Iowa Class Battleship: Displacement 45,000 Tons, Dimensions, 887' 3" (oa) x 108' 2" x 37' 9" (Max). Armament 9 x 16"/50 20 x 5"/38AA, 80 x 40mm 49 x 20mm, 3 AC. Armor, 12 1/8" Belt, 17" Turrets, 1 1/2" +6" +5/8" Decks, 17 1/4" Conning Tower. Machinery, 212,000 SHP; Westinghouse Geared Turbines, 4 screws. Speed, 33 Knots, Crew 1921.
Operational and Building Data: Laid down by Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard, September 16, 1940. Launched December 7, 1942. Commissioned May 23, 1943. Decommissioned June 30, 1948. Recommissioned November 21, 1950. Decommissioned August 21, 1957. Recommissioned April 6, 1968. Decommissioned December 17, 1969. Recommissioned December 28, 1982. Decommissioned September 9, 1991. Stricken for disposal 12, January 1995. Retained in reserve; reinstated on the Naval Vessels Register, in reserve, 12, February 1998. Stricken for preservation in New Jersey, 4 January, 1999. Towed to Philadelphia, 12 September 1999 - 11 November 1999. Fate: Moved to Camden, NJ for preservation as a museum.
The date of the Photograph is 4 February 1984, the day that she fired 288 16" rounds at Beruit, Lebanon.
With a long history from WWII through decommissioning, 8 February 1991, the New Jersey (BB-62) retires.
Best Moment 1. Making plates 2. Using the camera to make a negative 3. Bookbinding 4. Training with LI3 Dorn
Worst Moment 1. Operating the AB Dick 360 Offset Press for the first time. I was not properly trained in its operation and 250 ships papers got ruined. I was told not to turn it off, keep it running, and stack the papers as they come out. I was kicked out of the print shop afterwards. I never returned to OJT.
Chain of Command LI3 Dorn
Other Memories Worked in the print shop doing OJT at this time. Went to the OJT board before the holidays, and was told to report in January for OJT for 3 months in the print shop.