Top Ten Facts About the U.S.S. New Jersey and Texas Battleships

As two historic battleships are being repaired, and in light of the 80th anniversary of D-Day approaching, it’s a great time to learn more about these incredible warships. Here are 10 facts about the U.S.S. New Jersey and U.S.S. Texas battleships.

U.S.S. New Jersey:

• Also known as “Big J” or The Black Dragon, New Jersey was the second of the Iowa-class fast battleships, serving in WWII as the flagship for Adm. William “Bull” Halsey in the Pacific.
• New Jersey served in WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and as part of the peacekeeping mission following the 1983 bombing in Beirut that killed 241 Americans.
• New Jersey earned 19 battle stars; it was the most decorated battleship in U.S. Navy history.
• This famous warship weighs 45,000 tons and is 887 feet long - almost three football fields.
• After repairs New Jersey will reopen to offer amazing tours that includes the Bridge, the crew’s mess and living quarters, the communication room, and the Combat Engagement Center. You can even climb inside a massive 16-inch gun turret!

U.S.S. Texas:

• Texas is also undergoing repairs and preparations to become a museum ship again, but her new home will be in Galveston, Texas. Reopening is projected for 2025 or 2026.
• This great battleship fought in both World Wars in North Africa, Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa — only losing one crew member to enemy fire.
• In 1919, Texas was used to launch a biplane off a ramp placed on top of turret #2, making her the first American battleship to launch an aircraft.
• Texas was the flagship of the U.S. Fleet from 1927-1931, and carried President Coolidge to the Pan-American Conference in Havana, Cuba in 1928.
• Operation Magic Carpet was created to repatriate millions of Americans; Texas completed four “Magic Carpet rides” between October - December 1945, bringing home as many soldiers, sailors, and marines as could fit aboard.

For information about veterans benefits, please contact:

Veterans Assistance Commission

667 Ware Rd.

Woodstock, IL 60098

Ph: 815-334-4229

www.mchenrycountyil.gov