New Jersey Undergoes Historic Maintenance at Original Launch Site

The iconic battleship returns to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the first time in 32 years for essential repairs and preservation.

The historic USS New Jersey battleship, known as 'Big J,' has arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard for a two-month-long maintenance project, marking its first movement in decades.
The journey to the Philadelphia Navy Yard is significant as it is the same location where the USS New Jersey was originally built and launched in 1942, a year after the Pearl Harbor attack.
The maintenance project includes repainting the ship's hull, fixing the anti-corrosion system, inspecting through-hull openings, and replacing aluminum anodes.
This maintenance is particularly notable as it is the first time the battleship has undergone such work in 32 years, exceeding the 20-year requirement for decommissioned museum ships.
The USS New Jersey served in the U.S. Navy for about 50 years, participating in multiple conflicts including World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, before being decommissioned in February 1991 and later turned into a floating museum in 2011.