Admiral Halsey eats Thanksgiving dinner with the crew of the USS New Jersey (BB-62) 30 November 1944. In 2007, best-selling author Tom Clancy had his 60th birthday party on the fantail of the New Jersey, attended by retired Secretary of State Colin Powell, Sean Connery, and Stephen Spielberg. During that solemn ceremony, her last commanding officer . This site's Ships Log nearly As a result, the United States scrapped, or converted to other uses, all battleships commissioned before 1911 (BB-1 through BB-30), scrapped the battleships under construction (BB-47, BB-49 through BB-54), and launched no battleships for almost twenty years. She again fired her big guns in combat during the Lebanon crisis of 1983-84 and deployed to the western Pacific in 1986 and 1989-90, with the latter cruise extending to the Persian Gulf area. On September 23, 2001, USS New Jersey was moved to her permanent berth at her new ceremonial pier on the Camden waterfront facing Philadelphia. Admiral Nimitz, General MacArthur, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff accepted his recommendation. Propulsion was where the Iowa-class ships were most improved; their power plant was designed to be 60% more powerful to propel the larger vessels 6 knots faster than the South Dakota class, making the Iowa class the first battleships fast enough to keep up with the fast carriers. Including the New Jersey and six other fast battleships, eight heavy cruisers, thirteen light cruisers, and sixty-nine destroyers, the fast carrier task force had the greatest tonnage of any single naval formation ever to go to battle. The attack forced the Combined Fleet to withdraw to bases in the Philippines, and compelled its commander, Admiral Mineichi Koga, to flee in a flying boat that was lost in a typhoon. After the Korean War, the Navy again began decommissioning ships. She then reloaded ammunition and trained to head back to the war. shipmates. 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. affiliations. On July 19, 1940, Congress passed the Two-Ocean Navy Act, authorizing the construction of three more Iowa-class battleships. The 55,000-square-foot teak deck will soon be completely restored. 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. USS New Jersey, a 45,000-ton Iowa class battleship, was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania. On July 27, she left behind Bremerton and the mothballed Missouri. USS New Jersey and the other Iowa-class ships were the result and the crowning achievement of centuries of naval history. The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive American victory. In the 1960s, with American involvement ramping up in Vietnam, there were repeated calls to bring back a battleship. The gunnery department also prepared to receive W-23 nuclear 16-inch shells. Unfortunately, a foe appeared on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces blitzed across the 38th Parallel into South Korea. There, he supervised the landing of General MacArthurs occupation Army, repatriation of Allied prisoners and surrendering Japanese garrisons, and the sweeping of many mines laid in Japanese waters. These were the first shells fired by the New Jersey in the Vietnamese war. 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 received the Vietnam Service Medal with three battle stars 1. On May 6, 1945, USS New Jersey arrived for overhaul at Navy Yard Puget Sound in Bremerton, Washington. After she had steamed east over 6,000 of the 8,000 miles to Long Beach, on April 15, 1969, the North Koreans, who in January had seized the intelligence ship USS Pueblo, shot down an unarmed EC-121 Constellation reconnaissance aircraft over international waters, killing 31 Americans. They made the bold decision to tow the two crippled cruisers and use them as bait to lure out the Japanese fleet. Moreover, as the Japanese Navy minister stated, our defeat at Leyte was tantamount to the loss of the Philippines. She also conducted fleet exercises with the Seventh Fleet. USS New Jersey stopped at devastated Kwajalein and replenished at Majuro. The planned 1.1-inch/75-caliber quadruple mounted Chicago Piano guns were shelved during construction. This is the Navy, here, the real Navy.. We lost five planes in one day on that one target. The New Jersey shot down at least one of the hundreds of planes downed by American ships and planes. It's a great place to begin your search. USS New Jersey (BB-62) sent 30 crew members ashore for Thanksgiving dinner while offshore near Hue on November 28, 1968 USS Saint Paul (CA-73) [Cruiser] while anchored in Da Nang Harbor, small boats sent ashore on May 9, 1969, and May 25, July 17, and September 17, 1970 . Pers-312 Battleships of the Iowa Class, by Philippe Caresse, translated by Bruce Taylor, @ 2019 United States Naval