Meet USS New Jersey - The Only Iowa-Class Battleship to Fight in Vietnam: Built during the Second World War, the Iowa-class were the largest battleships ever built for the United States Navy. Four of the planned six were completed, and they played a significant role in ensuring America's victory in the Pacific – and all four also saw service in the Korean War. However, only one would go on to see action in Vietnam.

Known as the "Big J" or "Black Dragon," USS New Jersey (BB-62) also has the distinction of being one of the most decorated battleships to have served in the U.S. Navy, while she was also among the largest warships ever built. The second of the Iowa-class, like her sister vessels, she was designed as a "fast battleship" that could travel with a carrier force and take the fight to the Japanese during World War II. 

Launched on December 7, 1942 – a year after the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor – the New Jersey was commissioned in May 1943 and began her career as the flagship of the 5th Fleet under Adm. Raymond A. Spruance.

USS New Jersey: Retired But Returned to Service

There was no place in the post-war world for massive battleships and in 1948 she was decommissioned. However, her fate wasn't sealed – and unlike so many warships that were broken up and sold as scrap, the Department of Defense sought to maintain the class of fast battleships.

USS New Jersey was returned to duty during the Korean War, and she served as the flagship for Vice Admiral Harold M. Martin. On May 20, 1951, she fired her first short bombardment in the conflict and took part in multiple subsequent seaborne sorties against Communist targets.

BB-62 remained active until 1957, when she was decommissioned a second time.

The Only Battleship Used in Vietnam

USS New Jersey was subsequently called up during the Vietnam War – becoming the only battleship to take part in the conflict in Southeast Asia. The actual reason was due to the high loss rate of U.S. aircraft – beginning with Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965 – and studies were conducted to determine how to reduce those losses, while still delivering the ordnance payloads that came with the escalation of the conflict.

In May 1967, then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara authorized a study that aimed to determine how a battleship could fill the role. It was decided in August of that year to employ USS New Jersey to provide the fire support. BB-62 was selected for the role as she was in better material condition than her sisters, having received an extensive overhaul prior to decommissioning.

Upon her reactivation, USS New Jersey further underwent a period of modernization during which the 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns on the battleship were removed, and she received improved electronic warfare systems and improvements to her radar.

From 1967-69, she was the only active battleship in the world.

Pounding the Enemy

On one occasion, the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) took a page from the Japanese playbook of World War II and claimed it had struck the warship with coastal artillery causing serious damage. The PAVN's 25th Battery, 21st Artillery Battalion using 130mm guns had, in fact, fired at the warship – and it went so far as to suggest it set the battleship ablaze. Yet, that was of course little more than wishful thinking.

In November 1968, USS New Jersey launched the most destructive shore bombardment of her Vietnam tour. For the next two days, the battleship concentrated her fire at Viet Cong storage areas near Quảng Ngãi, during which time the warship successfully destroyed 182 structures and 54 bunkers, inflicted heavy damage to 93 structures, and demolished several tunnel complexes before departing for Point Betsy near Hue to support the 101st Airborne Division.

She continued to provide fire support in the early months of 1969, until April when the World War II battle wagon departed for Japan. During her tour in Vietnam, USS New Jersey fired more than 5,600 rounds from her 16-inch guns and nearly 15,000 from the five-inch guns.

End of Service Again for USS New Jersey 

In December 1969, her colors were hauled down and the warship was again deactivated, until the 1980s when President Ronald Reagan called for a 600-ship U.S. Navy. USS New Jersey again fired her big guns in combat during the Lebanon crisis of 1983-84 and was subsequently deployed to the western Pacific in 1986 and 1989-90, with the latter cruise extending to the Persian Gulf area.

Decommissioned again in February 1991, USS New Jersey was towed from the Pacific to the Atlantic in 1999. The battleship earned nine battle stars for her World War II service, four for the Korean War, three for the Vietnam War, and three for action in Lebanon and the Persian Gulf region.

She is now a museum at Camden, New Jersey – a testament to the sailors who served on her in wartime and peacetime.

Author Experience and Expertise 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.