E57002 USS NEW JERSEY BB-62 1945 DELUXE EDITION

USS New Jersey (BB-62) was an American battleship laid down in 1940, launched in December 1942, and commissioned in the US Navy in May 1943. The length of the ship was 270.4 m, width 33 m, and her full displacement - at the time of launching - 58,400 tons. The maximum speed of the USS New Jersey battleship was up to 33 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 406 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 20 127 mm guns. USS New Jersey was the second of six Iowa-class battleships ordered. As it turned out, with the Montana-class battleship building program failing, the Iowa-class battleships were the last to be launched for the US Navy. As they were built without any financial or displacement limits, they also turned out to be the most technologically advanced American battleships in World War II. From the outset, they were built as key carrier ships for aircraft carriers and placed great emphasis on high top speed, which made Iowa-class battleships much faster than any other American battleships. They also had carefully crafted armor and new 406 mm Mk. VII with a greater range of the effective shot. USS New Jersey (BB-62) received its baptism of fire in WWII from supporting operations in the Marshall Islands area in 1944. In April this year, it operated in the New Guinea area, and in June, the USS New Jersey supported operations in the Marianas area and took an active part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In 1945, the battleship supported the landing operations of the US Marines in Iwo-Jima and Okinawa with its artillery fire. The ship took an active part in the Korean War (1950-1953), primarily shelling North Korean positions. In the period 1967-1969, the battleship also served in the Vietnam War. After these actions, the ship was placed in reserve, but in the 1980s she returned to line service, having previously undergone a thorough modernization in 1982-1984. It involved the installation of modern electronics and fire control systems, as well as the installation of Tomahawk and Harpoon rocket launchers and Phalanx anti-aircraft systems. The battleship was also adapted to the homing of on-board helicopters. The ship so modernized took an active part in the war in Lebanon in 1983-1984. Finally, in February 1991, the ship was decommissioned. At present, it serves as a museum ship.