Restoration of Battleship New Jersey's Guns 

Ryan - "In case that the Navy ever wants to take it back" Me - "so your saying that there is a chance?"

I think the fiberglass 16 inch shells would be a hit at the gift shop!

I can’t even begin to describe how cool is that you have the shell hoists set up so they actually run

I see Ryan was in fine form for this video. Everything from "Just like they used to carry the 1 ton shells" to "We want to leave hatches like this one open... but we also don't want small children falling to their death" to your remark about aliens attacking the Missouri. If you keep saying things like these you'll start to give David Fletcher from The Tank Museum a run for his money. If RU-vid asks me about this video I'd have to give it five stars and say it was both informative and entertaining 👍

Omg Ryan's Battleship reference about the Missouri being attacked by aliens is hilarious!

I worked with someone whom was in gun 1 of the 16" Richard Torney is his name. He would tell me stories of the NJ everyday. Thank for the service of EVERY solider that bunked her.

I served on board the "Big J" 1983-1986. My Condition 3 assignment was Number two turret. Great memories, thanks. BM2 Christopher Beard, 2nd Deck Division.

The Navy should be very satisfied how well their former ship is being cared for . While I’m sure all parts of the ship aren’t ‘showroom’ condition like those of the tour, it’s still a testament to the overall care she is getting. Kudos to you, your staff and volunteers!

Saw the 16"rs fire from the flight deck of USS Chandler. We were about a half mile ahead of BB-62 at the time. It was the greatest experience in my 4+ years in the Navy.

The restoration looks great. Many moons ago when I was a teenager I was fortunate to see the New Jersey while it was berthed in Brisbane Australia. Must have been in the late 80's I think. Long time ago. My father was a marine engineer on an oil tanker berthed nearby that we were actually spending the weekend on. We were lucky to meet a generous crew member that took us on a tour of pretty much anywhere we asked that wasn't sensitive. I actually got to go for a look into turret 2!! I came away with a small laminated picture of her firing the 16's and a 20mm casing with a belt link from the gattling gun with the big white radar dome on it. I still have it! I think it was called the phalanx. The guy giving us the tour actually operated this. I also remember all the serious looking marines that were on guard duty at various places around the ship!!

“But we also don’t want small children falling to their death”. 🤣

"Keep off this hoist" Swabee gonna Swabee.

I was on the USS Briscoe in the shipyards in Pascagoula Miss. when the brought the Iowa back. Got to go on board before they started the retrofit. FDR's bathtub was still onboard.. Amazing the work they did to get these ships back to sea.

17:00 "If that's what's happening, it's the least of our worries. Missouri is probably being attacked by aliens at that point." Ryan sneaking in a reference to his secret favorite movie. LMAO

Normally I "dont condone" cutting holes into stuff for tourists, but in this case I'll make an exception, I'm sure the navy wont mind welding those pieces back in seeing the immaculate condition of so many other things. Outstanding work on fighting the constant battle against corrosion, at this rate you'll be getting ahead of it and from there on it's just maintenance :)

On my last tour of the NJ, you were just cutting through the bulkhead. WOW ! What a great job restoring. I never knew how much money was invested in restoring that ship. I just figured a little bit of paint and turn on the lights. Holy cow, what a tremendous amount of work and money was, and still is invested in that ship. Well done. Looking forward to my next tour when I can get into the engineering spaces. Thank you and all of the people that invested their time to do such a great job. Barry

Also, would love to know what the LEAST ready compartment on the ship is, and what it looks like. (Aside from possibly the catacombs)

Can't get enough of this content. Huge remedy for the monotony of this past year.

Wow! Dearest thanks for restoring and maintaining that beautiful ship!

I gotta say that your content always makes me full of so much emotion. My grandfather was a battleship sailor on the Iowa during the Korean Conflict. He always talked about the guns and such. Inspired me to become a sailor myself.

Missouri's being attacked by aliens at that point. LOL! XD

First, the microphone quality is amazing, you sound really clear. Second it looks like you’ve done some amazing work on the Jersey since I saw her last in 2011. Thank you for everything you do

Amazing amount of work! On my below deck tour of the Missouri the problem I faced was the heat, and the tour was so long I was literally rushing for it to end and to hit the closest working head...on the top deck. Senior citizen here!

