The Battleship New Jersey sets course for a multimillion-dollar overhaul in 2027.
It’s one of those Philly experiences that is simply a must. It belongs on the list with tossing a penny on Ben Franklin’s grave, having a cheesesteak at the corner of Pat’s and Geno’s, or running up the Art Museum steps — hopefully not right after the cheesesteak.
I still remember my first visit to the Battleship New Jersey like it was yesterday. That imposing steel-gray facade against the Delaware River. Those enormous guns. The whole ship still looked formidable, even at rest. Now, the experience of visiting the Battleship New Jersey is poised to get a lot better.
The museum and memorial on the Camden waterfront has announced a $24.25 million redevelopment project, the largest capital investment since the ship opened to the public in 2001. If all goes as planned, construction will begin in 2027 and unfold over roughly two years.
The work will include improvements aboard the ship, a much-expanded visitor center, and better parking for the thousands of people who come to see the Big J every year. The current visitor setup has long felt more practical than grand. The planned new visitor center will give the Battleship something more worthy of the vessel itself: a permanent front door.
The new building is expected to include exhibit space, a museum store, offices, a café, and even a roof deck. A parking structure at Wiggins Marina is meant to make arrival easier too, roughly doubling available spaces and giving visitors a clearer path in.
And then there is the ship itself. More than $6 million of the investment is set aside for work aboard the Battleship New Jersey, including repairs to the superstructure, painting, accessibility upgrades, lighting, generator improvements, pier work, elevator-shaft repairs, and long-overdue restroom renovations. Plans also call for a year-round event space on the fantail.
In other words, this is not just a cosmetic touch-up, but an expansive effort to better preserve the ship as a cultural landmark and educational destination. The goal is to make the visitor experience feel less improvised and more equal to the history under your feet. And what a history it is.
A LEGACY IN HER WAKE
Like many vessels before it, the Battleship New Jersey came to life in a time of conflict. Built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and launched in 1942, she would go on to become the most decorated battleship in American history. She served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf, earning 19 Battle and Campaign Stars along the way.
Those giant guns that dominate the decks were not there for atmosphere. The New Jersey carried nine 16-inch guns in three turrets, weapons capable of hurling shells weighing more than a ton for miles.
Over time, the ship evolved too. In the missile age, older armament was reduced and modern weapons were added, allowing the battleship to remain not just a relic of World War II, but an active instrument of American power deep into the Cold War era. That is part of what makes the ship so compelling. The Battleship New Jersey is not merely a survivor from one war. It is a vessel that kept returning to service as the world changed around it. Again and again, it was judged too valuable, too powerful, or too symbolically important to leave behind.
For Philadelphia-area visitors, there is also something especially satisfying about the local connection. This giant was built here. Its story belongs not only to naval history, but to the industrial, military, and civic history of this region. When you stand on its decks, you are not just looking at a famous warship. You are looking at something made in the orbit of Philadelphia, something that left this riverfront world for combat and then, decades later, returned as a public landmark. That helps explain why the new investment feels like more than a routine facilities announcement.
The Battleship New Jersey has already earned its reputation. It has nothing left to prove. But if the ship is going to continue educating new generations — school groups, history buffs, tourists, local families, and the merely curious — then it needs more than a heroic record. It needs a campus and visitor experience that match the scale of the story.
For those of us who have stood beneath those guns and felt the presence of the thing, that is good news indeed. Philadelphia helped build this monster for war. Now, with this next chapter, the region can help preserve it in peace.
The Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial
Camden Waterfront | 866-877-6262
Tours Daily: 10am – 5pm (last boarding 4pm).
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⭐ BRAGGING RIGHTS ⭐
This is one battleship with an astonishing number of superlatives!
- Fastest: In 1968, the Battleship New Jersey reached a sustained top speed of 35.2 knots — about 40.5 miles per hour — earning recognition from Guinness World Records as the fastest battleship in history.
- Lightest: When recommissioned in 1968, the ship operated at the lightest weight ever achieved by an Iowa-class battleship, and then promptly set its speed record (see above).
- Longest: The Iowa class set the high-water mark for battleship length, and the Big J stretched the farthest of the four: 887 feet, 7 inches from bow to stern — roughly five feet longer than the Titanic.
- Longest-serving Iowa-class: USS New Jersey rendered more than 21.5 years of active service — more than any of her three sister ships.
- Most decorated battleship in U.S. history: The Big J earned 19 Battle and Campaign Stars, along with additional unit commendations and citations.
FUN FACTS: USS Battleship New Jersey
💥 Its main battery consists of nine 16-inch guns capable of firing 2,700-pound armor-piercing shells more than 23 miles.
⚓ The ship was designed for 117 officers and 1,804 crew members. During World War II, its complement eventually peaked at more than 2,700.
🐉 The New Jersey picked up several nicknames over the years, including “Big J” and the considerably more intimidating “Black Dragon” (from when it was painted a dark shade of Navy blue).
🏆 During the Vietnam War era, the New Jersey spent several years as the world’s only operational battleship.
🪨 The Battleship weighs more than 45,000 tons — roughly three times the weight of the Brooklyn Bridge.
💰 Today, it costs about $10,000 a day to keep the Battleship afloat on the Delaware.
🍺 The Big J even has its own beer: Battleship Beer, the flagship pilsner from Farmers & Bankers Brewing in Woodstown, New Jersey.
🥃 And something stronger: Pine Tavern Distillery in Monroeville produces a Battleship New Jersey Honey Flavored Rum, with a portion of sales supporting the ship.
🎙️ It even has a podcast. “WETSU” launched in 2025 and is available through the Battleship’s YouTube channel and major podcast platforms. WETSU comes from a motto used by the ship’s final crew: “We Eat This Stuff Up” (although sailors apparently had a somewhat saltier interpretation).
Thoughts? Questions? My friends, I love your feedback! Please click the links for more information, and reach out in the comments below. If you enjoyed this history, please see my previous piece on Upsala Mansion and the Battle of Germantown.
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