Institute, Published by the Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. loved the jersey. At 1236 Kurita abandoned penetration of Leyte anchorage, and headed back to San Bernardino Strait. their website at: USS Awesome experience, Great Ship and Great Crew. Truk was Japans main fleet base outside of the Home Islands, had been fortified against naval and air attack, and was known as the Gibraltar of the Pacific. Spruance hoped to catch Japanese ships fleeing the attack, and he knew the New Jersey with her 33-knot speed and 16-inch guns would be at the center of the action. To build the New Jersey required expenditures of approximately $100 million dollars ($1.8 billion in 2020 dollars) and 32,800,000 manhours. When the contract was awarded in July 1939, Charles Edison, son of the famous New Jersey inventor Thomas Edison, was acting Secretary of the Navy. The cover is a little worn ie. USS New Jersey steamed 200,000 miles during the war. The Soviets in Iceland soon surrender, and the war ends with NATO intact. Women (including officers) of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps may be found on medical ships and as passengers aboard Navy ships and at some Navy shore installations. However, they still had limited speed (21 knots) and displacement (32,600 tons), and in World War II were used primarily for shore bombardment. The New Jersey then headed for the newly occupied fleet base at Ulithi atoll in the Caroline Islands. If you also served aboard and you remember one of the people below you can click on the name to send an email to the respective sailor. She operated off Korea during the Summer Olympics in Seoul, then sailed south for Australia to participate in that countrys bicentennial celebrations. Help| While USS New Jersey was away, the Korean truce talks had broken down, and new President Dwight D. Eisenhower had go[ne] to Korea to find a way to peace. In June and July, the New Jersey provided sustained fire support for a U.N. offensive near Kansong. 25 Feb 1945 : USS Wisconsin escorted carriers as the carrier aircraft attacked Hachino, Japan. Halsey knew Admiral Kinkaid was preparing to confront Admiral Nishimuras southern force at Surigao Strait. . 1969 1981 In September 1986, armed with nuclear cruise missiles, the New Jerseys battle group transited the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan but otherwise surrounded by Soviet territory. In his wildly successful 1984 debut novel The Hunt for Red October, the Soviet fleet pursues its newest submarine whose officers are sailing to America to defect. Tickets are still available for the @battleshipnj 's Evening Engine Room Guided Tour, Friday, Descend to Broadway and walk inside fire and boiler rooms of our nation's largest battleship. Date of Birth: 04/12/1934. Equipment was coated with preservative grease like cosmoline, and non-moving parts were preserved under layers of paint. In World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf, the New Jersey earned a total of 19 Battle and Campaign stars, making her the most decorated battleship in American history, the most of any surviving U.S. Navy ship, and the second-most decorated ship in American history. In 1982, she acquired new SPS-10 and SPS-49 surface and air search radars, and later the SPS-67 surface radar. this page I've assembled links to websites that can help you find old AD. Tugs towed her to Long Beach to be reactivated and modernized. In June 1945 she was repainted in the horizontal "two-tone" Camouflage Measure 22, which she wore for the rest of the World War II era. Japan surrendered only after the destruction of Japans fleet in battles in which the New Jersey participated, and from Marianas bases the New Jersey helped seize the final submarine campaign that annihilated Japans merchant marine and the conventional and atomic bombing attacks that devastated Japans cities and industry. AC. A Kaman Seasprite helicopter was based on the New Jerseys helicopter landing pad to provide over-the-horizon targeting information. After receiving several of Kinkaids delayed messages, Halsey replied from the New Jersey at 0927: I AM STILL ENGAGING ENEMY CARRIERS. At 1000, Kinkaid sent another uncoded plea to the New Jersey: WHERE IS LEE? The New Jersey was awesome. Keefer gets scared, telling Maryk: Cant you feel the real difference between the New Jersey and the Caine? She fired the last salvo of the war at Wonson when the armistice was signed on July 27, with a New Jersey delegation present. Upon returning to Ulithi on January 25, 1945, the New Jersey hosted Admiral Spruance who conferred with Halsey. The Navy does not keep track of anyone once they have left the Navy. She was launched with SK and SG air and surface search radars, upgraded to SPS-6 and SG-6 respectively by 1952. Ships lost