 |
MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS |
|
| RELEASE:
IMMEDIATE (26 July 2000) |
||
USS New Jersey to Move to the Camden Waterfront
The USS New Jersey will be towed from its temporary mooring at the Philadelphia Naval Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to its next temporary mooring at the Beckett Street Terminal, Camden, New Jersey. The tow will take place on July 27.
The battleship was signed over to the new owners - the Home Port Alliance - on July 21. Towing the ship north up the Delaware River to the Camden waterfront entails some work before the move is even started. About 25 feet of the mast and antenna must be removed to fit the ship under the Walt Whitman Bridge.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on July 27, the ship will begin its trip upriver. The schedule has the ship passing under the Walt Whitman Bridge about 10:30 a.m. and reaching the terminal at 11 a.m., docking at Pier 4 of the South Jersey Port Corporation facility.
Visitors will have an opportunity to see the ship from both sides of the river. On the Camden side, the Dr. Ulysses S. Wiggins Waterfront Park will offer a view of the ship’s journey to her new home. According to Patricia Egan Jones, freeholder for Camden County and a member of the Home Port Alliance, Camden County will erect bleachers at the park for the viewers. They are also planning musical entertainment for the people waiting for the ship.
Directions to get to the Camden waterfront can be found at this website: http://www.camdenwaterfront.com/directions/. One note: the view to Pier 4 could be blocked by boats that are docked at Piers 1-3.
Another place to watch the battleship being towed to the Beckett Street Terminal is at Penn’s Landing/Museum and Independence Seaport area in Philadelphia, Penna. The river is about one-half a mile wide at this point, so binoculars would be advised. But the view, according to a member of the Home Port Alliance, will be great.
A map of the Philadelphia viewing area can be found at www.philadelphia.com. Click on Visiting Philadelphia, Around Town, LibertyNet’s Philadelphia Maps and then Waterfront & Historic District.
Pleasure boats will be able to sail fairly close to the battleship while it is at Beckett Street Terminal. Boaters are reminded that this is a working area and a combination of private and state property. Please be observant of the large working watercraft coming and going to the area and observe safe boating procedures.
The Home Port Alliance is currently working with the Delaware River Port Authority to have the Twin Capes Ferry come to Camden and dock it at a pier on the waterfront. Short trips would then offered across the river to view the battleship, giving the passengers a chance to see the ship and take photos.
After a stay of about a month, the ship will then be towed again to the Broadway Terminal at the South Jersey Port Authority for the renovations to prepare the ship for her final berth on the Camden waterfront. The Home Port Alliance hopes to have the USS New Jersey ready for visitors in the later part of 2001.
Questions about this can be directed to Staff Sgt. Barbara Harbison, Public Affairs Office for New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, at harbison@njdmava.state.nj.us.