“Missouri is being attacked by aliens at that point”. 😂

I do appreciate the effort that has gone into a museum-level restoration of Turret 2, especially in seeking ADA compliance. However, I like to think that a "Service-level" restoration for turrets 1 and 3 for a "Liability-Free" guided-tour option would also be excellent if possible/feasible. Fewer holes to cut, fewer modifications to make, immediately-serviceable machinery and equipment and the like. Maybe even send a few saluting charges from time to time. This is in part inspired by The Chieftain's showcasing of various Tanks in "Runner" status, restored to as much of the original operating state as possible or feasible.

Too cool! Somewhere back in the '80s I was able to spend the morning cruising the Pacific out of Long Beach. My buddy spent a long time serving on that ship.

Turret 2 crawl was awesome! I can't wait to come back and hopefully visit the Machine Shop someday.

That indivdual rung ladder that runs up the "central beam" in turret two, looks like a bit of work all by itself... but then you also remember those floors are covered in oil for moving shells around, and at least to my mind that makes it insane. I cant fathom climbing that several story tall ladder in greasy or oily boots. Damn!

Wow fantastic restoration! Very interesting and impressive

I toured the Missouri when it first open in Hawaii and again when additional area was opened. Wonderful impressive battleships.

Wow really enjoyed that, and fair play to the work you have put in, the effort it takes must be astronomical, but worth it as that turret looks brand new compared! Would love to visit one day

I love it, lol Ryan answered my question that I asked the other day about if the turrets still turn.

Glad you are back to work

Very cool. Thanks

Thank you.

Thank you so much for the videos. I was rejected for military service due to heath reasons but i would have went to the navy if i could have! I'll be visiting the New Jersey this summer.

The readers here have to realise that this enthusiasm for retaining great USN military weapons ergo ships is testamount to what makes America ie Americans great people . On your 4 th July take pride in the greatest of your nation and the shoulders of the many giants you all stand upon. T Yet every generation produces it's own giants . The commitment shown by the narrator of the USS New Jersey is just an example of a history of service to the mighty USA. From one of your many friends Down Under Qld Australia .

"Keep off THIS Hoist". So which hoist can I get on???

I love the “No Smoking” sign right next to the powder chute.

that’s so cool getting to fire a WWII battleship gun. even if it’s a blank

you really really need to sell the fiberglass or even plastic shell recreations online or in the store! That would be a totally awesome thing to have!

Last time I was there you had a Japanese main gun shell but that was mid 2000s it was massive and I remember the actual 16 inch shells onboard not fiberglass they where incredible. And those high doorways where called knee knockers

So, RU-vid would not let me add a picture. But I and the Family took a trip to the BB North Carolina. So you're telling me the shells my wife and son hugged on are real and were loaded by WW2 vets? This would have been great info on our Tour. I can imagine your tour would be more insightful than the one we got. PS not a fan of self-guided tours, but your info helped me even on an older ship I was able not only to answer some of my son's questions but someone else's when he said "the New Jersey could be ready to go in 19 hours". I told him I highly doubt that via this channel. KEEP UP THE GREAT VIDS AND WORK

When was the last time the 5 inch were fired for real? Great content!

I love watching these videos keep them coming

Thank you for the video.

I live in California and I want to move to NJ just to volunteer on the ship. I think it would be an awesome experience.

Fantastic quality restoration by you guys and fab work making it more accessible to visitors. Clearly massive attention to detail. I'd be really interested in hearing about what the navy dehumidification system was, during mothballs. What was set up, how it worked, what areas it covered, what was left when they handed it over to you etc. Could you cover that in a future video perhaps? Thanks

USS Alabama BB 60 in WW2 - During a Japanese air attack on the fleet on 21 February, Alabama's No. 9 5-inch turret accidentally fired into the No. 5 mount, killing five and wounding eleven men. That day, Alabama took part in a sweep to the southeast of Saipan to search for Japanese vessels that might be in the area. There is a plaque on the gun mount in Mobile, Alabama as a memorial to the men that lost their lives due to friendly fire.

I cannot wait to go see this ship

Lots of hard work

"We want to leave hatches like this one open, but we also don't want small children falling to their death" Quote of the day

Such a great video!

"you're welcome for the stairs" Jokes on you, I would have rather taken the ladder

I think you'd have some success were you to try to raise funds to start using a 16" as a saluting gun. The locals might want to check their glass insurance, however. ;-D

I’m a little disappointed. Libby and the gang didn’t find a cramped space to shove Ryan into during this video. 😉. Kidding! All of you are awesome! Great video, and I learned a few things. Thanks!

Ryan, I wish Battleship cove in Massachusetts cared as much about their ships as you do. It breaks my heart to see them rotting away.

I assume the bag type this shown in the exterior picture are normally used to seal the gun muzzle? How do you remove them? Air blast, or someone manually?