steering control and power. Thus, the Leyte landing occurred before Imperial Japan could train enough naval pilots and reunite its fleet. The table below contains the names of sailors who served aboard the USS New Jersey (BB 62). They usually include portraits of the sailors, officers, and other personnel aboard, accompanied by the individuals surname and naval rate. U.S., World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949. Chevalier commissioned 9 January 1945 and served in the US Navy until 2 June 1975, when she was . On March 23, 1944, she led the fleet 2,000 miles west, deep in Japanese waters. In August 1985, USS New Jersey headlined San Franciscos celebration of the 40th anniversary of V-J Day, renamed Peace in the Pacific, which the New Jersey had helped secure. The increased spending and employment to gear up for World War II finally ended the Great Depression. Her ten-gun 5-inch broadside blew up an armed minesweeper/trawler, and she finished off the destroyer Maikaze. USS New Jersey Veterans, Inc. Trustees Joseph Azzolina, Jr. Food Circus Supermarkets, Inc. Brian Bauerle Cooper's Ferry Partnership Captain Joseph Benton III McAllister Towing and Transportation Charles Fentress Luke Gordon Sheet Metal Workers Union Local No.19 Honorable Patricia Egan Jones Honorable George Leone, Esq. Was part of Decommissioning crew. This limited the United States Navy to 18 battleships totaling 525,000 tons displacement. The New Jersey bombarded Japanese bases and escorted carriers attacking Japanese forces on Pacific islands and the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Indochina, and Japan, including the first major carrier raid on Tokyo. On January 28, 1946, USS New Jersey yielded her role as flagship of the Fifth Fleet and the Japanese occupation. Shes more than the best means of quickly adding real firepower to our Navy; shes a shining example of how [we] will rebuild Americas Armed Forces on budget and on schedule and with the maximum cost-effective application of high technology to existing assets. Years in Service: 1952. This database contains U.S. Navy muster rolls and associated reports of changes for U.S. Navy enlisted personnel who served on U.S. Navy ships or in other naval activities between 31 January 1938 and 31 December 1949. On August 1, he made the decision to recommission USS New Jersey for employment in the Pacific Fleet to augment the naval gunfire support force in Southeast Asia. The New Jersey was selected because she was in the best material condition of the four battleships. A ceasefire had been reached in August 1988, but tensions were still high. The troops were often ambushed by Communist forces, and needed quick, accurate, overwhelming fire support. The New Jersey also fired her 5-inch guns in support of the Marines ashore on several occasions. Arriving in Scotland, the New Jersey was greeted by the British Home Fleet. Login| About; Archives & Collections; . I volunteer 2 days a week with a great group of guys (mostly vets). The Japanese decoy plan had succeeded. On January 7, they squeezed through the Panama Canal, with less than a foot to spare on each side. The New Jersey remained at Bayonne until the summer of 1962 when she was towed to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in a consolidation of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Only USS New Jersey served in the Vietnam War and the conflict in Lebanon, and she served in the Persian Gulf. The escort carriers planes relentlessly attacked Japans armored behemoths with whatever weapons they had, including depth charges, small bombs, rockets, and machine gun bullets. During World War II, USS New Jersey carried a complement of up to three observation floatplanes, initially OS2U Kingfishers and then Curtiss SC Seahawks. Without the 20mm and 40mm antiaircraft guns, USS New Jersey was crewed by less than 60% of her World War II compliment. Once launched, USS New Jersey was towed to drydock so her four propellers and two rudders could be fitted. USS New Jersey fired three times more 16-inch ammunition in her first tour in Korea than she had in World War II. Many of these battleships served in World War I and provided shore bombardment in World War II. Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, by Joseph-James Ahern, @ 1997 Joseph-James Ahern, Published by Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC. With barometers setting record lows, Halsey postponed refueling and ordered the fleet to hold a new course, which inadvertently prolonged its ordeal in the typhoon and prevented skippers from maneuvering independently. From USS New Jersey, Halsey led the Third Fleets fast carriers, fast battleships, and other frontline combatant ships. Wives and children of Navy personnel, as well as civilians, can be found among passengers as well. She was also the first battleship to enter the Persian Gulf, and the first battleship in thirty years to lead her own battle group a role in which Tom Clancy featured her in his best-selling novel The Hunt for Red October. After the South China Sea sortie, which Admiral Nimitz termed well-conceived and brilliantly executed, Admiral Halsey and USS New Jersey led the Third Fleet to bomb and scout Okinawa. USS New Jerseys presence was required off Lebanon until April 3, 1984, when she finally left for home. That means it lobbed 5,866 sixteen-inch shells and 14,891 five-inch shells. As in other navies, they were the pride of the fleet. On March 24, 1945, USS New Jersey bombarded Okinawa in preparation for the April 1 invasion by four Army and three Marine divisions. Through the rest of 1944, she took part in raids on Japanese-held islands, the Marianas invasion and Battle of Philippine Sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf and operations against the Philippines. After the Battle for Leyte Gulf, USS New Jersey picked up downed fliers and Japanese sailors in the water. The vessel is the only battleship on active duty in the U.S. Navy. During this tour, the New Jersey was repeatedly visited by the President of South Korea, Syngman Rhee, and his wife. Spruances orders were precise, Halseys were inspirational. She was responsible for. On May 31, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara authorized a study on whether to reactivate a battleship. Kelley, emphasized: There is no weapon system in the world that comes even close to the visible symbol of enormous power represented by the battleship.. After conferring on USS New Jersey with carrier commander Admiral Marc Pete Mitscher, Pacific battleship commander Admiral Willis Ching Lee, and amphibious commander Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner on February 11, 1944, Spruance in the New Jersey directed five fleet carriers and four light carriers the largest carrier concentration of the war so far 1,000 miles west to attack Truk on February 17 and 18. Two months later, World War II broke out in Europe when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Many former crew members belong to the USS New Jersey Historical Museum Society. 345653 entries available online. She was towed to Bremerton, where she served as a part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Descend to Broadway and walk inside fire and boiler rooms of our nation's largest battleship. For her two tours between May 17, 1951, and July 27, 1953, USS New Jersey was awarded the Korean Service Medal with four battle stars 1. Pull yourself together! Halsey, so mad he could not talk, stormed into his cabin on the New Jersey. 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. 5720 Integrity Drive The bores were checked for dangerous residue, then elevators from the handling rooms rose to the back edge of the ramps and the shells were rammed into the waiting gun barrels. The goal was to secure a base to escort and recover B-29 bombers attacking Japan from the Marianas. These and other attacks cost Japan over a thousand aircraft and made April one of the bloodiest months in the war for the Navy. USS New Jersey continued steaming on the summer cruise for 700 midshipmen. He described her as still in the prime of life, a Gallant Lady, the New Jersey. Recommissioning the New Jersey was the centerpiece of his 600-ship Navy program that helped convince the Soviet Union to end the Cold War. On December 28, 1982, USS New Jersey was placed in commission personally by President Reagan. At 2022 on October 24, Halsey went into the New Jerseys flag plot, put his finger on Admiral Ozawas charted position, and told Admiral Carney, Heres where we are going, Mick. In all, the New Jersey fired an unbelievable 12 million pounds of munitions against the enemy in less than a year. Red Storm Rising, by Tom Clancy, @ 1986 Tom Clancy, Published by G.P. The guns had a lifespan of 300 full charge shots per barrel before the shells wore the rifling away and made the gun inaccurate. For length of service, combat service, shore bombardment, fleet leadership, and decorations, USS New Jersey is second to none. An aerial spotter said the New Jersey put every shot on target most beautiful shooting I have seen in five years. General Almond praised the New Jerseys fire for its devastating effect on enemy morale, equipment, and personnel. Halsey later said he made a mistake in bowing to pressure and turning south. The length of the hull is divided with 4-foot frame section spacings into a total of 216 frames. She bombarded Wonson multiple times over the next two years, silencing any shore batteries that fired back. On February 10, 1945, Admiral Spruance led USS New Jersey and the rest