The historic battleships that were once considered the juggernauts of naval warfare for the United States Navy go through painstaking restoration to protect their legacy. The venerable vessels include the USS Texas, USS North Carolina, USS Massachusetts, USS Alabama, USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, and USS Wisconsin towering above as monumental sentinels testifying to American naval prowess and heritage.
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) has been a leading museum ship since 1961. Moored across the Cape Fear River from downtown Wilmington, N.C., the former lead ship of the North Carolina-class fast battleships welcomed a quarter million visitors in 2022. A Historic Landmark since 1982, the facility is in continuous maintenance and receiving upgrades, like the recent “Living with Water” in mitigation of flooding around the facility.
The USS Texas-the oldest remaining U.S. Navy battleship and the last remaining capital ship that fought in both World Wars undergoing extensive repairs at the Gulf Copper dry dock in Galveston. On the verge of reopening to the public, about 700 tons of steel replaced and a fresh coat slapped on the hull, a $75 million restoration project is underway.
The class of South Dakota-class battleship, the USS Massachusetts, BB-59, was a participant in Operation Torch and other battles of World War II. Today, it is a museum ship called Battleship Cove, Massachusetts, BB-59, which underwent an exhaustive 1998-1999 restoration that preserved its state for the next decades.
Another of the South Dakota-class battleships, the USS Alabama served with distinction throughout both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of Operation during the Second World War. Preserved since 1964 as a museum ship in Mobile, Alabama, the battleship has been treated to several repairs, including post-Katrina restoration. The vessel was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986 and has been used in films such as “Under Siege.”
Operating in both the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II, the USS Iowa (BB-61) was the lead ship of the Iowa class. The vessel was reactivated during the Korean War and in the 1980s. A museum ship today, located in Los Angeles, this would be transitioned into the future National Museum of the Surface Navy to point out America’s rich maritime heritage.
The USS New Jersey had recently made its first departure in over three decades from the Camden Waterfront, marking it as the most decorated battleship in U.S. Navy history. The ship, widely known and referred to as “Big J,” is getting an extensive $10 million maintenance overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Governor Phil Murphy said during the send-off that there is no ship in the world quite like this one. The program ambitiously aims to keep the vessel structurally sound and operationally viable, returning it to Camden by Memorial Day.
The USS Missouri (BB-63) and USS Wisconsin (BB-64) were both Iowa-class battleships, and further extending their status as museum ships represents the technological advances and strategic importance of the U.S. Navy through most of the 20th century.
These acts of restoration thicker the role of commitment towards keeping these naval giants alive so that generations to come can appreciate the history and valor attached to them.