Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, Camden (must see)

The Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial preserves one of the most powerful warships built for the United States Navy. Launched in 1942 and commissioned in 1943, USS New Jersey served from World War II through the Cold War, including Korea, Vietnam, and Lebanon. Known as the “Black Dragon,” she earned 19 battle and campaign stars, making her the most decorated U.S. battleship, and was the only American battleship to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.

As an Iowa-class battleship, the vessel was designed for speed, endurance, and heavy firepower. During her 1968 shakedown cruise, she reached a sustained speed of 35.2 knots, or about 40 miles per hour, a record that made her the fastest battleship ever built. Her massive 16-inch guns also became part of naval legend: during combat near Hanat Island, also known as Tiger Island, the force of her bombardment led some newspaper reports to claim that the ship had “sunk an island.”

Walking along the decks, visitors can see gun turrets, anti-aircraft weapons, signal areas, and command spaces. Inside, the route passes through crew berths, officers’ quarters, mess areas, medical rooms, and combat information spaces, showing both the ship’s military role and the daily routines of sailors at sea.

One unusual stop is the 1980s-era Combat Engagement Center, where a keyhole reads “Nuclear perm to fire.” The Navy never confirmed that the ship carried nuclear weapons, but museum staff found original brass “Permission to Fire” keys in 2023. For tourists, this detail adds to the ship’s Cold War story, alongside its broader record of naval engineering, wartime service, and memory.