of the Fifth Fleet to the Bonin Islands in support of the invasion of Iwo Jima. By her reactivation for the Korean War, the rest of the single 20mm guns had been removed and were replaced by eight more twin-mounted 20mm guns were added, but all the twin-mounted 20mm were removed by late 1951. In further weapons trials, USS New Jersey was the first battleship to fire a Harpoon missile on March 23, 1983. As a result, she was recommissioned at the lightest weight ever achieved by an Iowa-class battleship. The following websites post reunion notices and provide resources for locating veterans: Hullnumber.com (Navy ships and air squadrons), United States Naval Academy Alumni Association. With Halsey on the New Jersey exhorting GIVE THEM HELL, American planes sank 15 combat ships, 12 tankers, and 17 merchant ships, destroyed over 500 planes, and isolated Japan from its conquered resource area in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Good time were had aboard Our Lady Gray. USS New Jerseys electronics systems also evolved, sprouting different antennae on her superstructure over time. This was the largest amphibious operation in the Pacific and proved to be the final amphibious operation of the war. USS New Jersey then steamed through the Indian Ocean to the war-torn Persian Gulf. Day after day, kamikaze and conventional planes would attack. The result should have been the slaughter of the slow escort carriers and their tiny escorts. The battle group commander muses that [w]hen his flagship was built, he was sailing boats in a bathtub. He believes that none of the Soviet ships could possibly survive more than two of his sixteen-inch projectiles, and that the Soviets anti-ship missiles would not be able to damage his ship gravely the New Jersey had upwards of a foot of class B armor plate. The Kirovs group retreats to Russia, and war is averted. Her armored deck below that is 5 inches armor on 1.25 inches STS. As Admiral Halseys flagship, she led the Third Fleet as it supported General MacArthurs difficult, two-month struggle to take Leyte from the reinforced Japanese Army. Meanwhile, in the fall U.N. forces had recaptured Seoul and surged towards North Koreas border with China. USS New Jersey, which served longer and with greater distinction than any other battleship, now serves as a unparalleled museum and memorial of all of Americas major conflicts from 1943 to 1990. The submarines sank two cruisers, and warned Admiral Halsey on USS New Jersey. Recommissioning was completed on budget and ahead of schedule. Information contained in this database includes: name, rank, enlistment date, muster date, and station. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Takom Model 1:700 USS Southernland DD743 Gearing Class Destroyer 1945 w/F New at the best online prices at eBay! Her original fuel oil capacity of over 7,250 tons (over 2,175,000 gallons) gave her an endurance range of over 15,000 nautical miles when cruising at 15 knots, allowing her to operate without resupply for a month and to refuel smaller ships. I was the last Dental Officer on the USS New Jersey BB 62. All three Japanese forces were defeated, and the amphibious attack on Leyte proceeded unimpeded. During the next two hours, Kinkaid sent repeated urgent messages to the New Jersey that his escort carriers were being attacked by four battleships, eight cruisers, and destroyers, and asking Halsey to launch airstrikes immediately and send Admiral Lee at top speed with his battleships, including the New Jersey, to prevent the Japanese from destroying the escort carriers and entering Leyte Gulf. They launched cruise missiles and provided gunfire support during Operation Desert Storm, which began on January 15, 1991, and liberated Kuwait by February 28. HullNumber.com does not share your information. 13 Jun 1945 : USS Wisconsin arrived at Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands for repairs. Battleship New Jersey Historical Museum Society Select the period (starting by the reporting year): precomm 1956 I consider this the gravest error I committed during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.. After returning home from the western Pacific in late 1953, New Jersey operated in the Atlantic. | The Iowa-class ships were the last class of American battleships built, and the last battleships in service in the world. 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. Following an overhaul at Long Beach, USS New Jersey returned to the Western Pacific in 1988 for naval exercises. President Reagan ordered the Marines to withdraw to their ships. scuff ". By the 1980s, new technology enabled as few as 1,600 crew to operate her. War at Sea, A Naval History of World War II, by Nathan Miller, @ 1995 Nathan Miller, Published by Scribner, New York, NY. 