USS New Jersey BB 62 – History of the Most Decorated Battleship in U.S. Navy History & Navy Decals

USS New Jersey BB 62 – History, Service Record & Navy Decals

The USS New Jersey (BB-62) was the second ship of the Iowa class of fast battleships and the most decorated battleship in the history of the United States Navy — a ship whose combat career spanned four wars across five decades, earning more battle stars than any other battleship ever built. From the beaches of the Pacific islands to the frozen Korean peninsula, from the jungles of Vietnam to the mountains of Lebanon, USS New Jersey carried her nine 16-inch guns into more combat than any battleship in history and emerged as the undisputed champion of American naval gunfire support — the ship that proved again and again across half a century that the battleship's power, range, and accuracy were irreplaceable when it came to putting steel on target in support of American forces ashore.

Keel, Launch & Commissioning

New Jersey's keel was laid down on September 16, 1940, at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was launched on December 7, 1942 — the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a date that gave her launching a powerful symbolic resonance — and commissioned into the U.S. Navy on May 23, 1943, under hull designation BB-62.

Class & Design

USS New Jersey was the second of four Iowa-class fast battleships — the most powerful battleships ever built by the United States Navy. At 887 feet in length and displacing over 57,000 tons fully loaded, she was armed with nine 16-inch/50 caliber Mark 7 guns in three triple turrets capable of hurling 2,700-pound armor-piercing shells more than 23 miles, and twenty 5-inch/38 caliber guns for anti-aircraft defense. Her four steam turbine engines generating 212,000 shaft horsepower drove her to speeds exceeding 33 knots — fast enough to operate with the Navy's fast carrier task forces and fast enough to outrun virtually any surface threat she could not outfight.

World War II Service

Joining the Pacific Fleet in January 1944, USS New Jersey was selected as the flagship of Admiral Raymond Spruance, Commander Fifth Fleet, as the Navy launched its Central Pacific offensive — the series of massive amphibious assaults that would drive through the Marshall Islands, the Marianas, and the Western Pacific toward Japan. Flying Spruance's flag, New Jersey was at the center of American naval command during some of the most consequential operations of the Pacific War.

She participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944) — the greatest carrier battle in history, where American carrier aviation destroyed Japan's carrier air power in what American aviators called the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” — and in operations surrounding the Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 1944), the largest naval battle in history. She bombarded Japanese-held islands throughout the Pacific campaign, her 16-inch shells crushing fortifications and destroying enemy positions with a weight of fire that no other weapon of the era could match.

Later in the Pacific campaign, New Jersey transferred her flag to Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, Commander Third Fleet, participating in the final carrier strikes against the Japanese home islands as the war approached its devastating conclusion.

Korean War Service

Recommissioned for the Korean War in November 1950, USS New Jersey arrived in Korean waters in May 1951 and immediately demonstrated the battleship's devastating effectiveness in shore bombardment. Her 16-inch guns destroyed enemy railroad lines, tunnel complexes, supply depots, artillery positions, and troop concentrations along the Korean east coast with a precision and destructive power that no other naval weapon could match — interdicting the supply lines that fed North Korean and Chinese forces at the front and compelling the enemy to divert enormous resources to anti-bombardment measures. She fired more than 4,000 16-inch rounds and 40,000 5-inch rounds during the Korean War, making her one of the most effective naval gunfire support platforms of the conflict.

Vietnam War Service – “The Big J”

USS New Jersey's Vietnam War service stands as the most extraordinary chapter in the history of naval gunfire support. Recommissioned specifically for Vietnam in April 1968 — after a decade in mothballs — she was the only battleship in commission anywhere in the world, and her reactivation was driven by the urgent demand from U.S. commanders in Vietnam for the kind of heavy, precise, long-range naval gunfire that only a battleship could provide.

Arriving off Vietnam in September 1968, New Jersey — known universally as “The Big J” — conducted the most intense period of 16-inch gunfire in the history of naval warfare, firing more than 5,000 rounds of 16-inch ammunition in just 120 days on the gun line. Her shells reached targets 23 miles inland that no other naval weapon could touch, destroying enemy base areas, supply routes, and fortifications in the mountainous interior of South Vietnam that were beyond the range of cruisers and destroyers. Her presence on the gun line was an enormous morale boost to U.S. forces ashore and a strategic shock to enemy forces who had believed themselves safe beyond the reach of naval gunfire.

Reagan-Era Reactivation & Lebanon

Reactivated for the third time in December 1982 as part of the Reagan 600-ship Navy, USS New Jersey was modernized with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Phalanx close-in weapon systems, combining her legendary 16-inch gun capability with modern precision strike weapons. She deployed to the Mediterranean in 1983-1984, and on December 14, 1983, fired her 16-inch guns in combat for the first time since Korea — bombarding Syrian artillery positions in the mountains of Lebanon that were firing on American and Lebanese government forces. It was the first time a battleship had fired her main battery in anger since the Korean War, and it demonstrated once more that the battleship's long-range heavy gunfire remained a uniquely effective combat capability that no other surface combatant could replicate.

Museum Ship

USS New Jersey was decommissioned for the final time in February 1991 and is now preserved as a museum ship at Camden, New Jersey — berthed on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia, within sight of the shipyard where she was built. She is open to the public as the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, the most decorated battleship in American history displayed with pride in her home state.

Legacy

USS New Jersey earned 19 battle stars across four wars — World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Lebanon — more than any other battleship in history. She flew the flags of two Fleet Commanders during the greatest naval campaign in history. She fired more 16-inch rounds in anger than any other battleship ever built. She proved in four different wars across five decades that the battleship's combination of firepower, range, accuracy, and survivability was irreplaceable — and she earned, beyond all dispute, the title of the most decorated and combat-proven battleship in the history of the United States Navy.

Shop USS New Jersey BB 62 Navy Gifts & Decals

Honor your service or give a meaningful gift to a USS New Jersey veteran with our full line of USS New Jersey BB 62 products:

• USS New Jersey BB 62 Aluminum License Plate — Show your Navy pride on the road.
• USS New Jersey BB 62 License Plate U.S. Flag — A patriotic twist on the classic plate.
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• USS New Jersey BB 62 License Plate Frame (Metal or Plastic) — Pair with your license plate for a complete look.
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• USS New Jersey BB 62 Motorcycle License Plate Frame — For the veteran who rides.
• USS New Jersey BB 62 Aluminum Street Sign Blue/White — A one-of-a-kind display piece for any veteran's home.
• USS New Jersey BB 62 Parking Sign Blue/White — Reserve your spot in style.
• USS New Jersey BB 62 Parking Sign Red/White — Another great option for the garage or driveway.

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