Battleship New Jersey docks in Philly for repairs

The Battleship New Jersey was on the move again Wednesday.

After heading from its dock in Camden to the Paulsboro Marine Terminal last week to prepare for dry docking, the decorated battleship trekked across the river to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

The ship departed from Paulsboro around 11 a.m. and docked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard a little after 2 p.m. There, it will undergo routine maintenance, repairs, and repainting for the first time in 32 years.

Beginning next month, there will be guided tours of the battleship while in dry dock. Tickets are available on the Battleship New Jersey’s website.

Last week’s journey down the Delaware River marked the first time the battleship had been moved since 2001, and in a nod to its history, the vessel is dry-docked in the same berth where it was built beginning in 1940 and launched on Dec. 7, 1942, one year after the Pearl Harbor attack thrust the United States into World War II.

Once again, four tractor tugs pulled the Battleship New Jersey across the river, though Wednesday’s trip was shorter than last week’s journey from Camden, drawing onlookers on both sides of the river and other boats in the water marveled at the 45,000-ton battleship.

The restoration work is expected to take at least two months, with a goal of getting the battleship back in Camden for Memorial Day and summer tourism traffic. The whole project is set to cost about $10 million.

The USS New Jersey entered service in 1942 and saw action during many conflicts, including World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It served in the Navy for about 50 years before being decommissioned in February 1991. It was turned into a floating museum in 2011.

Staff writer Ximena Conde contributed to this report.