long-range strike capability against naval and land targets. The Conquering Tide, War in the Pacific Islands 1942-44, by Ian W. Toll, @ 2015 Ian W. Toll, Published by W.W. Norton & Co., New York, NY. Based on that assumption, Kinkaid took all the Seventh Fleets battleships and cruisers south to meet the Admiral Nishimuras force coming through Surigao Strait. Admiral Ozawa launched a weak airstrike from the decoy Japanese carriers to attract Admiral Halseys attention, but to the Americans it appeared to be just another land-based attack. The New Jerseys history spanned over half the 20th century, from her design in 1938 until 1991. USS New Jersey, a 45,000-ton Iowa class battleship, was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania. On April 13, 1944, USS New Jersey and Admiral Spruances Central Pacific Force now renamed the Fifth Fleet steamed 2,000 miles west to support the amphibious offensive by General Douglas MacArthur and the Seventh Fleet against the Japanese in New Guinea. For another layer of defense, eight sextuple Mark 36 Super Rapid Bloom Offboard Countermeasures Chaff and Decoy Launching Systems were installed. After a high-speed meeting with the worlds fastest ocean liner United States (now berthed in sight of the New Jersey), the New Jersey visited France, Portugal, and the Caribbean. The initial battleships (BB-1 through BB-4) had four 12-inch or 13-inch guns and numerous smaller guns, displaced 10,000 tons, and could steam at only 17 knots or less. The battleships with their large crews were seen as uneconomical. PARTS of HulNumber are UNDER REVISION. With an airstrike scheduled for December 19, Halsey ordered the fleet to refuel at sea on December 17. To counter the Soviet battlecruisers and to quickly build up the size and power of the Navy, Reagans Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, convinced Congress to reactivate the Iowa-class battleships. The 55,000-square-foot teak deck will soon be completely restored. These South Carolina-class dreadnoughts mounted their forward turrets so one could fire over the other, setting the pattern for all future battleships. Volume XIII, The Liberation of the Philippines, 1944-1945, @ 1959 Samuel Eliot Morison. On January 28, 1946, USS New Jersey yielded her role as flagship of the Fifth Fleet and the Japanese occupation. In an overhaul in Norfolk, USS New Jersey, like the other Iowa-class battleships, had her 16-inch gun barrels removed and replaced. USS New Jerseys four propeller shafts attach to four driving propellers. Thus, Spruance kept Fifth Fleet within supporting range of Saipan, and placed Lees battleline including the New Jersey fifteen miles in front of Admiral Marc Mitschers carriers to protect them. On Since leaving Pearl Harbor in August, she had been at sea for 85 of 95 days, engaged in near-constant fighting, and steamed 36,185 miles equal to 1 times around the world. Meanwhile, waves of Admiral Halseys carrier planes were striking Admiral Ozawas carriers. Cruising off El Salvador, she was visited by its President as well as Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Second Fleet Commander Joseph Metcalf III. The ship was built in 1921 by the New York Shipbuilding Corp., of Camden, New Jersey, as SS Blue Hen State, but was renamed President Garfield in 1923 and then SS President Madison in 1940 for service with American President Lines. To counter the Soviet military and naval expansion, the New Jersey led her three sisters into the Missile Age, adding cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and anti-missile weapons to their massive 16-inch guns and numerous 5-inch guns, making them the most formidable surface warships ever put to sea by the Navy. https://newtube.app/Gauche357 Two months later, World War II broke out in Europe when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Help| Moreover, it gave the Navy the battleships unparalleled ability to visibly project power. HullNumber.com does not retain your payment information if you make a purchase. You can locate this information through various sources: The Old Military and Civil Records Branch, National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408, holds copies of deck logs from 1801 through 1940, as well as muster rolls through 1938 in bound books. UNDERWAY! A group of Soviet surface ships, led by Kirov, heads for the East Coast but is confronted by a battle group led by the New Jersey. American dreadnought battleships (BB-26 through BB-44), built just before and during the First World War, grew in armament from eight 12-inch guns to twelve 14-inch guns, in displacement from 16,000 to 32,000 tons, in speed from 18 to 21 knots, and in propulsion from coal-fired expansion engines to oil-fired turbines. As stated by the New Jerseys captain in 1969, she provided firepower for freedom.. Veterans and New Jerseys Governor Christie Todd Whitman watched as the New Jersey transited the Canal for the tenth time in her career. Launched on the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, she fought in World War II, was the first battleship reactivated for the Korean War, the only battleship to serve in the Vietnam War, and the first battleship reactivated to end the Cold War. They hit Taffy One and Taffy Three, sinking Spragues escort carrier St. information about joining, or getting membership information, contact them The New Jersey shot down at least one of the hundreds of planes downed by American ships and planes. Fleets of these battleships fought each other in climactic battles that determined the outcomes of the Spanish-American War and the Russo-Japanese War.
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