It is so fckin' *KEWL* that you guys are doing this!!! 🤯 😳😳😳 You guys are legends, keep doing whatever it is that y'all are doing over there because it is working! I don't think there is a single viewer watching this video that wouldn't want to step on that panel and fire those huge AF guns! 😎🥺

I remember finding the hatch into the Massachusetts' turrets when I was a child.

It might be instructive to you to visit the Mesa Verde National Park, and the way they have chosen to provide access to interpretive tours. There are multi-story steep wood ladders visitors must descend to reach a number of the levels.

Nice, we need those 16" Guns against invading aliens

Poor Ryan is tall enough that he has to both crouch and high step through those doors.

Defueling the ship was recently mentioned, how was that done. Was aboard Yorktown just over a year ago and they were still pumping out fuel.

Ladder in the LST 1166 was like those to get into the engine room

Very cool! Hope you open a museum in Minnesota.

A great video as always. I’m looking to a comparison of the battleship armor piercing vs high explosive shells. Haven’t found it yet but I’ll keep looking.

I am glad I am almost plankownee of my famous battleship I served on her in deck dept first division In gorgous long beach sunny southern california 1984-86

Do you ever have any requests from movie studios to film on the battleship?

So I am assuming these ships or atleast the more modern or still useful ships (with some work) are in fact the museam but is their a clause in the contract that the Navy can take the ships back or is this just universally true of all the navy ships in museams?

do you pack the black powder or just loosely fill? Nice that you simulate a 5" going off however the GMs watching know what a real round is like.

I want one shell. We need to make new battleships because they are usefull and it would be interesting to see how the build would turn out .

Suggesting for a future video… You recently shared a pretty cool store room full of parts for the ship. Maybe a monthly segment, grab a part, figure out where it goes on the ship, show us how to install it. 😉

The black shells look realistic :^)

Question: With the oiled floors in the ammunition handling areas of the turret, how did sailors avoid (or reduce) slipping and falling and the attendant injuries?

If you have any space that is easy to do. That can be an Eagle Scout Project. I know Battleship Cove has had several Eagle Projects done on the various ships. Namely the Kennedy.

I saw an old video that you all had a 25mm Bushmaster on board. Do you still have it, or has it been passed on to another ship?

The people in Philadelphia must love when you fire the 5 inchers

If you ask me, I would much rather be climbing the ladders than using stairs, I think that would be a cool option (if it isn’t already) it would be cool if you get to decide if u want to use the stairs or the ladders, but that’s just my opinion

What happened to the 12", 14", and 16" shells after WW2?

So at the 6:45 mark, you mention the real shells kept in another part of the museum. I would have thought the Navy would have taken the live shells back and either stored them for some reason or rendered them inert.

What did the navy do with the five inch gun mounts which were removed from the Iowa's, during reactivation and modernization?

There actually was a story where, I think at least 2 years ago, a Vietnamese, having excation in his property, found a 16" shell.

In order to prevent panic, do you inform local law enforcement before you fire the guns, or do you have a set schedule?

Can't help but wonder how much work would go into a restoration effort needed to allow a turret to rotate, and the barrels to rotate. It would be great if you rotated a turret on a schedule so folks could see it.

Is the ship required to still have life rafts and life vests?

17:01 This had me laughing good. lol

Wondering if restoring the 16 inch gun is restricted, but if people are using the 40 and 20mm guns, did the ship fire the 16 inch to, heard that in some places where 16 inch gun won't fire unless the deck is clear of people

One of these days Olympia is going to shoot back! Then you guys are in trouble! 😂🧐

Is ths some sort of foreshadowing for the return of the Iowa class battleships? Nice video, as always.

You think you can contact Wargaming Houston to do some sort of sponsorship deal to help with the restoration?

Question when the battleship was decommissioned were the fuel tanks drained or engines run till they burnt up the fuel that was left ?

Man I’m gonna have to visit the attention you’ve paid to keep my 9 year old from falling to his death just the best we have been to Wisconsin and he got to sit in the big chair in CIC I hope we will have as good a time at New Jersey

So are the 16in guns aimed at the bridges for just in case emergencies.

When you fire the guns are the shells blanks or real and if they are real where do you shoot them at

Cool.

17:00 had me DYING

How many of the 16" shells are still being stored? I have heard they were all sent to Crane in Indiana and had the explosive removed and placed into storage but the number of them is unclear.

Did the ship have a hydraulics shop for rebuilding components and making hoses?

Disclaimer: "No Philadelphians were harmed during the filming of this video"