The Battleship New Jersey is undergoing a $10 million renovation at the Philadelphia Ship Repair yard in South Philadelphia. The refit is targeted for completion by early summer, with plans to re-open to the public before the July 4 weekend. The project, which commenced on March 27, 2024, includes repainting and repairing the hull, replacing anticorrosion technology, and installing a new teak deck, accounting for $4 million of the total expenditure, funded through public and private sources.
The 887-foot, 45,000-ton vessel arrived at Dry Dock #3 with the assistance of tugboats and is positioned on 302 concrete keel blocks. Inspections have revealed the hull to be in excellent condition. North Atlantic Ship Repair’s Philadelphia operation closure on June 30, 2024, will not affect the refit, according to Donna Connors, the company’s chief operations officer.
The battleship, which was originally launched on December 7, 1942, has drawn significant public interest, with more than 5,000 people participating in dry dock tours and over 240,000 subscribing to its YouTube channel. Tours, costing between $225 and $1,000, have offset projected losses from the ship's absence from Camden’s Waterfront, typically ranging between $700,000 and $800,000.
The Battleship New Jersey, a major historical and cultural asset, was designated a floating museum in Camden in 2000 after a significant campaign, following its final decommissioning in the 1990s. The vessel, which served over 45,000 sailors and Marines, is immersed in nostalgia and patriotism. It is set to return to Camden, where its caretakers express optimism about the battleship’s future contributions and revitalization efforts within the community.