Battleship NJ Likely To Leave Camden Waterfront Early Next Year

CAMDEN, NJ — The most-decorated battleship in U.S. Navy history will likely depart from the Camden waterfront early next year.

The Battleship New Jersey will leave the waterfront for the first time in more than 20 years to dry-dock for major work. USS New Jersey (BB-62) moved to her permanent berth on the waterfront in 2001, becoming a museum and memorial.

A departure date hasn't been set, but the ship will likely dry-dock in early 2024, according to Battleship New Jersey's recent newsletter.

The work at Philadelphia's Navy Yard — just a few miles away — should take about eight weeks before the battleship returns to Camden.

Organizers continue to seek donations to make the journey possible.

Built in 1939 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the Battleship was used in conflicts including World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. USS New Jersey earned 19 Battle and Campaign stars — the most of any surviving Navy ship.

The ship last entered battle from 1983-84 for U.S. operations in the Lebanese Civil War and decommissioned for a fourth and final time in 1991. Eight years later, Congress allowed the ship to become a museum. USS New Jersey moved to her permanent berth on Sept. 23, 2001, in Camden.

The ship has been dry-docked — a process of removing a ship from the water to enable work below the waterline — at least three times prior, most recently from 1990-91.

A tug boat will transport the ship, which can't move under her own power anymore.

"The priority for this project is to remove the marine growth on the hull, repaint the hull, inspect the through-hull openings and other sensitive areas, and replace the anodes used for cathodic protection," says an August news release.

The Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial is open for visitors.