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. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); There are 465 crew members registered for the USS New Jersey (BB 62). The turret crews moved out of the loading compartments and held their hands over muff-style ear protectors. While her main battery remained unchanged, lighter weapons were frequently added and subtracted. Over 33 million records are contained in this database. * Finally, she is a military and technological landmark. Speeding north in USS New Jersey, Admiral Halsey did not receive Kinkaids 0707 message until 0822. After training exercises in the Caribbean, the New Jersey and the midshipmen arrived in New York on August 28. Her main battery sent 288 16-inch rounds 15 miles inland, silencing artillery positions shelling Beirut, and killing the general commanding Syrian forces in Lebanon. At 1055, finally responding to Admiral Nimitzs message, Admiral Halsey ordered USS New Jersey to lead Task Force 34, and Admiral Bogans carrier group, to rescue Taffy 3. She was launched on the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and went on to steam more miles, fight in more battles, and fire more shells than any other battleship in history. Commissioned in May 1943, she spent the rest of that year in the western Atlantic and Caribbean area. Design work for the Iowa class was premised on the recent South Dakota class and the calculations that a ship 108 wide and 860 long at the waterline would make the fastest possible hull form that could fit through the 110-wide Panama Canal. Clancy also included USS New Jersey in his second book in 1986. The battleline fulfilled the role assigned by Admiral Spruance of protecting the carriers by downing most of the attackers with virtually impenetrable antiaircraft fire, while sustaining minimal injury. 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. Halsey did not think Kinkaid needed help from his fleet, which in any case was hundreds of miles away. During her return trip to Majuro, the New Jersey protected carriers striking the base at Woleai in the Caroline Islands. Her introduction led to the major powers building great fleets of ever more powerful dreadnought battleships. From USS New Jersey, Admiral Halsey saw her gunners hit a kamikaze who nonetheless again crashed into Intrepid, which went through hell. USS New Jersey headed into the Yellow Sea and shelled Chinnampo on North Koreas west coast on May 25. At her launch 29 October, she was sponsored by Mrs. Marguerite Chevalier, wife of LCdr. The New Jersey displays one of her original quad 40mm guns, and displays two single 20mm guns. Meanwhile, Taffy 3s escort carriers were being boxed in by Admiral Kuritas armada. She twice attacked Truk, Japans Gibraltar of the Pacific, and with Iowa sank fleeing Japanese warships the only surface combat by the Iowa-class ships. The New Jersey screened the fleet carriers which again struck Tokyo on February 25, and then reconnoitered and bombed the next invasion target, Okinawa. Had a lot of good times and met a lot of great people. Beginning in mid-October 1968, USS New Jersey moved south to support Marine, Army, South Vietnamese, and Korean troops in the I Corps area of South Vietnam. Volume VIII, New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944, @ 1953 Samuel Eliot Morison. Together they spearheaded the American counteroffensives in the Pacific that won the largest naval war in history. In World War II, the New Jersey led the Pacific Fleet under Admirals Spruance and Halsey and fought in the two largest naval battles in history. Fifty such shells were produced, but it is unknown whether they were deployed on the New Jersey or his sister ships. Instead, she fielded sixteen and then twenty quadruple mounts for Bofors 40-millimeter guns for a total of 80 barrels distributed along the main deck and the superstructure, with a firing rate of up to 160 round per minute and a range of 11,000 yards. Her main belt is 12.1 inches of armor on 0.875 inches of special treatment steel (STS) with concrete in between, inclined 19 degrees and tapering to 1.625 inches. After exercises in the Caribbean, USS New Jersey returned to Norfolk and helped the first supercarrier, USS Forrestal, in her initial workup. The Navy ordered the first two battleships in July 1939. Muster rolls were quarterly lists of enlisted naval personnel attached to each ship, station or activity. Mountainous waves broke over the carriers high flight decks, peeling them back like sardine can lids. The first two battleships Iowa (BB-61) and New Jersey (BB-62) were to be built by the New York and Philadelphia Navy Yards, respectively. I am curious if my father, George M Rozeck was a member of the crew of the USS New Jersey. 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.